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Adverbs are words that can describe:

verbs

adjectives

Read the instructions carefully.


I am terribly sorry about what

happened.

other adverbs

whole sentences

He speaks very quickly.


Apparently, he has forgotten our
appointment.

There are different types of adverbs:


Adverbs of manner

How?

happily

Adverbs of place

Where?

here

Adverbs of time

When?

today

Adverbs of frequency

How often?

always

Adverbs of degree

How (adverb)?

very

Sentence adverbs

How (sentence)?

hopefully

Adverbs of manner answer questions beginning with How?


How does she speak? She speaks loudly.

He sings badly.

Adverbs of place answer the questions beginning with


Where?
Where are the kids? They are outside.
Some adverbs of place are: here, there, somewhere,
anywhere, everywhere, away, outside, inside,
downstairs, upstairs

Position
They are usually placed at the end of the sentence. They
go:

after the verb if there isnt any object.


Pam went downstairs.
after verb+object or verb+preposition+object.
I saw them there.
We looked for the keys everywhere.

Position
They are usually placed at the end of the sentence,
although they can appear at the beginning of the
sentence for emphasis.
I am leaving today.
Tomorrow they are getting married.
The adverbs just, still and already appear in the middle of
the sentence, between the auxiliary and the verb.
They are still reading.
She has just finished her homework.
I have already seen that film.
The adverb yet appears at the end of the sentence. It is
used in interrogative and negative sentences.
They havent called us yet.

Adverbs of frequency answer the questions beginning with


How often?
How often do you go to the theatre? I rarely go to the
theatre.
sometimes

after the main verb if there is no direct object.

occasionally

She did her homework quietly.

rarely

after the direct object.

Some adverbs of time are: today, tomorrow, yesterday,


soon, now, then, recently, lately, just, still, already,
yet

seldom

These adverbs are placed:

hardly ever

Position

Adverbs of time answer questions beginning with When?


When is she coming back? She is coming back
tomorrow.

never

We form these adverbs by adding ly to the adjective.


For example: slowly, quietly, carefully, beautifully, sadly

These are the most common frequency adverbs:


often

frequently
usually

Adverbs of degree are used to show the degree to which


somebody or something has a characteristic.
It is really cold this morning.
Some adverbs of degree are: hardly, nearly, almost, very,
really, much, fairly, quite, rather, pretty, extremely,
incredibly

They appear before the adjective or the adverb they


modify.
He is a rather clever boy.
She dances quite well.
If they modify a verb, they go:

before the main verb.


I slipped and nearly fell.

after auxiliary verbs, modal verbs and the verb to


be.
He can hardly see without his glasses.
She didnt really like the book.

always

Position

100%
25%

75%
50%

Position

0%

These adverbs are placed:


before the main verb.
I usually go out on Saturday nights.
I dont often eat meat.
after the verb to be or auxiliary verbs.
She is always late for school.
He has never seen that film.

Sentence adverbs are adverbs that modify a whole


sentence. They are used to express how sure we are about
what is said.
Apparently, he wont be here on time.

When there are more than one adverb or adverbial phrases in


a sentence, then we use them in the following order:

manner place time

Some sentence adverbs are: certainly, obviously, clearly,


definitely, surely, probably, possibly

She worked hard at school (*) yesterday.


But when the main verb of the sentence is a verb of
movement, for example: go, leave, arrive, come, then we
use the adverbs in the following order:

Position
They can appear in any position in the sentence.
Actually, I didnt buy anything.
Shell probably be late.
She can dance well, obviously.

place manner time


He arrived here early this morning.

When they are in the middle of the sentence, they are


placed before the main verb or after the auxiliary.
He definitely hates beer.
They will probably arrive late.

We form most of adverbs (especially adverbs of manner) by


adding ly to their corresponding adjectives.
wonderful wonderfully
kind kindly
slow slowly
nice nicely
BUT
true truly

(*) Prepositional phrases can also be used as adverbs:


I go to school by bus.

Some adverbs are not formed according to the rule, while


some others have the same form as their adjective.

