ADVERB

ADVERB
Adverbs are words used to describe or modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs, while
adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns.
Is Meskerem well? (well is an adjective because it describes Meskerem)
Does Meskerem play piano well? (well is an adverb because it describes the verb play)
The Quality Control group works very closely with our suppliers. (Very describes closely
which is an adverb)
My cats are rarely sick during the frozen seasons. (Rarely describes sick which is an
adjective)
Adverbs usually specify how, when, where, and how much when they are used with verbs.
a) The baby is crying very loudly. (How)
b) They will arrive soon as they finish their work. (When)
c) He will be having tea with his friends here. (Where)
d) He works a lot per week. (How much)
e) She often goes to church.(frequency)
1. Formation of adverbs
1. Most adverbs are formed by adding ‘–ly’ to an adjective but this is not the case for all adverbs.
 Close- closely different-differently Perfect- perfectly loud – loudly quick-quickly
2 .When an adjective ends in -ly, the adverb retains the same form.
 Daily-daily Early-early
3. Other adverbs are formed from adjectives ending with -le by canceling -e and add -y.
 Simple-simply Ample-amply
4. Other adverbs are formed from adjectives ending with -y by changing -y into’ –i’ then add-ly.
 Easy-easily clumsy-clumsily
 Busy-busily happy-happily
5. Other adverbs are formed from adjectives ending with a vowel and -l by adding another –l and -y.
 Beautiful-beautifully
 Careful-carefully
 Cultural-culturally
 Hopeful-hopefully
6. Other adverbs are simply adverbs by nature. Some of them are:
Again: - I will do it again with no regret.
Almost: - I am almost ready to leave to Europe.
Also: - I eat the strawberry also cake.
Already:-I already ate my lunch.
Enough:-I have enough evidences about the crime.
Just:-The plane just landed.
7. Other adverbs are classified as interrogative adverbs because they are used to ask questions.
They are:
Where:-Where are you going today?
Why:-Why do you put so much sugar in your coffee?
When:-When did you go to library?
2. Use of adverbs in comparison
Adverbs, like adjectives, can be used to express comparison among people/ things/ideas/.
a) Comparative form
When two persons or things are compared, we usually add more…than, as…as or less…than.
Habib built the cabinets more skillfully than Abinet.
Mariam can change orders as well as Janet.
This week the shipment company is shipping cargo less regularly than last week due to bad weather .
Note:
If the adverb is a one syllable word, we usually replace more with an -er at the end of the adverb.
 Bethel works faster than Liyu. (NB. The word fast is both an adverb and adjective)
 The cabinet shipment came sooner than the window shipment.
Sometimes adverbs do not follow the above rules.
For example:-
 Well –better Badly - worse.
b) Superlative form
When more than two persons or things are compared, we usually add -est to a one syllable
adverb. Otherwise, add least or most to an adverb with more than one syllable.
Tigist has grown the tallest among the girls.
Kirubel handles the equipment the most cautiously.
Sometimes adverbs do not follow the above rules
For example:-
 Well – best Badly – worst
3. Placement of adverbs
Place the adverb as close as possible to the word that it modifies to avoid changing/confusion/
the meaning of the sentence it wants to deliver.
My mother only wants tea. (My mother doesn’t want anything. She wants nothing but tea)
Only my mother wants tea. (My father and sister do not want tea, but my mother does)
1. Types of Adverbs
To get started, there are five basic types of adverbs one should familiarize oneself with namely;
adverbs of degree, frequency, manner, place, and time.
Adverbs modify other words to answer:
How To what
How? When? Where?
often? extent?
Angrily Yesterday Here Always Very

Hungrily Tomorrow Nowhere Often Quite
Beautifully Next week Everywhere Rarely Almost
Smoothly Soon Somewhere Seldom Too
1. Adverbs of Frequency
An adverb of frequency is meant to tell us how often the action occurs. Hence, they mostly
modify verbs and tend to appear right before the main verb
in the sentence. Popular adverbs in this category include:
Frequently always never normally

occasionally
Rarely seldom sometimes usually
Example:
I frequently read a bible before bed.
I have never visited my grandparents in ten years.
She usually goes to supermarket to buy food staff.
I never visited Aksum Monument/Obelisque.
2. Adverbs of Degree
Adverbs of degree describe how much, or to what degree/ intensity/ something is. They can also
modify adjectives and other adverbs and are placed before the word they modify. Common
adverbs of degree include:
Almost enough hardly just somewhat so
Fairly extremely nearly quite simply too

