What is an Adverb? Definition and Examples

Hello there! In this blog post, we’re going to dive into the world of adverbs—a fun and useful part of speech that helps make our sentences more detailed and interesting. If you’re ready, let’s get started!

What is an Adverb? Definition

An adverb is a word that modifies (changes or adds more detail to) a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or even a whole phrase or sentence. Adverbs answer questions like how, when, where, how often, or to what extent something happens.

Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Let’s break it down further with examples for each case.

1. Adverbs Modifying Verbs

The most common job of an adverb is to modify a verb. When it does, it tells us more about how, when, where, or how often the action happens.

• How: She dances gracefully.
  (Gracefully tells us how she dances.)
• When: We met yesterday.
  (Yesterday tells us when we met.)
• Where: The dog ran outside.
  (Outside tells us where the dog ran.)
• How often: He always eats breakfast.
  (Always tells us how often he eats breakfast.)

2. Adverbs Modifying Adjectives

Adverbs can also modify adjectives. When this happens, they usually describe the degree or intensity of the adjective.

• She is very happy.
  (Very is modifying the adjective happy to show how happy she is.)
• This coffee is extremely hot.
  (Extremely is modifying hot to emphasize how hot the coffee is.)
• The weather was surprisingly cold.
  (Surprisingly is modifying cold to show to what extent it was cold.)

3. Adverbs Modifying Other Adverbs

Sometimes, an adverb modifies another adverb. This happens when you want to show how something is done in even more detail.

• She speaks very softly.
  (Very is modifying the adverb softly to show how softly she speaks.)
• He ran quite quickly.
  (Quite is modifying quickly to emphasize the speed.)
• The team finished the project incredibly fast.
  (Incredibly is modifying fast, giving us more information about the speed.)

4. Adverbs Modifying Phrases

Adverbs can modify entire phrases. When they do, they help clarify the meaning or add extra information to the whole idea.

•  We are almost at the finish line.

( Here, “almost” is modifying the phrase “at the finish line.” It tells us that we are close, but not  quite there yet.)

• She finished her work only after lunch.

        (“Only” modifies the phrase “after lunch,” emphasizing that the work wasn’t finished at any                  other time, just after lunch.)

• They arrived right on time for the meeting.

(“Right” modifies the phrase “on time,” giving emphasis that they arrived precisely on time,                       without being early or late.)

•  We’ll go to the party just after dinner.

         (“Just” modifies the phrase “after dinner,” meaning they will go immediately after dinner without              much delay.)

• The project was completed nearly on schedule.

          (“Nearly” modifies the phrase “on schedule,” indicating that they were close to finishing on time                but not exactly as planned.)

5. Adverbs Modifying Whole Sentences

Finally, adverbs can modify an entire sentence, giving the speaker’s opinion, or attitude, or even introducing a point of view.

• Fortunately, we didn’t miss the train.
  (Fortunately shows the speaker’s opinion about not missing the train.)
• Clearly, she didn’t understand the instructions.
  (Clearly expresses the speaker’s attitude about the situation.)
• Surprisingly, he passed the exam.
  (Surprisingly conveys the speaker’s surprise regarding the result.)

Placement of Adverbs in Sentences

One of the best things about adverbs is that they can be quite flexible in where they’re placed. However, their meaning and emphasis can change slightly depending on their position. Let’s look at a few common placements:

1. At the Beginning of the Sentence

• Quickly, he ran to the store.
• Yesterday, we had a great time at the park.

When you place adverbs at the beginning of the sentence, they often emphasize when or how something happens.

2. Before the Verb

• She always arrives on time.
• They rarely eat out during the week.

Here, the adverb modifies the verb by showing frequency (how often something happens).

3. After the Verb

• He speaks slowly.
• They finished the race quickly.

This is common with adverbs of manner (how something is done), which often appear right after the verb they modify.

4. At the End of the Sentence

• She cleaned the house thoroughly.
• They will meet us here.

Ending a sentence with an adverb often provides the final detail about how, where, or when the action takes place.

Adverbs that Don’t End in “-ly”

While many adverbs end in “-ly,” there are plenty of adverbs that don’t. Here are some examples:

• Soon: We will leave soon.
• Now: I want to go now.
• Very: She is very tired.
• Too: It’s too late to go out.

The Adverb ‘Only” at different places in a sentence:

Let’s take the adverb “only” and place it in different positions within a sentence. The placement of “only” can change what part of the sentence it modifies, and thus, it changes the meaning of the sentence. Here’s how it works:

Sentence: “She gave the book to John at the library yesterday.”

Now, let’s move “only” around in this sentence and explain the difference in meaning each time.

1. “Only she gave the book to John at the library yesterday.”

• Modified Word: She
• Meaning: Nobody else except she gave the book. She was the sole person who did this action.

2. “She only gave the book to John at the library yesterday.”

• Modified Word: Gave
• Meaning: All she did was give the book. She did not do anything else (like talk, explain, or do something extra). Her only action was giving the book.

3. “She gave only the book to John at the library yesterday.”

• Modified Word: The book
• Meaning: She gave nothing other than the book. She didn’t give any other items, just the book.

4. “She gave the book only to John at the library yesterday.”

• Modified Word: John
• Meaning: She gave the book exclusively to John, not to anyone else. John was the only recipient.

5. “She gave the book to John only at the library yesterday.”

• Modified Word: At the library
• Meaning: The book was given to John only at the library. The action didn’t happen anywhere else, just at the library.

6. “She gave the book to John at the library only yesterday.”

• Modified Word: Yesterday
• Meaning: The book was given to John just yesterday, not before or any other day. Yesterday is the specific time this happened.

Also, Refer to:

• What are Punctuation Marks in English?
• Animal Idioms in English