Adverbs of manner are the largest group of adverbs. Most adverbs of manner are closely related to corresponding adjectives. Although some words can be used as either
adjectives or adverbs, in most cases, adverbs of manner are formed by adding ly to the corresponding adjectives.
a. Spelling rules for adding ly
In most cases, ly is simply added to the positive form of the adjective. For example:
Adjective bad complete normal
Adverb of Manner badly
completely normally
surprising surprisingly i. Adjectives ending in ic
However, when the adjective ends in ic, the syllable al is usually added before the ly ending. For example:
Adjective dramatic scientific specific
Adverb of Manner dramatically scientifically specifically
ii. Adjectives ending in le
When the adjective ends in le preceded by a consonant, the final e is usually changed to y, to form the ly ending. For example:
Adjective favorable humble simple
Adverb of Manner favorably
humbly simply
When the adjective ends in le preceded by a vowel, i n most cases, ly is simply added to the positive form of the adjective. For example:
Adjective agile sole
Adverb of Manner agilely
solely
However, in the case of the adjective whole, the final e is removed before the ending ly is added:
Adjective whole
Adverb of Manner wholly
iii. Adjectives ending in II
When the adjective ends in ll, only y is added. For example:
Adjective dull full shrill
Adverb of Manner dully
fully shrilly
iv. Adjectives ending in ue
When the adjective ends in ue, the final e is usually omitted before the ending ly is added. For example:
Adjective due true
Adverb of Manner duly
truly
v. Adjectives ending in y
When the adjective ends in y preceded by a consonant, the y is usually changed to i before the ending ly is added. For example:
Adjective busy easy happy
Adverb of Manner busily
easily happily
However, in the case of the adjectives shy and sly, ly is simply added to the positive form of the adjective:
Adjective shy sly
Adverb of Manner shyly
slyly
When the adjective ends in y preceded by a vowel, in most cases, ly is simply added to the positive form of the adjective. For example:
Adjective coy grey
Adverb of Manner coyly
greyly
However, in the case of the adjective gay, y is changed to i before the ending ly is added:
Adjective gay
See Exercise 1.
Adverb of Manner gaily
It should be noted that while most adverbs which end in ly are adverbs of manner, other types of adverb may also end in ly. For i nstance, consequently and subsequently are connecting adverbs. The following are adverbs of frequency which are formed by adding ly to the corresponding adjectives.
Adjective frequent rare usual
Adverb of Frequency frequently
rarely usually
b. Adverbs which do not use the ending ly
The adverb of manner well appears unrelated to the corresponding adjective, good . Good and well both have the comparative form better and the superlative form best.
Adjective good
Adverb of Manner well
It should be noted that in addition to being used as an adverb, the word well can also be used as an adjective with the meaning healthy. The adjective well is most often used as a predicate adjective.
e.g. Well used as an Adjective: I hope you are well.
Well used as an Adverb: He did well on the examination.
In the first exam ple, well is a predicate adjective, modifying the pronoun you . In the second example, well is an adverb of manner, modifying the verb did .
The following table gives examples of adverbs of manner, location, time and frequency which have the same forms as the corresponding adjectives.
Adjective fast hard little loud much straight Adjective
far high low near wide Adjective
early first late long Adjective
daily monthly weekly yearly
See Exercise 2.
Adverb of Manner fast
hard little
loud or loudly much
straight
Adverb of Location far
high low near wide
Adverb of Time early
first late long
Adverb of Frequency daily
monthly weekly yearly
It should also be noted that there are several adjectives ending in ly which have no correspondi ng adverbs:
friendly likely lively lonely silly
ugly
When it is desired to use one of these words to modify a verb, an adverb phrase of manner may be used. In the following examples, the adverb phrases are underlined.
e.g. He behaved in a friendly manner.
They acted in a silly way.
The following table gives examples of pairs of adverbs which are closely related, but which have different meanings.
Adverbs With and Without ly Endings Adverb
hard high late near wide
Meaning with effort opposite of low opposite of early opposite of far opposite of narrow
Adverb hardly highly lately nearly widely
Meaning scarcely
very; very well recently almost commonly The meanings of these adverbs are illustrated in the following examples.
e.g. I worked hard.
I have hardly enough time to finish.
He threw the ball high into the air.
He is highly successful in what he does.
The class began late.
The weather has been cold lately.
I held my breath as the squi rrel crept near to get the nuts.
I have nearly finished reading the book.
I opened the door wide.
That theory is widely believed.
c. The differing functions of adjectives and adverbs
When an adverb differs in form from a corresponding adjective, it is necessary to distinguish between the functions of adjectives and adverbs in order to determine which form should be used in a given situation.
