3.3: Grammar: Adverbs

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This lesson includes slides for classroom presentation.

What is an Adverb?

Read the sentences below and identify the adverbs. The adverbs are giving more information (modifying) about certain words or phrases in the sentence. Which ones?

San Diego has a very diverse population
Immigrants to San Diego don't always speak English
Fortunately, they are learning English
The students in this class are learning English very quickly

Answers

The adverb is "very" and it is modifying "diverse"
The adverb is "always" and it is modifying "speak"
The adverb is "fortunately" and it is modifying "they are learning English"
The adverb is "very quickly" and it is modifying "are learning"

Why Use Adverbs?

Compare these sentences. Which sentence in each pair gives more information? What kind of information do we learn?

Immigrants are learning English
Fortunately, immigrants are learning English
- Answer: In the second sentence, we learn the author's opinion
The students in this class are learning English
The students in this class are learning English very quickly
- Answer: In the second sentence, we learn how the students are learning
San Diego has nice beaches
San Diego has incredibly nice beaches
- Answer: In the second sentence, we learn that the beaches are not just nice but incredibly nice

Examples

Read the phrases below. What are the parts of speech of the words/phrases that are modified?

Very diverse
Always speak
Fortunately, they are learning English
Are learning very quickly
Very quickly

Answers

"Diverse" is an adjective
"Speak" is a verb
"They are learning English" is a clause
"Are learning" is a verb
"Quickly" is an adverb

From the example, we can say an adverb can modify a verb, a clause, an adjective, or another adverb

Read the list of adverbs below. What is a common ending for many adverbs (but not all)?

Incredibly
Always
Happily
Angrily
Quickly
Fast
Early
Never
Sometimes
Often
Usually
Sadly
Fortunately
Rarely
Delightedly
Hungrily
Basically
Definitely
Probably
Possibly
Too
Unfortunately
Luckily
Certainly
Hardly
Quietly

Many adverbs end with -ly. Sometimes an adverb can be created from an adjective + -ly (e.g. quick, quickly)

Adverbs of Frequency

Adverbs of frequency are used to tell how often something happens. These adverbs are usually used with simple present or simple past verbs. Which of the adverbs on the list below can be used with this sentence to give information about "how often"?

I __________ eat breakfast

Incredibly
Always
Happily
Angrily
Quickly
Fast
Early
Never
Sometimes
Often
Usually
Sadly
Fortunately
Seldom
Rarely
Delightedly
Hungrily
Basically
Definitely
Probably
Possibly
Too
Unfortunately
Luckily
Certainly
Hardly
Quietly
Frequently
Occasionally

Answers

Always
Often
Frequently
Usually
Sometimes
Occasionally
Seldom
Rarely
Never

Adverbs of Manner

Adverbs of manner answer the question of "how." Adverbs of manner modify verbs and usually come after the verb. Which of the adverbs on the list below may be used in the sentences below to show how she walked or ate?

She walked _________
She ate ____________

Incredibly
Always
Happily
Angrily
Quickly
Fast
Early
Never
Sometimes
Often
Usually
Sadly
Fortunately
Rarely
Delightedly
Hungrily
Basically
Definitely
Probably
Possibly
Too
Unfortunately
Luckily
Certainly
Hardly
Quietly

Answers

Happily
Angrily
Quickly
Fast
Sadly
Delightedly
Hungrily
Quietly

Comment Adverbs

Comment adverbs give the speaker's opinion about the sentence. These adverbs usually come before the sentence and are followed by a comma. Which of the adverbs on the list below can fill in the blank to show the author's opinion about arriving before the concert?

____________, we arrived before the concert began

Incredibly
Always
Happily
Angrily
Quickly
Fast
Early
Never
Sometimes
Often
usually
Sadly
Fortunately
Rarely
Delightedly
Hungrily
Basically
Definitely
Probably
Possibly
Too
Unfortunately
Luckily
Certainly
Hardly
Quietly

Answers

Incredibly
Sadly
Fortunately
Basically
Unfortunately
Luckily
Certainly

Videos

Watch these videos for more information about adverbs...