Adverbs Part I

Adverbs are words that are used in sentences to describe or change the meaning of a Verb or Adjective or even another Adverb. They add description to the sentence to make it more detailed and interesting.  For example:

He walked slowly across the square.  

Here, one can see that the Adverb ‘slowly’ is describing the Verb ‘walk’ by telling that the person was walking slowly. 

Types of Adverbs

Adverbs are used in sentences to answer many questions about the Verbs/Adjectives/Adverbs themselves. The different types  of Adverbs are as following:

Adverb of Time

E.g.: The results were announced yesterday.

 Here the Adverb is yesterday which is answering the question: When were the results announced?  ‘Announced’ is the verb in this sentence.

She will visit the hospital tomorrow.

Here the Verb is ‘visit’ and the Adverb is tomorrow as the question being asked is:Whenwill she visit the hospital?

Other examples of Adverbs of Time are – Once, Never, Tomorrow, Daily etc.   

Adverb of Place

E.g.:They will meet you there.

The Adverb here is there that is specifying a place for the Verb meet and the question being answered is: Where will they meet you?

In spring, flowers bloom everywhere.

Here the Verb is bloom and the Adverb is everywhere, answering the question:Where do the flowers bloom in spring?

Other examples of Adverbs of Place are - Anywhere, Somewhere, Near, Far etc.

Adverb of Manner

E.g.: He quietly slipped away.

The Adverb here is quietly which is telling the way or manner in which the action was carried out and the Verb is slipped which is telling: How did he slip away.

She works fast. 

The Verb here is work and the Adverb is fast and the question being asked is:How does she work?  

These Adverbs tell about the manner of the action being done, whether it is done happily or haltingly etc.  Other examples of Adverbs of Manner are - Honestly, Joyfully, Cunningly etc. 

Adverb of Frequency

He likes to watch TV every day.  

Here, the Adverb is every day and it is telling about the amount of time spent in doing the Verb, which is watch. The question in this sentence is: How often does he watch TV?  

They meet every week. 

The Adverb here is every week and it is telling the frequency and the Verb ismeet. The sentence is telling us: How often do they meet? 

 These Adverbs are used to show the duration or timing of the action that is happening/had happened/will happen. They also tell us how often and how long these actions would be.  Other examples of Adverbs of Frequency are - Frequently, Often, Yearly, Briefly etc.