Whereas adjectives modify nouns, pronouns, and expressions which serve the same grammatical functions as nouns; adverbs modify verbs, adjectives and adverbs.
i. Adjectives which modify nouns compared with adverbs which modify verbs The following examples illustrate the distinction which must be made between adjectives which modify nouns and adverbs which modify verbs. The adjectives and adverbs are printed in bold type, and the words which are modified are underlined.
e.g. Adjective: It has been a quiet afternoon.
Adverb: The afternoon passed quietly.
Adjective: She is a good musician.
Adverb: She � the flute very well.
In the first pair of sentences, the adjective quiet modifies the noun afternoon, whereas the adverb quietly modifies the verb passed. In the second pair of sentences, the
adjective good modifies the noun musician, whereas the adverb well modifies the verb plays.
In informal English, adjectives are sometimes used to modify verbs.
e.g. She plays good.
In this example, the adjective good is used to modify the verb plays. However, this use of adjectives is considered to be grammatically incorrect.
See Exercise 3.
ii. Adjectives which modify nouns compared with adverbs which modify adjectives The following examples illustrate the distinction which must be made between
adjectives which modify nouns and adverbs which modify adjectives.
e.g. Adjective: a large wooden building Adverb: a largely wooden building Adjective: conspicuous dark clouds Adverb: conspicuously dark clouds
In the first pair of phrases, the adjective large modifies the noun building, and the adverb largely modifies the adjective wooden . Thus, the phrase a large wooden
building has the meaning a big wooden building, whereas the phrase a largely wooden building has the meaning a building mostly made of wood .
In the second pair of phrases, the adjective conspicuous modifies the noun clouds, and the adverb conspicuously modifies the adjective dark. Thus, the phrase conspicuous dark clouds means that the clouds themselves are noticeable; whereas the phrase conspicuously dark clouds means that the darkness of the clouds is noticeable.
See Exercise 4.
iii. Predicate adjectives which modify the subjects of verbs compared with adverbs which modify verbs
As pointed out previously, certain verbs, called linking verbs, can be followed by predicate adjectives. A distinction must be made between predicate adjectives which modify the subjects of linking verbs, and adverbs which modify verbs.
A few linking verbs, such as the verb to be, can be followed by predicate adjectives, but cannot be modified by adverbs of manner. In the following examples using the verb to be, the nouns which are modified are underlined.
e.g. He is happy.
The wind was strong.
In these examples, the predicate adjectives happy and strong modify the subjects he and wind.
However, there are several verbs which can be used either as linking verbs followed by predicate adjectives, or as non-linking verbs modified by adverbs of manner_ The following examples illustrate the use of the verb to appear as a linking verb and as a non-linking verb_
e_g_ Linking Verb: His uncle appeared kind_
Non-linking Verb: His uncle appeared punctually at ten o'clock_
In the first exam ple, kind is a predicate adjective which modifies the noun uncle_ In the second example, punctually is an adverb of manner which modifies the verb appeared _
The verbs below can be used either as linking or non-linking verbs:
to appear to feel to look to smell to taste
to become to grow to remain to sound to turn
If the subject of the verb is to be modified, a predicate adjective is required after such verbs; whereas if the verb is to be modified, an adverb is required_ In the pairs of examples below, the verbs to grow, to look and to turn are used first as linking verbs followed by adjectives, and then as non-linking verbs modified by adverbs_ The
adjectives and adverbs are printed in bold type, and the words which are modified are underlined_
e_g_ Adjective: As he became old, he grew slow at remembering dates_
Adverb: The tree grew slowly_
Adjective: They looked anxious_
Adverb: We looked anxiously up the street.
Adjective: The weather turned cold_
Adverb: She turned coldly away from the salesman_
In these examples, the predicate adjectives slow, anxious and cold modify the subjects he, they and weather; whereas the adverbs of manner slowly, anxiously and coldly modify the verbs grew, looked and turned_
See Exercise 5_
2_ Adverbs used in comparisons
a_ The formation of comparative and superlative forms of adverbs
It should be noted that many adverbs, such as sometimes, never, here, there, now, then, first, again, yesterday and daily have no comparative or superlative forms_
i. Adverbs used with More and Most
Most adverbs used in comparisons, including those formed from corresponding
adjectives by adding the ending lV, form the comparative with the word more, and the superlative with the word most. For example:
Positive Form carefully easily frequently slowly softly
Comparative Form more carefully more easily more frequently more slowly more softly
ii. Adverbs used with the endings er and est
Superlative Form most carefully most easily most frequently most slowly most softly
Adverbs which have the same positive forms as corresponding adjectives generally also have the same comparative and superlative forms as the corresponding adjectives. For example:
Positive Form early
fast hard high late long low near straight
Comparative Form earlier
faster harder higher later longer lower nearer straighter
Superlative Form earliest
fastest hardest highest latest longest lowest nearest straightest The adverb of time soon also uses the endings er and est:
Positive Form soon
Comparative Form sooner
Superlative Form soonest
It should be noted that adverbs formed by adding ly to oneãsyllable adjectives are sometimes used with the endings er and est.
e.g. We walked slower and slower.
