Understanding Adverbs: Types and Functions

1. Directions: Press F5 to begin the slide show. Press the enter key to view each part of the review.

2. Adverbs Grade Seven

3. What are Adverbs? • Adverbs are single-word modifiers. This means that they describe something. • They describe verbs most of the time. • Sometimes they describe adjectives and other adverbs.

4. What are Adverbs? • Most adverbs describe an action verb. Run is a verb. You could: run fast run slow run backward run sideways Fast, slow, backward, sideways – these are all adverbs because they describe the action run.

5. What are Adverbs? • Some adverbs describe adjectives. Pretty is an adjective. You could say: quite pretty really pretty not pretty definitely pretty Quite, really, not, definitely – these are all adverbs because they describe the adjective pretty.

6. What are Adverbs? • Some adverbs also describe other adverbs. Cowardly is an adverb. You could say: very cowardly never cowardly always cowardly thoroughly cowardly Very, never, always, thoroughly – these are adverbs because they describe other adverbs.

7. Types of Adverbs • One type of adverb is the adverb of time. • Adverbs of time tell “when?” or “how often?” an action occurs. Example: I never saw the movie. (When did I see it? Never. That means “never” is an adverb of time.) Example: We wrote a story yesterday in class. (When did we write it? Yesterday. That means “yesterday” is an adverb of time.)

8. Types of Adverbs • Another type of adverb are adverbs of place. • Adverbs of place tell “where?” an action occurred. Example: Did you put your book there on the table? Where did you put your book? There. That means that there is an adverb. “On the table” is a prepositional phrase. It is not an adverb. Remember that an adverb is a single-word modifier.

9. Types of Adverbs • The most common type of adverbs are adverbs of manner. • Adverbs of manner tell “how?” or “in what manner?” an action has occurred. • Many adverbs of manner end in the letters “ly.” Example: We walked slowly down the hall. (How did we walk? Slowly. That means “slowly” is an adverb of manner.)

10. Types of Adverbs • Adverbs of degree are the hardest type of adverb to locate in a sentence. • Adverbs of manner tell “how much?” or “to what degree?” something occurs. • Adverbs of manner are often the ones that describe adjectives or other adverbs. Example: I am very tired. (To what degree am I tired? Very. “Very” is an adverb of manner.) Example: We were too sleepy to continue the activity. (How much were we sleepy? Too. That means that “too”is an adverb of degree.)

11. Types of Adverbs • The final type of adverb are adverbs of affirmation and negation. • The three adverbs of affirmation are: yes, indeed, undoubtedly • The three adverbs of negation are: no, not, never • Anytime these words appear in sentences, they are adverbs.

12. Adverb or Adjective? • An ADVERB modifies verbs, adjectives and other adverbs. • An ADJECTIVE modifies nouns. Example: The fast car is racing. (Fast describes car. Car is a noun. The kind of word that describes a noun is an adjective; therefore, in this sentence, fast is an adjective.) Example: The car races fast. (Fast describes how it races. Races is a verb. The kind of word that describes a verb is an adverb; therefore, in this sentence, fast is an adverb.)

13. This completes the review of adverbs. • Additional review can be done in the review folders housed in 106 and the library.