Adjective

Adverb

Adjective

Adverb

good

well

late

late

fast

fast

early

early

far

far

near

near

hard

hard

high

high

But there are some rules:


Adjectives which end in consonant + y change the y to
i and add ly.
heavy heavily
easy easily
Adjectives which end in ble or le change the e to y.
probable probably
gentle gently
BUT
whole wholly
Adjectives which end in ic add ally.
tragic- tragically
basic basically
BUT
public publicly
Adjectives which end in ll ad y.
full fully

Some adjectives end in ly: deadly, elderly, friendly,


lively, lonely, lovely, silly The adverb of these
adjectives is formed with in a way.
He is very friendly
He behaved in a friendly way.
Some words ending in ly are both adjectives and
adverbs: hourly, daily, early, weekly, monthly,
yearly
I bought a weekly magazine.
We play chess twice weekly.

Some adjectives have two adverbs: one with the same form as the adjective and another in ly. But the meaning of these
adverbs is different.
Adjective

Adverb
Adverb

I always work hard and


pass my exams, but my
sister hardly studies and

deep

deep (a long way down)

she always fails her exams.

deeply (greatly)
easy

easy (slowly, gently)


easily (without difficulty)

free

free (without cost)


freely (with freedom)

hard

hard (with a lot of effort)


hardly (scarcely, barely)

high

high (a long way up)


highly (very much)

last

last (after all the others)

lastly (finally)
late

late (not early)


lately (recently)

near

near (close)

Short adverbs

There are some adverbs which dont follow the rules


and have
irregular
comparative and superlative
nearly
(almost)
forms.

One-syllable adverbs and adverbs with the same form


as adjectives form their comparative by adding er
sure
and their superlative by adding est to the positive
form of the adverb.

sure (certainly)

surely (undoubtedly)
Adverb

fast

faster

the fastest

early

earlier

the earliest

soon

wrongly
sooner
- (unjustly)
the soonest

wrong

well wrong (not correctly)


better
badly
best
little
less
much

Long adverbs
Adverbs with more than two-syllables (adverbs ending
in ly) form their comparative with more and their
superlative with most before the adverb.
slowly

more slowly

happily

more happily -

Comparative
Superlative
worse

worst
least

more

far
most
farther / further
farthest / furthest

the most slowly


the most happily

Remember!
less + adverb + than, in the comparative degree, shows
inferiority. It is the opposite of more than.
I see Brian less often than Daniel.
the least + adverb + of / in, in the superlative degree, shows
inferiority. It is the opposite of the most of.
Diana works the least hard in the class.

Use than after the


comparative and of or in after

as + adverb + as shows similarity.


He runs as fast as his sister (does).

the superlative degree.


Use the article the before the

not as / so + adverb + as shows dissimilarity.


She doesnt swim as / so fast as her brother (does)

superlative degree.

Write the words in brackets in the correct place.

I have cereal for breakfast. (usually)


__________________________________________
Sandra is going to participate in the competition.
(definitely)
__________________________________________
I was glad to see Mary after so many years. (really)
__________________________________________
We go to the cinema on Saturdays. (hardly ever)
__________________________________________
The two girls were talking when I arrived. (happily)
__________________________________________
My mother felt tired this morning. (extremely)
__________________________________________
I have an appointment with the doctor. (tomorrow)
__________________________________________
My brother is complaining about everything. (always)
__________________________________________

The children played in the afternoon. (upstairs)


___________________________________________
Andrew ate his sandwich. (quickly)
___________________________________________
The football match had started when we arrived at the
stadium. (already)
__________________________________________
My sister will go to Egypt in summer. (probably)
__________________________________________
Peter and Sam meet every day. (here)
__________________________________________
It is impossible that Ann arrives on time. (almost)
__________________________________________
The factory workers are on strike. (still)
__________________________________________
Karen opened her presents on her birthday. (eagerly)
__________________________________________

Write the words in the correct order and make sentences.

