Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Definition
An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb
or how much?
Examples
1. The sprinter ran swiftly. [The adverb swiftly modifies the verb ran and hells how.] 2. I read the funny pages early on Sunday morning. [The adverb early modifies the adjective small and tells to what extent.]
Examples
3. Jolene was comforting a very small child. [The adverb very modifies the adjective small and tells to what extent.]
4. The fire blazed too wildly for anyone to enter. [The adverb too modifies the adverb wildly and tells to what extent. The adverb wildly modifies the verb modifies the verb blazed and tells how.]
Examples
5. Dad will sometimes quote from Archbishop Desmond Tutus speech. [The adverb sometimes modifies the verb will quote and tells how often.]
6. Put the apples there, and we will eat them later. [The adverb there modifies the verb put and tells where. The adverb later modifies the verb will eat and tells when.]
Where?
Away Here Inside There Up
When?
Later Now Soon Then Tomorrow
How?
Clearly Easily Quietly Slowly
Take Note
The word not is nearly always used as an adverb modifying a verb. When not is part of a contraction, as in hadnt, arent, and didnt, the nt is still an adverb and is not part of the verb.