Adverbs
are words that modify or describe a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Just as an adjective changes a noun, an adverb changes a verb, adjective, or adverb. Adverbs are easily identified because they often end in
ly
, but this is certainly not always the case.
Descriptions make our writing rich and specific, so we shouldn’t be afraid of using adjectives and adverbs in our sentences.
Look at these three sentences:
example
Jon
walked to the store to get canned goods for his zombie stash.
Jon walked to the large store to get canned goods for his zombie stash.
Jon walked
urgently
to the
massively
large store to get canned goods for his zombie stash.
As you can see, the last sentence is the most descriptive and informative. The use of adverbs and adjectives helps our writing come alive. The following page on adverbs will provide helpful tips on how to correctly use adverbs and give you examples of how adverbs can add descriptive detail to your writing.
Order of Adverbs
Adverbs most commonly describe how, but below is a more comprehensive list of the most common types of adverbs.
|
Type of Adverb
|
Example
|
|
Adverbs of manner (or how)
|
Christine sang the song
atrociously
. No more karaoke for her!
|
|
Adverbs of time
|
Michelle did her homework
yesterday
, but she did the wrong assignment.
|
|
Adverbs of place
|
I met my friend
at the coffee shop
, and that’s where we saw the first signs of the outbreak.
|
|
Adverbs of degree
|
It’s
too
quiet in here.
|
|
Adverbs of frequency
|
Michael Jordan
rarely
misses a free throw, but Shaq
frequently
does.
|
|
Adverbs of purpose
|
I clean the litter box every day
to keep the house from smelling
.
|
And like adjectives, adverbs have a “royal order.” While you may already have an innate sense of this order, it can be helpful to review the rules.
The Royal Order of Adverbs
Source: Adapted from Adverbs. (n.d.) Capital Community College Foundation. Retrieved from grammar.ccc.commnet.edu