Adverbs of manner

We can use adverbs in various ways, such as describing how often we do something or where we do it. But what about adverbs of manner? What purpose do they serve, and how do we use them? Read on to find out more!

What is an Adverb?

An adverb is a word that describes how, where, or with what frequency an action (or ‘verb’) occurs. For example:

• She works here. (adverb of place)
• She often translates emails for her colleagues. (adverb of frequency)
• She types very quickly. (adverb of manner)

Adverbs of Manner

An adverb of manner describes how you do an action. For example:

• They dress elegantly.
• Some elderly people drive slowly.
• She works very hard.

Adverbs of manner are really useful because they add extra detail to descriptions, making what we say more interesting and dynamic for the listener or reader.

How to Create an Adverb of Manner

To form adverbs of manner, we usually add -ly to the adjective. For example:

• quick – quickly
• careful – carefully
• gentle – gently

When an adjective ends in -y, change the -y to -i and then add -ly. For example:

• happy – happily
• greedy – greedily
• easy – easily

However, there are some irregular adverbs:

• good – well
• hard – hard
• fast – fast
• late – late
• straight – straight
• high – high

Here are some examples:

• You speak English fluently.
• I slept badly last night.
• The children did really well on their tests.
• He worked hard and got a promotion.
• The nurse picked up the baby gently.
• Try to do it carefully so we don’t have to redo it.
• A car suddenly came around the corner and nearly hit us!
• Julie tearfully said goodbye to her boyfriend.
• Go straight down this road, then turn left.
• I hate getting up late.
• My brother drives very fast and aggressively.
• Kids, try to do your homework quietly, please.
• She dresses very elegantly, doesn’t she?
• Shall I close the lid tightly?
• It rained heavily all through the night.

Where does an adverb of manner go in a sentence?

In most cases, adverbs of manner come after a verb. For example:

• We dress casually on Fridays.
• Athletes run very fast.
• The students are listening attentively.

Sometimes, however, the adverb is placed before the verb to emphasize the meaning. For example:

• She hurriedly opened the present.
• They sadly left before we arrived.
• I quickly ran to the shops.

If there are two verbs in the sentence, the position of the adverb can change the meaning. For example:

• They accepted the offer immediately and moved out.
• They accepted the offer and moved out immediately.

In the first sentence, “immediately” relates only to the first verb, while in the second sentence, “immediately” refers to both actions.

As you can see from these examples, you can’t separate a verb and its object. For example:

• They accepted the offer immediately.

NOT

• They immediately accepted the offer.

Adjective or Adverb?

We use an adjective to describe a noun and an adverb to describe a verb. Typically, the only verb we use with an adjective is the verb ‘to be’. For example:

• He’s a fast runner.
• She’s a careful driver.

If we change these sentences to use a verb instead of a noun, they become:

• He runs fast.
• She drives carefully.

The only other verbs that can be used with adjectives instead of adverbs are look, sound, smell, and seem. These verbs describe what we see, hear, or smell. For example:

• You look tired. (From what I can see, you’re tired.)
• It sounds interesting. (From what I hear, it’s interesting.)
• It smells delicious. (From the smell, I can tell it’s good.)
• They seem bored. (From their appearance, I think they’re bored.)

Adverbs of manner help us add detail to actions and make our language more expressive. Start paying attention to when you hear people use them, and try incorporating them into your own speech.