1. Adverb Notes

2. Definition An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Answers the following questions: Where? When? How? To What extent? (or how much/often/long?)

3. Adverbs Describing Verbs (Examples) She hung the posters quickly. (tells how) She hung the posters everywhere. (tells where) She hung the posters yesterday. (tells when)

4. Adverbs Describing Adjectives (Examples) That is a very powerful car. (Very tells how powerful the car is) That car is too expensive for me. (Too tells how expensive the car is) The engine is rather unsafe. (rather tells how unsafe the engine is)

5. Adverbs Describing Other Adverbs (Examples) The manager spoke fairly briefly. (fairly tells how briefly) He hit the ball especially hard. (especially tells how hard) Ted played rather well. (rather tells how well)

6. 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.]

7. 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.]

8. 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.]

9. Words Often Used as Adverbs

10. Where? Away Here Inside There Up

11. When? Later Now Soon Then Tomorrow

12. How? Clearly Easily Quietly Slowly

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

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

15. 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.