often / in the afternoon / go / for a walk / I

in front of the TV / comfortably / Mrs. Jones /

__________________________________________

/ is sitting / now

his dinner / Ben / hungrily / ate / at the restaurant

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

all night / the baby / peacefully / in his cradle /

the classroom / left / noisily / the students /

/ slept

/ two minutes ago

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

always / carefully / her motorbike / rides / Susan

played / yesterday / the children /in the garden /

__________________________________________

/ happily

very quickly / Janet / her homework /last night / did

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

carefully / examined / the doctor / the patient

very / the plane / late / at the airport / arrived

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

my father / hard / always / in his office / works

certainly / is / today / to the meeting / going / Paul

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

Alex / every day / to school / by bus / goes

my father / in the morning / early / usually / gets up

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

I / go / tomorrow / probably / shopping / will

Pam / wonderfully / at the concert / sang / last night

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

Choose for each sentence the appropriate adjective, then complete the sentences with the adverbs of
these adjectives.

1
David was very bad at tennis, but he plays __________ now.
Please, drive __________. The road is very wet.
Im a bit worried, the child is playing very __________, I cant hear him.
Lets run __________.The bus is coming!

(good bad)

When Lisa got the phone call, she smiled __________.

(dangerous - careful)

Alison has got new glasses. Now she can see things __________.
I saw Tim at the dentists. He was sitting __________.

(noisy - quiet)

(slow - fast)

Thomas took an umbrella because it was raining __________.


Sam arrived at home late last night and his wife was waiting __________.

Eddie works as a chef, but he cooks ________.

Emily didnt have breakfast so she ate her lunch __________.


(happy - sad)

Daniel looks sad. I think he did __________ in the exam.

12

11

10

(bad - clear)

8
(good - bad)

(slow - hungry)

(terrible - good)

(angry - happy)

(quick - heavy)

(nervous - happy)

Complete the blanks with the correct form of the adverbs.


POSITIVE

COMPARATIVE

SUPERLATIVE

fast

___________________

___________________

quietly

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________

the most slowly

early

___________________

___________________

___________________

worse

___________________

cheaply

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________

the most beautifully

correctly

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________

the best

___________________

farther

___________________

politely

___________________

___________________

___________________

harder

___________________

___________________

___________________

the most cleverly

wisely

___________________

___________________

___________________

more quickly

___________________

Complete the blanks with the comparative


or superlative of the adverbs in brackets.
Susan is studying __________ (hard) than she did last year.
Amanda eats __________ (healthily) than his brother.
Maggie paints __________ (well) in the class.
Alex walked __________ (far) than Alexis in the excursion.
Diana behaved __________ (cheerfully) of all the people in
the party.
Cheetahs can run __________ (fast) of all animals.
She dressed __________ (expensively) than she could afford.
Alan speaks Italian __________ (fluently) than Jack.
Charlie played __________ (badly) of all in the team.
The teacher treats Anne __________ (well) than the other

Write sentences using asas and


as/soas, as in the examples.
Sophie studies / hard / Phil

Sophie studies as hard as Phil.


Mark drives / fast / Helen

Mark doesnt drive as /so fast as Helen.


Carol sings / beautifully / Kate

____________________________________________

Tony came / soon / he could

____________________________________________

students.
My little sister goes to bed __________ (early) in the family.
Your daughter danced __________ (gracefully) of all in her

Martins book is sold / well / Lucys

____________________________________________

class.
Helen drives __________ (carelessly) than she used to.
My father sleeps __________ (soundly) of all the people I
know.
Planes can fly __________ (high) than birds.
She speaks __________ (politely) of all my friends.

The parents behaved / stupidly / their children

____________________________________________

Tim plays football / badly / Peter

____________________________________________

John stayed at the party / late / Sandra

____________________________________________

Melissa gets up / early / her mother

Choose the correct alternative for each sentence.

