Adverb Notes

Definition An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb

Adverbs answer the following questions: Where? How often? or how long? When? To What extent? How? 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 Tutu’s 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.]

Words Often Used as Adverbs

Where? Away Here Inside There Up

When? Later Now Soon Then Tomorrow

How? Clearly Easily Quietly Slowly

How often? or how long? Always Usually Continuously Never Forever Briefly

To what extent? or How much? Almost So Too More Least Extremely Quite Very Not

Take Note The word not is nearly always used as an adverb modifying a verb. When not is part of a contraction, as in hadn’t, aren’t, and didn’t, the –n’t is still an adverb and is not part of the verb.