We can learn more about verbs from adverbs. To put it another way, they complement verbs.
Adverbs complement verbs by providing details about the action, such as how, when, where, or why it is occurring.
Let’s look at these examples in more detail:
- Tony complained bitterly.
- Jack bought a cactus yesterday.
- Barry will wait here.
- Anne is training to win.
Examples of Adverbs
Here are some more examples of adverbs for how, when, where, and why. (Notice that an adverb can be more than one word.
Here’s the table in a column format for better readability:
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| How (Manner) | quickly, happily, slowly, loudly, carefully, well, badly, bravely, gently, easily |
| When (Time) | yesterday, today, now, soon, later, already, before, after, last night, in the morning |
| Where (Place) | here, there, everywhere, nowhere, inside, outside, nearby, above, below, in the park |
| Why (Reason) | therefore, thus, consequently, because of that, for this reason, due to this, so that, hence |
Here are three typical “how” adverbs that do not finish in “-ly,” although the majority of single-word adverbs that tell us how do:
quick, well, and difficult
More about Adverbs
You will quickly discover that adverbs can tell us about more than just verbs; they can also tell us about adjectives and other adverbs. For instance:
Adjectives and adverbs:
- John is a really talented dancer.
- The weather is brutally cold.
Adverbs combined:
- Tina responded quite fast.
- The lioness is giving her pups very careful food.
Fronted Adverbials
It’s interesting to note that adverbs can also be used at the start of a sentence. When used in this way, they are called fronted adverbials. Let’s compare some examples that have and do not have fronted adverbs:
- The canary sang merrily.
- The canary joyfully sung.
Most fronted adverbs are made up of many words:
- I went to the park yesterday morning.
- Yesterday morning, I went to the park.
Here’s another illustration:
- To witness the eclipse, people flocked to the summits of the surrounding hills.
- Crowds flocked to view the eclipse on the summits of the surrounding hills.
Even More about Adverbs
The Real Names
- “how” adverbs = adverbs of manner
- “when” adverbs = adverbs of time
- “where” adverbs = adverbs of place
- “why” adverbs = adverbs of reason
Other Types of Adverbs
We can learn more about verbs from adverbs than just how, where, when, and why. Adverbs, for instance, can also provide us with information on condition, concession, and comparison.
- Jack outpaces you in running.
- The game will be over if it rains.
- The flowers are blooming despite the cold.
It might be helpful: