Adverbs - English Grammar Basics | Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) - CAT PDF Download

Introduction 

Function of an adverb:
Adverbs give extra information about the action or about other parts of speech in a sentence. They most commonly modify verbs by telling us how, where, when, how often, to what extent or with what focus an action takes place.

Carol drives carefully. (How does she drive?)
I looked for her everywhere. (Where did you look for her?)
She came to London yesterday. (When did she come to London?)

Adverbs are commonly classified into several groups based on:

• Manner: slowly, bravely, carefully, simply, quietly
• Place: there, here, up, down, near
• Time: yesterday, tomorrow, now, yet, still
• Frequency: never, always, often, once, twice
• Sentence (sentence-level adverbs): actually, obviously, evidently, unfortunately
• Degree: very, quite, rather, fairly, hardly
• Focus: just, only, simply, even, also

Forming adverbs

Many adverbs, especially adverbs of manner and degree, are formed from adjectives by adding -ly. This is the most regular way to make adverbs in English.

I don't know why, but they spoke to me coldly.
The weather was awfully cold.
You should treat people gently.
Please, drive the car slowly.

Common formation rules:

• If an adjective ends in a consonant + y, change y to i and add -ly: busy → busily, happy → happily, easy → easily, heavy → heavily.
• If an adjective ends in -le, replace -le with -ly (effectively omit the e and change the ending): noble → nobly, possible → possibly, simple → simply, gentle → gently.
• If an adjective ends in a silent -e, keep the e and add -ly: extreme → extremely, free → freely, brave → bravely, safe → safely.
• If an adjective ends in -ic, add -ally: systematic → systematically, phonetic → phonetically.

Examples in sentences:

• She is working busily.
• Chuck passed the test easily.
• My mom brushes my hair gently every day.
• His political ideas are extremely dull.
• Our army fought bravely.
• We searched the attic systematically.
• Mrs. Burns wanted us to write the words phonetically.

Degrees of adverbs (Comparison)

1. Positive: expresses quality without comparison.
   Ivan walks slowly.
2. Comparative: expresses a higher or lower degree than the positive (used when comparing two things or people). Comparatives of adverbs are formed in three main ways: by adding -er to short adverbs, by using more + adverb for many adverbs ending in -ly, and by irregular forms.
   Ida walks faster than Ivan.
3. Superlative: expresses the highest or lowest degree when comparing three or more things/people. Superlatives are formed by adding -est to short adverbs, by using most + adverb for many -ly adverbs, and by irregular forms.
   Brad walks the slowest of all the runners

Forms and examples of comparison:

1. Adverbs that have the same form as adjectives (often short adverbs):

• They came earlier than me.
• Kenyans always win prizes in marathons because they run the fastest of all.
• My parents' plane will arrive later than my uncle's.

2. Adverbs formed with -ly typically use "more" and "most" for comparison:

• Linda drives more carefully than her husband.
• Elizabeth speaks English the most fluently.

3. Irregular adverbs:

• Who speaks English the best?
• They do everything worse than us.
• Other common irregulars: well → better → best; badly → worse → worst; far → farther/further → farthest/furthest.

Other important points about adverbs

What adverbs can modify:

• A verb: She sings beautifully.
• An adjective: It is very difficult.
• Another adverb: He ran quite quickly.
• An entire sentence (sentence adverbs): Unfortunately, we missed the train.

Position of adverbs in a sentence:

• Front position (before the subject) for emphasis or time/place: Yesterday, we visited the museum.
• Mid position (usually with auxiliary verbs or before the main verb) for adverbs of frequency, degree, certainty: She has always wanted to study medicine. He really likes football.
• End position (after verb or object) for adverbs of manner, place and time: He spoke softly. They live nearby. We met them yesterday.

Adverb vs adjective:

• An adjective modifies a noun: She is a good student.
• An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, another adverb or a whole sentence: She studies well. He is very clever. She answered quite correctly.
• After linking verbs (be, seem, feel), use an adjective rather than an adverb: She feels tired (not tiredly).

Common exam-relevant notes:

• Many adverbs are formed by adding -ly to adjectives, but be careful with spelling changes (consonant + y → -ily, adjectives ending in -ic → -ally, etc.).
• To form comparatives and superlatives, short adverbs often take -er/-est, while most -ly adverbs use more/most. Memorise irregular adverb forms (e.g., well → better → best; badly → worse → worst).
• Pay attention to the position of adverbs in a sentence; incorrect placement can change meaning or sound unnatural.

Adverbs add precision and detail to sentences; practising their formation and correct placement will improve both writing and comprehension.