Learning Adverbs

Adverbs are one of the most interesting and an easy part of speech and at the same time very integral to a person’s learning of English language. Adverbs are words which help us in describing an action. “how”, “when”, “where”, “how often”, or “how much”  an action took place is told to us through the use of adverbs. Let’s take a few examples to understand the definition better.      The dog ate hungrily.   She is quite an intelligent person.  The ship has sailed right round the world.  She runs very fast.  Frankly speaking, I did not like him.   He exercises regularly. All the words in italics are called adverbs, because they are modifying or changing verbs, adjectives, prepositions or other adverbs. There are some broad categories into which adverbs can be classified based on what, how, where, etc. an action is performed.      1.      Manner- these adverbs describe how an action happens/ happened Examples- a)      She was dressed beautifully. b)      Rina moved her hand gently over the puppy. c)      Amit walks really slowly. d)      My mother folded the clothes neatly. Main adverbs of this category are-well, terribly, quietly, noisily, greedily, loudly, independently, frankly, etc.    2.      Place – these adverbs describe the location of a verb or noun   Examples- a)      We must sit here. b)      The book is under the table. c)      My house is near the market. d)      The kids are playing indoors. Main adverbs of this category are – there, everywhere, nowhere, nearby, homeward, up, down, upward, downward, inside, abroad, etc.    3.      Time- these adverbs describe how long or when something happens Examples- a)      Suman will soon arrive. b)      I met my friends some time ago. c)      He attends his lectures punctually. d)      I did not have lunch today. Main adverbs of this category are- before, after, still, immediately, instantly, afterwards, late, daily, formerly, etc.   4.      Frequency- these adverbs describe how often an action happens Examples- a)      How often does she visit you? b)      She always stood by her best friend. c)      Amit had tried twice already. d)      We should read the newspaper daily. Main adverbs of this category are- never, sometimes, seldom, yearly, weekly, nightly, periodically, rarely, frequently, etc.   5.      Degree- these adverbs describe to what degree an action happens/ happened Examples- a)      Param is fully prepared for the exams. b)      Ram is partially correct. c)      It is extremely hot in Delhi these days. d)      Shina can hardly walk with that fracture. Main adverbs of this category are- almost, nearly, barely, whole- heartedly, thoroughly, less, too, enough, quite, etc.    6.      Certainty- these adverbs describe how probable an event is Examples- a)      She is certainly going to attend the party. b)      He definitely loves her a lot. c)      Most probably we are having a class picnic. d)      She is likely to fall ill if she continues to skip her meals. Main adverbs of this category are- surely, undoubtedly, likely, doubtlessly, unquestionably, absolutely, etc. POSITION OF ADVERBS 1.      Adverbs of manner are generally placed after the verb or after the object if there is one.  For example- a)      It is raining heavily. b)      She walks slowly. c)      He did his work carefully. 2.      Adverbs of place and time are usually placed after the verb or after the object, if there is one.  For example- a)      Come here. b)      Go there. c)      Let us go for a trip next week.     3.      Adverbs of frequency are generally put between the subject and the verb if the verb consists of only one word; if there is more than one word in the verb, they are put after the first word. For example- a)      He never comes here. b)      I often visit my relatives. c)      We usually meet on Sundays. EXERCISE 1 Find the adjective in the first sentence and fill in the blanks with the corresponding adverb. 1.      Zehra is careful. She drives_________. 2.      The kid is slow. He walks _________. 3.      Her English is perfect. She speaks English _________. 4.      Our teacher was angry. She shouted _________. 5.      My aunt is a loud speaker. She speaks _________. 6.      She is a shy girl. She does her job _________. 7.      He is a good writer. He writes _________. 8.      Sumit is regular. He attends his classes _________. 9.      This exercise is so easy. You can do it _________. 10.  Arunima is a good painter. She paints _________. EXERCISE 2 Fill in the blanks with the proper form of the words in the brackets. 1.      Kirti is _________ clever. (extreme) 2.      Jim is _________ upset about losing his keys. (terrible) 3.      Mariam _________ opened her presnt. (slow) 4.      Sarita was dressed __________ at her wedding. (beautiful) 5.      Arun responded _________ to the accusation. (instant) 6.      We should read the newspaper _________. (everyday) 7.      One is my uncle is _________ deaf. (parital) 8.      Sambhavana comes to college _________. (regularly) 9.      Ritu is an intelligent woman. She does her work _________. (smart) 10.  Mohan follows his diet _________. (strict)