Adverbs

1. Adverbs They provide answers to important questions.

2. What is an Adverb? • An adverb is a word that describes or modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb • Adverbs usually answer the following questions: • How? • When? • Where? • To what extent?

3. Examples of Adverbs that answer the question “How?” • Jason charged quickly. • How did Jason charge? – quickly • The two cars crashed loudly. • How did the two cars crash?– loudly • Mikayla opened her present eagerly. • How did she open her present? – eagerly Note: What suffix do these adverbs end in?

4. Examples of Adverbs that answer the question “Where?” • The Canada geese flew overhead. • Where did the geese fly? • – overhead • The boy was playing downstairs. • Where was he playing? • -- downstairs • It was raining outside. • Where was it raining? • --outside

5. Examples of Adverbs that answer the question “When?” • The instructor arrived late. • When did the instructor arrive? • -- late • Mr. Brown assigns homework occasionally. • When does Mr. Brown assign homework? • -- occasionally • Yesterday we watched a movie. • When did we watch a movie? • --yesterday

6. Your turn • First, underline the verb in each sentence • Then, circle the adverb that describes the verb • Next, tell what question the adverb is answering: how? when? where? to what extent?

7. Examples: • Jonathan drove cautiously during the snowstorm. how? • Cassandra is watching TV upstairs. where? • The cashier always arrives early for her shift at Tim Hortons. when?

8. And now for the tricky question: -- to what extent? • Dakota was very sick. • To what extend was Dakota sick? • -- very • Notice: “sick” is an adjective describing Dakota • Therefore, “very” is an adverb describing the adjective “sick”

9. Once again, “to what extent?” • Our cat is extremely lazy. • To what extent is our cat lazy? • --extremely • Again, “lazy” is an adjective describing cat • Therefore, “extremely” is an adverb describing the adjective “lazy”

10. One more example… • The math test was quite difficult. • To what extent was the test difficult? • -- quite • “Difficult” is an adjective describing test • “quite” is an adverb describing the adjective “difficult”

11. Your turn… • First, underline the verb in each sentence • Then, circle the adverb that describes the verb • Next, tell what question the adverb is answering: how? when? where? to what extent?

12. Some examples: • After Caitlin was checked into the boards, she moved rather slowly. how? -- slowly, to what extent? – rather