Adverbs are words that modify

a verb (He drove slowly. How did he drive?) an adjective (He drove a very fast car. How fast was his car?) another adverb (She moved quite slowly down the aisle. How slowly did she move?)

As we will see, adverbs often tell when, where, why, or under what conditions something happens or happened. Adverbs frequently end in -ly; however, many words and phrases not ending in -ly serve an adverbial function and an -ly ending is not a guarantee that a word is an adverb. The words lovely, lonely, motherly, friendly, neighborly, for instance, are Adverbs often function as intensifiers, conveying a greater or lesser emphasis to something. Intensifiers are said to have three different functions: they can emphasize, amplify, or downtone. Here are some examples:

Emphasizers: o I really don't believe him. o He literally wrecked his mother's car. o She simply ignored me. o They're going to be late, for sure. Amplifiers: o The teacher completely rejected her proposal. o I absolutely refuse to attend any more faculty meetings. o They heartily endorsed the new restaurant. o I so wanted to go with them. o We know this city well.

Kinds of Adverbs
Adverbs of Manner She moved slowly and spoke quietly. Adverbs of Place She has lived on the island all her life. She still lives there now. Adverbs of Frequency She takes the boat to the mainland every day. She often goes by herself. Adverbs of Time She tries to get back before dark. It's starting to get dark now. She finished her tea first. She left early.

Verb Beth swims Dad walks

Manner

Place

Frequency every morning

Time before dawn

Purpose to keep in shape.

enthusiastically in the pool impatiently into town

every afternoon before supper to get a newspaper.

Tashonda naps

in her room every morning

before lunch.

An adverb is a part of speech. It is any word that modifies any other part of language: verbs, adjectives (including numbers), clauses, sentences and other adverbs, except for nouns; modifiers of nouns are primarily determiners and adjectives.
Adverbs modify verbs. They tell you How something is done. Example: How does he she sing? - She sings beautifully. Rule: Adverbs are often formed by adding -ly to an adjective Example: beautiful - beautifully, careful - carefully Be Careful!

Some adjectives don't change in the adverb form. The most important of these are: fast - fast, hard - hard Good is probably the most important exception. The adverb form of 'good' is 'well'. Unfortunately, this is a common mistake that many Americans make!

NOT!!: He plays tennis good. Rule: Adverbs can also modify an adjective. In this case, the adverb is placed before the adjective. Example: She is extremely happy. They are absolutely sure. Be Careful!

Do not use 'very' with adjectives that express an increased quality of a basic adjective Example: good - fantastic

NOT!!: She is a very beautiful woman. Rule: Adverbs of frequency (always, never, sometimes, often, etc.) usually come before the main verb Example: He is often late for class. Do you always eat in a restaurant? They don't usually travel on Fridays. Be Careful!

Adverbs of frequency expressing infrequency are not usually used in the negative or question form. NOT!!: Does she rarely eat fish? They don't seldom go to the cinema. Adverbs of frequency are often placed at the beginning of a sentence. Example: Sometimes, he likes to go to museums. Adverbs of frequency follow - come after - the verb 'to be'. Example: He is sometimes late for work.