- An adverb is a word that modifies or describes a verb (“He sings loudly.”), an adjective (“very tall”), another adverb (“ended too quickly”), or even a whole sentence (“Fortunately, I had brought an umbrella.”).
- Adverbs provide additional context, such as how, when, where, to what extent, or why something happens. They can describe the manner, time, place, frequency, or degree of an action or quality.
- Adverbs often end in -ly, but some (such as “fast”) look the same as their adjective counterparts.
- Adverbs can show comparison (“more quickly,” “most quickly”) and should be placed near the words they modify to avoid ambiguity.
- Avoid overusing adverbs when stronger verbs or adjectives can convey meaning more effectively.
Adverbs are versatile words that enhance sentences, but knowing when to use them can be confusing. Here, we’ll use rules and examples to explain what adverbs are, how they’re used correctly, and when to avoid them.
Table of contents
Adverbs and degrees of comparison
What are adverbs?
Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or sentences, providing additional information about how, when, where, to what extent, or why something happens.
Adverbs often end in –ly, but that’s not always the case.
Adverbs and verbs
Adverbs often modify verbs to describe the way an action is happening.
The adverb in each example above answers the question, “In what manner?” How does Huan sing? Loudly. How does my cat wait? Impatiently. How will I consider your suggestion? Seriously.
Adverbs can answer other types of questions about how an action was performed. They can also tell you when (“we arrived early”), where (“turn here”), or with what frequency (“I go there often”).
However, there is one type of verb that doesn’t work with adverbs. Linking verbs, such as feel, smell, sound, seem, and appear, typically precede adjectives, not adverbs. Here’s a common example of the type of confusion that happens with linking verbs:
Because feel is a verb, it seems to call for an adverb rather than an adjective. But feel isn’t just any verb; it’s a linking verb, which means that it links the subject of a sentence to the modifier that follows it. Since a subject is, by definition, a noun (or a pronoun), it is modified by an adjective.
An adverb would describe how you perform the action of feeling; an adjective describes what you feel. “Paz feels badly” means that Paz is bad at feeling things. If Paz was numb, then it might make sense for you to say, “Paz feels badly.” But if you’re trying to say that Paz is experiencing negative emotions, “Paz feels bad” is the phrase to use.
Adverbs and adjectives
Adverbs can also modify adjectives. An adverb modifying an adjective generally adds a degree of intensity or some other kind of qualification to the adjective.
Adverbs and other adverbs
You can use an adverb to describe another adverb. In the following sentence, the adverb almost is modifying the adverb always (and they’re both modifying the adjective right):
You could use several adverbs to modify another adverb if you wanted to.
However, that often produces weak and clunky sentences like the one above, so be careful to do it sparingly.
Adverbs and sentences
Some adverbs can modify entire sentences—unsurprisingly, these are called sentence adverbs. Common ones include generally, fortunately, interestingly, and accordingly. Sentence adverbs don’t describe one particular thing in the sentence—instead, they describe a general feeling about all of the information in the sentence.
Adverbs and degrees of comparison
Like adjectives, many adverbs can show degrees of comparison, although using them this way is slightly less common. With certain flat adverbs (adverbs that look the same as their adjective counterparts), the comparative and superlative forms look the same as the adjective comparative and superlative forms.
Using stronger, more precise adverbs (or stronger, more precise adjectives and verbs) is usually better than relying on comparative and superlative adverbs.
An absolute or positive adverb describes something in its own right:
To make the comparative form of an adverb that ends in -ly, add the word more:
To make the superlative form of an adverb that ends in -ly, add the word most:
Placement of adverbs
In general, adverbs should be placed as close as possible to the words they are intended to modify. Putting the adverb in the wrong spot can produce an awkward sentence at best and completely change the meaning at worst. Consider the difference in meaning between the following two sentences:
The first sentence is correct if it’s meant to communicate that you nearly dropped the papers but managed to hold on to them—the adverb almost comes right before the verb dropped, so it’s most naturally understood as modifying dropped.
In the second sentence, almost has moved to modify the adjective all, communicating that you dropped most of the papers.
Be especially careful about the word only, which can be an adverb, an adjective, or a conjunction and is one of the most often misplaced modifiers. Consider the difference between these two sentences:
The first sentence implies that all Phillip did was feed the cat. He didn’t pet the cat or pick it up or anything else. The second sentence suggests that Phillip fed the cat, but he didn’t feed the dog, the bird, or any other pet or person who might have been around.
When an adverb is modifying a verb phrase, the most natural place for it is usually the middle of the phrase.
When to avoid adverbs
Avoiding adverbs altogether is unnecessary; all writers use them occasionally. The trick is to avoid superfluous adverbs. When your verb or adjective doesn’t seem powerful or precise enough, try using a stronger verb or adjective instead of an adverb to add more color.
For example, the following two sentences are grammatically correct and mean the same thing. But the second, in which the verb wrested does all the work that the adverbs forcefully and away do in the first, packs more of a punch.
If you find yourself overusing adverbs, you can often come up with a better word that makes your writing stronger.
Adverb FAQs
What are adverbs used for?
Adverbs are used to modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or entire sentences, providing additional details about the manner, time, place, degree, frequency, or reason behind an action or quality.
How can you identify adverbs?
You can identify an adverb by looking for words that answer how, when, where, to what extent, or why. Many adverbs also end in -ly, although not all do.
What are some common examples of adverbs?
Some of the most common adverbs include:
- really, very
- well, badly
- today, yesterday, everyday
- sometimes, often, rarely
- early, late, soon
- here, there, everywhere
Where do adverbs go in sentences?
Adverbs should generally be placed as close as possible to the word they modify to avoid confusion, such as before an adjective (“very tall”) or after a verb (“sings loudly”).
When should you avoid adverbs?
You should avoid using unnecessary or redundant adverbs and instead opt for stronger verbs or adjectives that convey meaning more effectively, enhancing the clarity and impact of your writing.