Here are sample sentences:
 The feast is nearly sufficient.
 The money you have at hand is not enough.
 She was so excited to receive her scholarship from the University.
 I hardly scored at my achievement test.
3. Adverbs of Manner
An adverb of manner is a genre of an adverb that tells us how, or in what manner, something was
carried out/done/performed/. They mostly modify verbs and can often be found at the end of a
clause. Here on are some examples of adverbs of manner:
Beautifully generously happily neatly sadly slowly
Patiently softly quickly well badly carefully
Example:
 He has decorated the room neatly.
 I prepared the report carefully because it is the final to be presented for the officials.
 The opposition parties discuss over the amendments calmly.
 You should drive slowly in the congregated traffic.
 She gently addressed her speech to the president.
4. Adverbs of Place
Adverbs of place tell us more about where something occurred. It answers the question of
‘where? Here are some common adverbs of place:
upward below everywhere here
in inside near nowhere
out outside there around
Example:
 The technical and vocation educational training center is near the TV station.
 She looked for her pen everywhere.
 I have lived here for almost seven year.
 Put the milk you bought into the refrigerator.
5. Adverbs of Time
Adverbs of time tell us the time of an action. It answers the question of ‘when’? Adverbs of
time include:
annually daily monthly recently today now
tomorrow weekly yearly yesterday tonight on weekends
Example:
June 5 is a special day in my life.
They recently got unedifying car accident while they were on their way to home.
He come to his mother’s home daily.
Next onwards, we are expected to meet annually to discuss the issue.
We are going to watch a movie tonight.
Exercise -1
I)Look for the adjectives in the first sentences and fill in the blanks with the corresponding
adverbs.
1. Biruk is careful. He drives carefully.
2. The girl is slow. She walks ___________.
3. Her English is perfect. She speaks English __________.
4. Our teacher is angry. She shouts ___________.
5. My neighbor is a loud speaker. He speaks ___________.
6. He is a bad writer. He writes ___________.
7. Jane is a nice guitar player. He plays the guitar ___________.
8. He is a good painter. He paints _________.
9. She is a quiet girl. She does her job________.
10. This exercise is easy. You can do it _________.
Exercise: 2
I)Write down the correct form of the word in brackets (adjective or adverb).
1. Tom is (slow) slow. He works slowly.
2. Sosina is a (careful) ________ girl. She climbed up the ladder _______.
3. The dog is (angry) _________. It barks ________.
4. He acted (excellent) _________. He is an ________ actor.
5. They learn English (easy) ________. They think English is an ______ language.
6. Martha is a (good) ________ singer. She sings __________.
7. It is (awful) _________ cold today. The cold wind is ___________.
8. Dogs rely on their noses as they can smell (extreme / good) ______ If that is true, why
does dog food smell so (terrible) __________?
9. The little boy looked (sad) ______. I went over to comfort him and he looked at me _______.
10. I tasted the soup (careful) _____________ but it tasted (wonderful) ___________.
Exercise:3
I. Fill in the correct adverb form (comparative or superlative) of the adjectives in brackets.
1. I speak English (fluent) ________ now than last year.
2. She greeted me (polite) _________of all.
3. She smiled (happy) ___________than before.
4. This girl dances (graceful) ________ of all.
5. Could you write (clear) ____________?
6. Planes can fly (high) ___________than birds.
7. He had an accident last year. Now, he drives (careful) _________than before.
8. Abel can run (fast) __________than Kirubel.
9. Our team played (bad) ___________of all.
10. He worked (hard) _______than ever before.
II. Choose the alternative that suits best the blank space.
1. He can run ____ better than I do. He is a professional runner.
A. more B. far C. too D. very E. a little
2. He ____ committed the crime, but the evidence is not convincing.
A. perhaps B. probably C. possibly D. undoubtedly E. honestly
3. The teacher spoke ____ to me.
A. kind B. kinder C. kindestly D. kindness E. kindly
4. Wait for me here. I will ____ be back.
A. recently B. then C. now D. soon E. tomorrow
5. I rarely go there means I do not ____ go there.
A. sometimes B. frequently C. hardly D. never E. ever
6. He ____ eats meat means he doesn't eat meat at any time habitually.
A. rarely B. hardly any C. never D. sometimes E. perhaps
7. This room is not big ____ for both of us to study our lessons.
A. at all B. nearly C. just D. so E. enough
8. He is very punctual. He is ____ on time for school.
A. rarely B. often C. sometimes D. never E. always
9. I can ____ remember his name, it has been years since I spoke to him last.
A. quite B. frankly C. hardly D. simply E. badly
10. The judge sentenced him to be executed as he had ____ attempted to kill a man.
A. unlikely B. deliberately C. occasionally D. elaborately E. unwillingly

ADVERB

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ADVERB

Adverbs modify other words to answer:

Angrily Yesterday Here Always Very

Frequently always never normally

Fairly extremely nearly quite simply too

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