The adverb definition most teachers use is this: an adverb is a word that adds information to a verb, an adjective, another adverb or a whole sentence, usually telling how, when, where, how often or how much. In "She speaks softly," the adverb softly tells you how she speaks.
Many adverbs end in -ly, but plenty do not (fast, soon, here, very, often), and some -ly words are not adverbs at all. This guide explains what adverb means in grammar, the main types, where adverbs go in a sentence, and the slips English learners and native speakers make most.
Entry at a glance
Meaning
A word that modifies a verb, adjective, adverb or sentencePart of speech
Noun (the name of a word class)Pronunciation
AD-vurbAdjective form
adverbial, as in an adverbial phraseAnswers
How? When? Where? How often? How much?Origin
Latin adverbium, from ad, to, and verbum, word or verbRelated word classes
Adverb definition for beginners
To define adverb for a younger student, begin like this: an adverb is a describing word, but it describes actions and qualities rather than people and things. Compare:
- A quick runner (quick is an adjective, describing the noun runner).
- She runs quickly (quickly is an adverb, describing the verb runs).
Adverbs can modify four kinds of things:
- A verb: "He rarely calls."
- An adjective: "The soup is too salty."
- Another adverb: "She finished remarkably quickly."
- A whole sentence: "Luckily, the bus was late too."
Main types of adverbs
| Type | Question it answers | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Manner | How? | carefully, loudly, well, fast |
| Time | When? | now, yesterday, soon, already |
| Place | Where? | here, outside, upstairs, nearby |
| Frequency | How often? | always, usually, sometimes, never |
| Degree | How much? | very, quite, almost, extremely |
| Comment (sentence) | What does the speaker think? | honestly, sadly, clearly, frankly |
| Linking (conjunctive) | How do two ideas connect? | however, therefore, meanwhile, indeed |
A group of words can do the same job. "In the morning" or "with great care" are adverbial phrases, and "because it was raining" is an adverbial clause.
Examples in real sentences
- The printer suddenly stopped halfway through my report.
- We usually eat dinner at eight, but tonight we ate late.
- Your essay is almost perfect; just check the last paragraph again.
- Unfortunately, the shop had sold out of mangoes.
- The baby is sleeping upstairs, so please talk quietly.
How adverbs are formed and compared
The most common pattern is adjective + -ly: slow to slowly, calm to calmly, happy to happily (y becomes i), gentle to gently (le becomes ly), basic to basically (-ic adds -ally). Some adverbs look exactly like their adjectives: fast, hard, late, early, straight.
To compare, most -ly adverbs use more and most: "She explained it more clearly than I did." Short ones take -er and -est: faster, harder, soonest. A few are irregular: well, better, best; badly, worse, worst.
Where an adverb goes in a sentence
English is flexible, but there are habits:
- Frequency adverbs usually sit before the main verb and after be: "I often walk," "She is always on time."
- Manner, place and time adverbs often come after the verb or object, in that order: "He sang beautifully at the hall last night."
- Comment adverbs often open the sentence: "Honestly, I forgot."
- Do not put an adverb between a verb and its direct object: say "She speaks English well," not "She speaks well English."
Moving words like only or just changes meaning: "Only I saw the message" and "I only saw the message" are not the same.
Common mistakes with adverbs
- Good vs well. Good is usually an adjective, well the adverb: "You did well," not "You did good," in careful writing. ("I feel well" refers to health; "I feel good" to mood.)
- -ly does not always mean adverb. Friendly, lovely, lonely, costly and elderly are adjectives. You cannot say "she smiled friendly"; use "in a friendly way."
- Linking verbs take adjectives. "The cake smells delicious," not "deliciously," because smells here links the cake to a quality.
- Hardly is not hard + ly. "He works hard" means a lot of effort; "he hardly works" means almost no work.
- Too many intensifiers. Words like quite, really and very lose force when stacked.
Origin of the term
Adverb comes through French from Latin adverbium, made of ad, to or toward, and verbum, word or verb. Roman grammar writers modelled it on an older Greek label carrying the same picture: a word placed next to the verb. The name reflects its most famous job, though adverbs modify far more than verbs. For the other parts of speech, such as nouns and prepositions, browse our grammar guides, which treat each word class on its own page.
Frequently asked questions
What does adverb mean in simple words?
An adverb is a word that tells you more about an action or a quality. It answers questions such as how, when, where, how often or how much. Slowly, tomorrow, here and very are all adverbs.
Do all adverbs end in -ly?
No. Many common adverbs, such as soon, fast, well, often, here, never and very, have no -ly ending. And some -ly words, like friendly or lovely, are adjectives.
Adjective or adverb: how do I tell them apart?
An adjective describes a noun or pronoun (a careful driver). An adverb describes a verb, adjective, other adverb or sentence (drive carefully). Ask what the word is describing to decide.
What is the meaning of adverb in English grammar books?
Grammar books give roughly the same definition of adverb: a word or phrase that modifies a verb, adjective, other adverb or clause. Some also note that it is the most mixed word class, holding words as different as here, very and however.
Is "not" an adverb?
Yes. Most grammars class not as an adverb, because it modifies the verb or the whole statement by making it negative.
What is an adverb of frequency?
It is an adverb that tells how often something happens, like always, usually, often, sometimes, seldom and never. These usually go before the main verb.
Can one adverb describe another adverb?
Yes. In "she spoke incredibly fast," incredibly describes fast, which describes spoke. Degree adverbs such as very and quite often do this job.