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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.
How To what
How? When? Where?
often? extent?
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: