Adverbs in English

In this article we will explain what adverbs are and how to use them to give meaning to a sentence. We will study different types of adverbs in English, and also make a list of the most common adverbs.

What adverbs are and what types exist

Adverbs are words introduced into a sentence to modify the verb, adjectives, and other adverbs. In other words, adverbs are words that tell us how an action is carried out or how an event happens.

Examples:

• The teacher explained the lesson clearly. (The teacher explained the lesson clearly.)
• Darla slowly finished her meal. (Darla finished her meal slowly.)

There are various types of adverbs in English, depending on how the sentence is modified. Below we will look in detail at each type of adverb, and list the most common English adverbs for each case.

• Frequency adverbs
• Manner adverbs
• Time adverbs
• Place adverbs
• Degree adverbs
• Duration adverbs
• Order adverbs
• Certainly adverbs

Types of adverbs in English

Frequency adverbs

We use frequency adverbs in English to express how often an action takes place.

Adverb	Meaning
Always	Always
Usually	Usually
Frequently	Frequently
Often	Often
Seldom	Seldom
Rarely	Rarely
Occasionally	Occasionally
Normally	Normally
Once	Once
Never	Never

Examples:

• Usually, I don’t get up past eleven o’clock in the morning. (I usually don’t get up after eleven in the morning)
• Dianne always celebrates her birthday with her parents. (Dianne always celebrates her birthday with her parents)

Manner adverbs

Manner adverbs tell us how an action is performed. Most of these adverbs are formed from an adjective, thus conditioning the way the verb is executed.

Adverb	Meaning
Slowly	Slowly
Simply	Simply
Carefully	Carefully
Happily	Happily
Carelessly	Carelessly
Admirably	Admirably
Naturally	Naturally
Quickly	Quickly
Fast	Fast
Hard	Hard

Examples:

• He walks slowly. (He walks slowly)
• The doctor coldly delivered the diagnosis. (The doctor delivered the diagnosis coldly)

Time adverbs

In English, we use time adverbs to express the relative time when an action takes place.

Adverb	Meaning
Early	Early
Already	Already
Before	Before
After	After
Now	Now
Soon	Soon
Then	Then
Still	Still
Again	Again
Late	Late

Examples:

• I arrived late for the appointment. (I arrived late for the appointment)
• I work out before breakfast. (I work out before breakfast)

Place adverbs

Place adverbs are used to express the position, relative or figurative, of objects in relation to the speaker, or the place where the action takes place.

Adverb	Meaning
Above	Above
Beyond	Beyond
Behind	Behind
Over	Over
Under	Under
Near	Near
Far	Far
In	Inside
Out	Outside
Here	Here

Examples:

• The cookies are over the counter. (The cookies are on the counter)
• Simon spoke above me. (Simon spoke above me)

Degree adverbs

We use degree adverbs to express the intensity of a situation, or the degree to which an event unfolds.

Adverb	Translation
Extremely	Extremely
Completely	Completely
Fairly	Fairly
Mostly	Mostly
Mainly	Mainly
Too	Too
So	So
Very	Very
Enough	Enough
Only	Only

Examples:

• I find that actor very attractive. (I find that actor very attractive)
• Sarah’s mother was extremely proud of her when she graduated. (Sarah’s mother was extremely proud of her when she graduated)

Duration adverbs in English

They indicate the duration of an event, or the passing of time relative to an occurrence.

Adverb	Meaning
Since	Since
Until	Until
Forever	Forever
Permanently	Permanently
Temporarily	Temporarily
Yearly	Yearly
Daily	Daily
Hereafter	From now on
Eternally	Eternally
All day, all week…	All day, all week…

Examples:

• I haven’t talked to Mary since this morning. (I haven’t talked to Mary since this morning)
• The university decided to suspend him temporarily. (The university decided to suspend him temporarily)

Order adverbs

Order adverbs are useful for listing events or occurrences, and for indicating the order in which actions take place.

Adverb	Meaning
First	First
Firstly	Firstly
Initially	Initially
Secondly	Secondly
Thirdly	Thirdly
Eventually	Eventually
Finally	Finally
In the end	In the end
Lastly	Lastly
Last	Last

Examples:

• At first she didn’t like him, but eventually she warmed up to him. (At first she didn’t like him, but eventually she warmed up to him)
• First, I have to go grocery shopping, and then I have to decorate the house for the party. (First I have to go grocery shopping, and then I have to decorate the house for the party)

Certainty adverbs

These adverbs serve to indicate the likelihood that an action will occur.

Adverb	Translation
Certainly	Certainly
Possibly	Possibly
Really	Really
Definitely	Definitely
Indeed	Indeed
Probably	Probably
Maybe	Maybe
Surely	Surely
Likely	Likely
Of course	Of course

Examples:

• Bring your umbrella, it’s probably going to rain. (Bring your umbrella, it’s probably going to rain)
• Maybe you’ll run into him at school tomorrow. (Maybe you’ll run into him at school tomorrow)

How adverbs are formed in English

There are five ways to form adverbs in English, depending on the ending of the word from which they derive.

Word does not end in y

To form adverbs from adjectives ending with a consonant other than y, simply add the suffix -ly. This suffix normally corresponds to the Spanish suffix -mente.

• Certain – Certainly (Cierto – Certainly)
• Final – Finally (Final – Finally)
• Permanent – Permanently (Permanent – Permanently)

Word ends in y

For words ending in y, the y is replaced by the suffix -ily.

• Happy – Happily (Happy – Happily)
• Angry – Angrily (Angry – Angrily)
• Easy – Easily (Easy – Easily)

Word ends in ic

To form adverbs in English from words ending in -ic, add the ending -ally to the word. Note that in this case a double l is used in the ending.

• Specific – Specifically (Specific – Specifically)
• Dramatic – Dramatically (Dramatic – Dramatically)
• Terrific – Terrifically (Terrific – Terrifically)

Word ends in le

In the case of words ending in -le, the final e is replaced by y.

• Comfortable – Comfortably (Comfortable – Comfortably)
• Subtle – Subtly (Subtle – Subtly)
• Incredible – Incredibly (Incredible – Incredibly)

Irregular adverbs

There are adverbs called irregular, which are not formed following any particular rule. In some cases the adverb is the same word used as a noun, or sometimes the adverb is a new word unrelated to the previous one. Here are some examples:

• Early – Early (Early – Early)
• Fast – Fast (Fast – Fast)
• Good – Well (Good – Well)

Other links of your interest: