Adverb Notes

1. Adverb Notes

2. Definition • An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb

3. Adverbs answer the following questions: Where? How often? or how long? When? To What extent? How? or how much?

4. Examples • The sprinter ran swiftly. [The adverb swiftly modifies the verb ran and hells how.] • I read the funny pages early on Sunday morning. [The adverb early modifies the adjective small and tells to what extent.]

5. Examples 3. Jolene was comforting a very small child. [The adverb very modifies the adjective small and tells to what extent.] 4. The fire blazed too wildly for anyone to enter. [The adverb too modifies the adverb wildly and tells to what extent. The adverb wildly modifies the verb modifies the verb blazed and tells how.]

6. Examples 5. Dad will sometimes quote from Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s speech. [The adverb sometimes modifies the verb will quote and tells how often.] 6. Put the apples there, and we will eat them later. [The adverb there modifies the verb put and tells where. The adverb later modifies the verb will eat and tells when.]

7. Words Often Used as Adverbs

8. Where? • Away • Here • Inside • There • Up

9. When? • Later • Now • Soon • Then • Tomorrow

10. How? • Clearly • Easily • Quietly • Slowly

11. How often? or how long? • Always • Usually • Continuously • Never • Forever • Briefly

12. To what extent? or How much? • Almost • So • Too • More • Least • Extremely • Quite • Very • Not

13. Take Note The word not is nearly always used as an adverb modifying a verb. When not is part of a contraction, as in hadn’t, aren’t, and didn’t, the –n’t is still an adverb and is not part of the verb.