You should eat __________ if you want to lose weight.


least
b) little
c) less
Our team played __________ of all in the Championship.
worse
b)

the worst
c) badly

My new motorbike doesnt cost as __________ as yours.


more
b) most
c) much
The postman came __________ than I had expected.
earlier
b) early
c) earliest
Today the children are playing __________ than yesterday.
more quiet

b)

more quietly
c) quieter
Colin speaks French less __________ than I do.
well
b) good
c) better
It has been raining __________ for weeks. If it doesnt stop soon, we will have a flood.
hard
b) hardly
c) harder
Could you please speak __________? I cant understand you.
more slow
b)

slow
c) more slowly

Alan missed the train because he arrived __________ at the railway station.
late

b) later
c) lately

ANSWER KEY

The air-hostess spoke to us __________.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.

friendly
1. I often go for a walk in the afternoon.
I usually have cereal for breakfast.
2. Ben ate his dinner hungrily at the restaurant.
Sandra is definitely going to participate in the
b) in a friendly way
c)
3. The students left the classroom noisily two minutes
competition.
ago.
I was really glad to see Mary after so many years.
4. The children played happily in the garden yesterday.
in ahardly
friendever
waygo to the cinema on Saturdays.
We
5. The doctor examined the patient carefully.
The two girls were talking happily when I arrived.
Mymother
dog barks
__________
neighbours dog. 6. My father always works hard in his office.
My
felt extremely
tiredthan
this my
morning.
7. Alex goes to school by bus every day.
I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow.
8. I will probably go shopping tomorrow.
My
brother
more
loudis always complaining about everything.
9. Mrs. Jones is sitting comfortably in front of the TV now.
The children played upstairs in the afternoon.
10. The baby slept peacefully in his cradle all night.
Andrew
ate his sandwich quickly.
b) loudly
11. Susan always rides her motorbike carefully.
The football match had already started when we
12. Janet did her homework very quickly last night.
arrived at the stadium.
c) less loudly
13. The plane arrived at the airport very late.
My sister will probably go to Egypt in summer.
14. Paul is certainly going to the meeting today.
Peter
and
Sam
meet
here
every
day.
Although Henry studied __________ he could, he failed15.
theMy
exam.
father usually gets up early in the morning.
It is almost impossible that Ann arrives on time.
16.
Pam
sang wonderfully at the concert last night.
The factory workers are still on strike.
as hard as
b)
Karen opened her presents eagerly on her birthday.
hard
c) hardly
well was so tired that he could __________ keep
POSITIVE
John
his eyes open.
COMPARATIVE

SUPERLATIVE
the fastest
the most quietly
the most slowly
the earliest
the worst
the most cheaply
the most beautifully
the most correctly
the best
the farthest / the furthest
the most politely
the hardest
the most cleverly
the most wisely
the most quickly

4
carefully
fast
faster
quietly
quietly
more quietly
hard
fast
slowly
more slowly
happily
early
earlier
b) hardly
clearly
badly
worse
nervously
cheaply
more cheaply
heavily
beautifully c) harder
more beautifully
angrily
correctly
more correctly
terribly
well
We
had a map, so we found the hotel __________.
better
hungrily
far
farther / further
badly
politely
more politely
easily
hard
harder
cleverly
more cleverly
b) easier
wisely
more wisely
quickly
more quickly
c) easy

neighbour plays the music the __________ of all in the neighbourhood.


1. My
harder
2. more healthily
3. more
the best
loudly
4. farther / further
3. Carol sings as beautifully as Kate.
5. the
most
cheerfully
most
loud
6
4. Tony came as soon as he could.
6. the fastest
5. Martins book isnt sold as / so well as Lucys.
7. more expensively
c) most loudly
6. The parents behaved as stupidly as their children.
8. more fluently
7. Tim doesnt play football as badly as Peter.
9. the worst
8. John didnt stay at the party as late as Sandra.
10. better
9. Melissa gets up as early as her mother.
11. the earliest
12. the most gracefully
13. more carelessly
14. the most soundly
15. higher
16. the most politely

1. c
13. b

2. b

3. c

14. a

4. a
15. c

5. b

6. a

7. a

8. c

9. a

10. b

11. c

12. a

b)

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