1. Adverbs: Sentence, Focus & Negative
Unit 16:
Adverbs: Sentence, Focus & Negative

2. Word Order Adverbs go after the verb
OR before the adjective or adverb it describes

3. Adverbs of Manner give information about ACTION verbs:
*add -ly to the adjective:
slowly OR slow (less formal!)
quickly OR quick (less formal!)
loudly OR loud (less formal!)
clearly OR clear (less formal!)

4. BUT...be careful! Some adjectives also end in -ly: friendly lonely
lovely
silly

5. Degree Adverbs: Make Adjectives & Other Adverbs stronger OR weaker...
100%
absolutely completely
awfully terribly (*good or bad)
pretty quite
fairly
not at all 0%

6. Simple Adverbs These are the ones you are most comfortable with
Simple adverbs modify:
Verbs (ex: Mike drives slowly.)
Adjectives (ex: That dress is really nice!)
Other adverbs
• ex: He ate his dinner amazingly quickly!
• ex: The weather report is almost always right.

7. Sentence Adverbs These adverbs modify entire sentences
Fortunately, Bill’s military service paid for his college education.
Hopefully, I can go to Europe next year.
Clearly, you speak English well.
Actually, basically, certainly, clearly, definitely, essentially, fortunately, hopefully, obviously, overall, maybe, perhaps, possibly, surely

8. Some sentence adverbs are also simple adverbs:
Clearly, you speak English well.
=It is clear that you are a good speaker.
You speak English clearly.
=I understand the way you speak.
Hopefully, he smiled.
=I hope that he smiled.
He smiled hopefully.
=You could see a lot of hope in his face when he smiled.

9. Where to put Sentence Adverbs?
If the sentence adverb comes first or last in the sentence, you separate it from the rest of the sentence (or idea) with a comma.
Clearly, these are bitter controversies.
These are bitter controversies, clearly.
If the sentence adverb comes elsewhere, there is no comma and it is usually found:
A. After the be verb ex: I am basically in favor of that.
B. After a Modal (modal + adverb + be) ex: It could possibly be you.
C. Before other verbs ex: I basically agree with the plan.

10. Focus Adverbs Focus attention on a word or phrase
Usually go before the word or phrase they focus on.
What is the focus in these sentences?
Even I believe that. → Focuses on I.
I believe even that. → Focuses on that.
In speaking, the word you are focusing on is stressed.

11. SHIFTING FOCUS • What do each of these sentences mean?
• Only David may borrow the car. • (David and nobody else may borrow the car.)
• David may only borrow the car. • (David may borrow the car, but he can do nothing else--he can’t keep it).
• David may borrow only the car. • (David can’t borrow anything else.)

12. FOCUS EXAMPLES I don’t just like you… …I love you!
I just don’t like you… …sorry.
I don’t really care about it… …that much. •
I really don’t care… …I hate it!

13. Negative Adverbs COMPARE We rarely agree on such things.
Rarely do we agree on such things.
• Does the meaning change in the sentences? What changes instead? •
The position of the subject and verb is inverted (switched) with NEGATIVE ADVERBS.
• Add an auxiliary verb – Do
• The adverb is the emphasis

14. NEGATIVE ADVERBS • Hardly • In no way (no way is informal) • Little
• Neither
• Never
• Not only
• Only
• Rarely
• Seldom

15. NEGATIVE ADVERBS
When sentences or clauses begin with a negative adverb, the verb or auxiliary (helping/linking verb) goes BEFORE the subject
You do this to emphasize the negative meaning
• Seldom is he on time.
• Subject? Verb? • Verb is BEFORE the subject
• Only in Israel are women drafted to serve in the military.

16. Negative Adverbs
Verbs in simple past or simple present (except be) use do, does, or did after the adverb
MAKE IT LIKE A QUESTION… BUT IT’S NOT A QUESTION!
Rarely do women make a career of the military.
I never wake up early on Saturdays. → Never do I wake up early on Saturdays.

17. Negative Adverbs
For verbs in the perfect form, put the auxiliary (form of have) before the subject.
How would I change this sentence?
• I had heard such a strange idea. (never)
• Never had I heard such a strange idea.

18. Negative Adverbs “Not only” AND “but also” usually appear together.
“Not only” always comes first. •
The word that follows “not only” should grammatically parallel the word that follows “but also.”
Incorrect: He not only visited (verb) Laos but also Thailand (noun).
He not only visited Laos but also traveled through Thailand.

19. “Here” & “There”
• Here and there also cause inversion when they come at the beginning of a sentence.
• Your money is here.
• Here is your money.
• The bus goes there.
• There goes the bus.

20. “Here” & “There” BE CAREFUL!
When you use a pronoun as the subject, it comes between “here/there” and the verb:
• Here she comes!
• There it goes!
When you use a noun/name as the subject, it comes after the verb:
• Here comes Jenny!
• There goes the volcano!