Adverb|Definition, classes, Types, Examples
The word “Adverb” is derived from the Latin Word “Adverbium” and the French Word “Adverbe”. “Ad” means “to” and “verbum” means “verb”. Literally, an Adverb is a word or a phrase that has the ability to modify a verb.
An Adverb is a very important Part of Speech and can be defined as a word that is used to modify the meaning of a Verb, an Adjective, or another Adverb. It means that when the purpose is to show the saturated emotions or meanings of a Verb, an Adjective, or another Adverb, then Adverb can be used with them. For example:
- That boy is very tall and strong.
- She was the best beauty of her time.
- They read quite, clearly.
- Banana is a sweet fruit
- We are poor boys.
With verbs, an Adverb shows “how” or “in what manner” a work is done. With Adjectives, an Adverb shows “how much” or “in what degree”, a thing has the quality. With Another Adverb, an Adverb shows “how far” or “to what extent”, another Adverb modifies the meanings.
Classes of Adverbs
Adverbs can be classified into 3 classes according to their use; i.e, either they are used to modify a verb, noun or question. Following are 3 classes of Adverbs:
Simple Adverbs
All the Adverbs that are used to modify the meanings of a Verb, an Adjective, or another Adverb, can be classified as Simple Adverbs. Examples of simple adverbs include quickly, slowly, here, there, and very. For example:
- She sings beautifully.
- He runs quickly.
- The train arrived late.
- They danced gracefully.
- The sun rose early.
Interrogative Adverbs
Interrogative adverbs are a type of adverb that are used to ask questions about time, place, manner, reason, or degree. Examples of interrogative adverbs include when, where, how, why, and to what extent. These adverbs are often used at the beginning of a question to gather information. For example
- When will the party start?
- Where did you put the keys?
- How did you manage to finish the project so quickly?
- Why didn’t you attend the meeting yesterday?
- To what extent does the new policy affect our operations?
Relative Adverbs
All the Adverbs that are used to connect nouns or pronouns to their relative clauses, can be classified as Relative Adverbs. In other words, Relative adverbs are adverbs that function as relative pronouns to introduce adjective clauses that describe a noun or pronoun. They connect clauses to give more information about the noun or pronoun they modify. Examples of relative adverbs include where, when, and why. For example:
- The school where I studied was very old.
- Do you remember the time when we went to the beach together?
- The reason why she left the company is still unknown.
- This is the place where we first met.
- The day when we went on that trip was unforgettable.
Types of Adverbs
Adverbs are used to modify the meanings of a Verb, an adjective, or another adverb. So, they can be classified into different classes or types based on the meanings, that they convey in the Sentences. Following are some types of Adverbs.
- Adverbs of Time
- Adverbs of Frequency
- Adverbs of Place
- Adverbs of Manner
- Adverbs of Degree
- Adverbs of Affirmation or Negation
- Adverbs of Reason
Adverbs of Time
All the adverbs that are used to tell at what time an action happened or how long it took that action to be completed, can be called Adverbs of Time. It means that Adverbs of Time is used to modify the meanings of Verbs in the “when” or “how long” sense. For example:
- We have eaten this before.
- Now, it is your turn.
- We had a call from them lately.
- She goes for a morning walk daily.
- I called him a few minutes ago.
- Why he arrived late?
- They have discussed this issue already.
Adverbs of Frequency
Any of the Adverb that is used to tell “how often” or “how frequently”, an action happened, can be called as, Adverbs of Frequency. It means that like Adverbs of Time, Adverbs of Frequency are also used to modify the meanings of a verb, but in “how often” sense. However, the frequency of an action may be definite or indefinite. For example:
- She has helped him twice.
- They have not seen him once.
- He often proposes foolish ideas.
- We seldom visit her.
- The watchman called again.
- We always try to do our best.
- She frequently comes unprepared.
Adverbs of Place
Adverbs of Place are a type of adverb that describes the location or position of an action or event. They answer the question “where?”. They can also be used to indicate direction. Following are some examples of Adverbs of Place.
- He stood here.
- The dog reached there in search of food.
- His father followed him everywhere.
- They looked up.
- Please come in.
- Walk backward.
Adverbs of Manner
Adverbs of Manner are a type of adverb that describes how an action is done or the way something happens. They answer the question “how?”. These adverbs often end in -ly, although some do not. Following are some examples of Adverbs of Manner.
- She reads the lesson clearly.
- Our army fought bravely.
- The story was well illustrated by them.
- We slept soundly in her house.
- Slowly and sadly, they laid the enemy down.
- They must do so.
- Thus only, shall we reach on time?
Adverbs of Degree
Adverbs of Degree are a type of adverb that expresses the intensity or level of an action or event. They answer the question “to what extent?”. These adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Following are some examples of Adverbs of Degree.
- She is too sensitive.
- The mangoes are almost ripe.
- They were fully prepared.
- They are quite wrong.
- They were rather busy.
- You are as tall as your brother.
- We are altogether mistaken.
- They perform their duty pretty well.
Adverbs of Affirmation or Negation
Adverbs of Affirmation or Negation are a type of adverb that indicate whether a statement is positive or negative. Examples of Adverbs of affirmation include certainly, definitely, and indeed, while examples of Adverbs of negation include not, never, and no. These adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
- Surely he is mistaken
- She does not want to help him
- They will certainly visit you.
- There is no visibility due to fog.
- The moon is very clearly visible in Summer.
- The result turned out to be exactly the same as expected.
- His parent is not allowing him to go on the trip with us.
Adverbs of Reason
Adverbs of Reason are a type of adverb that explain the cause or reason behind an action or event. Examples of adverbs of reason include, therefore, because, consequently, thus, and accordingly. These adverbs connect two ideas or clauses together and show the cause-and-effect relationship between them.
- He was not prepared, hence did not go on stage for his presentation.
- They were not regular students; therefore, were suspended.
- He started running so that he reached on time.
- They were charged consequently for their misbehavior.
- Take your umbrella lest it starts raining.
