Adverb of Manner

Adverb of Manner

An adverb of manner qualifies the meaning of a sentence by telling us in which manner the action has
occurred, occurs, or will occur. In short, an adverb of manner tells us how an action happens. Adverbs of
Manner add more information to verbs to make them more specific.

Let’s look at a few examples:

 Bethany ran. (In this sentence, we can only guess how fast or how slow Bethany ran as there is no
adverb of manner.)

 Bethany ran quickly. (In this sentence, ‘quickly’ is the adverb of manner as it shows us that she
ran at a high speed.)
 Bethany was exhausted and hence, she ran slowly. (In this sentence, ‘slowly’ is the adverb of
manner as it tells us that Bethany is not running as fast as before as she is tired.)

When we compare the above sentences, we see that the adverbs of manner change the meaning of the
sentences they’re used in. We know from the adverbs of manner that running at different speeds is a
possibility. ‘Quickly’ and ‘slowly’ are adverbs of manner because they describe running at different speeds.

Adverbs of manner are formed by adding ly to the corresponding adjectives. Let’s look at the below cases:

When the adjective ends in ‘ic’, the syllable ‘al’ is added before the ending ‘ly’. We simply add -ly to their
corresponding adjective as they are usually placed after the main verb or after the object.

 Specific – Specifically
 Basic – Basically

When the adjective ends in ‘le’ lead by a vowel / consonant the final ‘e’ is changed to ‘y’ to form ‘ly’.

 Sole – Solely
 Humble – Humbly
 Whole – Wholly

When the adjective ends in ‘ll’ only ‘y’ is added.

 Dull – Dully
 Full – Fully

When the adjective ends in ‘ue’, the final ‘e’ is omitted before the ending ‘ly’ is added.

 Due – Duly
 True – Truly
When the adjective ends in ‘y’ lead by a consonant, the ‘y’ is changed to ‘I’ before the ending ‘ly’ is added.

 Easy – Easily
 Happy – Happily

Rules of Adverbs of Manner

Let’s learn how to use adverbs of manner correctly:

 An adverb of manner is most effective when placed after the sentence’s object or main verb.

Example:

1. Alice speaks loudly. (After the main verb)

2. Susan solved the equation easily. (After the object)

 An adverb of manner must not be placed between the object and the verb.

Example:

1. Thomas respects immensely his parents. (This is incorrect as the adverb of manner is placed
between the object and the main verb)
2. Thomas respects his parents immensely. (This is correct as the adverb of manner is placed after
the object.)

 An adverb of manner works best when placed either before the preposition or after the object of
the sentence if there is a preposition before the object.

Example:

1. Maria gifted a ceramic painting lovingly to her parents. (Before the preposition ‘to’)
2. My Cheshire cat looked at me sadly as I left the house. (After the object ‘me’)

 An adverb of manner is most effective when placed before both the verb and object in order to add
emphasis. They can also be placed at the beginning of a sentence.

Example:

1. She looked at me eagerly. (After the object ‘me’)

2. Generously, I lent her the book. (Beginning of the sentence)

Adverb of Manner Examples

Let’s read a few example sentences to see how the adverbs of manner are used.

 Bernard plays the guitar beautifully.

  Jim was driving slowly and yet he met with an accident. Poor Jim!
 Good work! You replied to his queries correctly.
 Ryan walks fast; it is difficult to catch up with him.
 I was amazed to see how she solved the problem so easily.
 He agreed to go to the store for milk quickly.

In the sentences below, notice how using the same adverb of manner can lend different meanings to the
same sentences.

 Mia quickly agreed to go to the park with her son. (Her agreement was quick)
 Mia agreed to go to the park with her son quickly. (She would go to the park quickly)

 John quietly asked Jack to enter the room. (John’s request was quiet)
 John asked Jack to enter the room quietly. (Tom should not make any noise when entering.)

 The mother woke her gently sleeping child. (The child was sleeping gently)
 The mother gently woke her sleeping child. (The mother was gentle while waking the child)

Adverbs of Manner List

Let’s read through this list of adverbs of manner:

adoringly daringly generously lazily quickly silently truthfully

unexpectedl
accidentally deliberately gently loosely quietly sleepily
y
angrily doubtfully gladly loudly rapidly slowly violently
anxiously eagerly greedily madly rarely smoothly vivaciously
awkwardly elegantly happily mortally really softly warmly
mysteriousl
badly enormously hard reluctantly speedily weakly
y
boldly equally hastily nervously repeatedly stealthily wearily
bravely eventually honestly noisily rightfully sternly well
busily exactly hurriedly openly rudely straight wildly
inadequately
calmly faithfully painfully sadly stupidly wisely
carefully fast innocently patiently safely suspiciously
cautiously fatally inquisitively perfectly selfishly swiftly
clearly fondly irritably politely sensibly tenderly
closely foolishly joyously poorly seriously tensely
correctly fortunately justly powerfully sharply thoughtfully
courageously
frantically kindly promptly shyly tightly

Test Yourself
I. Identify the adverbs of manner in the following sentences.

1. The mountaineer climbed the steep side of the mountain bravely.

2. Mario ate the chocolate cake greedily.
3. Why don’t you walk quickly? You will miss the bus if you walk like this.
4. She sang for the crowd happily.
5. James coughed loudly to attract her attention.
6. It would help to read the papers carefully before you sign them.
7. Exercising so strenuously might hurt your legs.
8. My grandmother complained loudly about the temperature of the room.
9. The rain fell heavily.
10. When my teacher speaks, we listen carefully.

II. Decide if the adverbs of manner are placed correctly.

1. She eagerly opened the birthday gift from her parents.

2. Mary cut happily her birthday cake.
3. They are very friendly, aren't they?
4. John did not understand why Tim looked at him so angrily.
5. I am not sure how you efficiently could solve the problem.
6. Did you really speak to your friend so irritably?
7. Dominic drove carefully along the narrow road.
8. Anna speaks French more fluently than Jack
9. Turn the stereo down. It's too loud.