Kinds of adverbs
Identify adverbs of manner, time, frequency, degree and more.
You know that adverbs describe verbs, adjectives and other adverbs. This lesson sorts adverbs into kinds according to the question they answer.
An adverb is a word that tells us how, when, where, how often or how much something happens, and adverbs are grouped into kinds by that meaning.
Examples
- Aman spoke softly.
- The guests will arrive tomorrow.
- Please wait outside.
- She often visits her grandmother.
- The tea is too sweet.
How it works
Manner, time and place
Adverbs of manner answer how?, adverbs of time answer when?, and adverbs of place answer where?.
The children played happily upstairs.
Frequency and degree
Adverbs of frequency answer how often?. Adverbs of degree answer how much? and often strengthen an adjective or another adverb.
I rarely feel so sleepy.
Question and sentence adverbs
Interrogative adverbs such as how, why, when and where begin questions. Sentence adverbs such as sadly or luckily comment on the whole statement.
Sadly, the picnic was called off.
Tricky pairs
Some words are both adjectives and adverbs, such as fast and hard. Hardly means almost not, and the adverb of good is well.
Sameer worked hard and did well.
Quick reference
| Kind | Question it answers | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Manner | How? | quickly, bravely, well |
| Time | When? | now, soon, yesterday |
| Place | Where? | here, nearby, abroad |
| Frequency | How often? | always, seldom, twice |
| Degree | How much? | very, quite, almost |
| Interrogative | Asks a question | why, when, how |
| Sentence | Comments on the statement | luckily, honestly, sadly |
Common mistakes
✕She sings very good.
✓She sings very well.
Well is the adverb that describes how she sings.
✕He hardly worked all day and was exhausted.
✓He worked hard all day and was exhausted.
Hardly means almost not, which does not fit exhausted.
✕Drive slow near the hospital.
✓Drive slowly near the hospital.
In formal English, the adverb of manner is slowly.
Worked example
Exercise 1
Tap the adverb of frequency.
Ritu seldom misses her morning walk.
✓seldom
seldom tells us how often Ritu misses her walk.
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