Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. They answer the questions When? Where? How? Or How much? Adverbs describe an action or state of being in greater detail and can provide a more vivid picture of what is happening.
Example:
- She always signs her name with “Ms.” (When?)
- They put the children downstairs? (Where?)
- Knead the dough slowly. (How?)
- I objected mildly to the suggestion. (How much?)
1) First Case
Most adverbs can be formed from the adjectives by adding “ly” at the end.
| Adjective | Adverb |
| Careful Collective Beautiful Frequent Important Free True Fair General Sincere Foolish Quiet Silent Surprising | Carefully Collectively Beautifully Frequently Normally Importantly Freely Truly Fairly Generally Sincerely Foolishly Quietly Silently Surprisingly |
NOTE 1: Some adverbs have two or more syllables and end in “consonant + y” we have to change y to i before adding “ly”.
| Adjective | Adverb |
| Easy Necessary Happy Risky Healthy Wealthy | Easily Necessarily Happily Riskily Healthily Wealthily |
NOTE 2: Some adverbs have only one syllable and end in “consonant + y” we must just add “ly” to the adjectives to form adverbs.
| Adjective | Adverb |
| Shy Sly | Shyly Slyly |
WARNING: Some words end in “ly” but they are not adverbs. The following words are the adjectives but not adverbs.
| Lovely, friendly… |
2) Second Case
Some adverbs can be made from adjectives but we don’t add “ly.” For those adverbs we have to change their form from the adjectives to adverbs. Notice that we use the superlative degree of the adjective to form adverbs.
| Adjective | Adverb |
| Late Many Good | Last Most Well |
3) Third Case
For some adverbs can be made from the adjectives without changing any letter and we just keep the same form from adjectives.
| Adjective | Adverb |
| Cowardly Hourly Hard Fast Late Well | Cowardly Hourly Hard Fast Late Well |