They sang the softest.
However, in modern English, it is generally considered to be more correct to write:
We walked more and more slowly.
They sang the most softly.
iii. Irregular adverbs
The irregular adverbs have the same comparative and superlative forms as the corresponding irregular adjectives:
Positive Form badly
far
Comparative Form worse
farther or further
Superlative Form worst
farthest or furthest
little much well
less more better
b. Positive forms of adverbs used in comparisons
least most best
The constructions employed when adverbs are used in comparisons are very similar to those employed when adjectives are used in comparisons.
i. The construction with As . . . As
When used in making comparisons, the positive form of an adverb is usually preceded and followed by as. This construction is summarized below, followed by examples.
I can run He moves Her eyes shone
as +
as as as
positive form + of adverb fast slowly brightly
as
as you can.
as a snail.
as stars.
If desired, an adverb may be placed before the first occurrence of as:
I can run Her eyes shone
ii. Ellipsis
adverb +
twice almost
as + positive form +
of adverb as
as
fast brightly
as
as you can.
as stars.
Ellipsis is often employed in comparisons using adverbs. For instance, i n the second half of such comparisons, instead of repeating the verb, the first auxiliary may be used, or the verb may be omitted entirely. In the following examples, the words which would usually be omitted are enclosed in square brackets.
e.g. I can run as fast as you can [run] . He moves as slowly as a snail [moves] . Her eyes shone as brightly as stars [shine] .
c. Comparative forms of adverbs used in comparisons i. The construction with Than
When used in making comparisons, the comparative form of an adverb is usually followed by than. This construction is summarized below, followed by examples.
He can swim She sings
comparative form + than of adverb
farther
more beautifully
than than
I can.
her sister does.
As is the case with comparisons using adjectives, comparisons using adverbs can be combined with phrases or clauses.
e.g. She performs better in front of an audience than she does in rehearsal.
They walked faster when they were on their way to school than they did when they were on their way home.
In the first exam ple, the two situations being compared are distinguished by the phrases in front of an audience and in rehearsal. In the second example, the two situations being compared are distinguished by the clauses when they were on their way to school and when they were on their way home. The use of ellipsis should be noted. In the first exam ple, the auxiliary does is used instead of repeating the verb performs. In the second example, the auxiliary did is used instead of repeating the verb walked.
See Exercise 6.
ii. Progressive comparisons
The comparative forms of adverbs can be used in progressive comparisons. For adverbs with the ending er, the following construction is used:
e.g. The plane flew The team performed
comparative form +
of adverb higher better
and + comparative form of adverb
and and
higher.
better.
The meanings expressed in these examples can also be expressed as follows:
e.g. The plane flew increasingly high.
The team performed increasingly well.
For adverbs which form the comparative with more, the following construction is used:
He solved the problems We visited them
more + and + more + positive form of adverb more
more
and and
more more
easily.
frequently.
The meanings expressed in these examples can also be expressed as follows:
e.g. He solved the problems i ncreasingly easily.
We visited them increasingly frequently.
iii. The construction with Less and Less
A similar construction, employing the expression less and less, can also be used. The expressions less and less and more and more have opposite meanings.
He solved the problems
less + and + less + positive form of adverb
less and less easily.
We visited them less and less frequently.
The meanings expressed in these examples can also be expressed as follows:
e.g. He solved the problems decreasingly easily.
We visited them decreasingly frequently.
See Exercise 7.
iv. The construction with The . . . , the . . .
Two clauses, each beginning with the, and each containing a comparative form of an adjective or adverb, can be used together in order to indicate a cause and effect relationship between two different things or events. This construction is summarized below, followed by examples.
The
+
The The
comparative form of adverb
+
or adjective more
faster
1 st part of comparison,
+
they eat, we skated,
the
+
the the
comparative 2nd part of form of adverb
+ comparison
or adjective fatter warmer
they get.
we felt.
The following are further examples of the use of this type of construction. In these examples, the comparative forms are underlined.
e.g. The more cleverly we hid the Easter eggs, the more enthusiastically the children searched for them.
The more I scold her, the worse she behaves.
As shown in the exam ples, in this type of construction the two clauses beginning with the must be separated by a comma.
d. Superlative forms of adverbs used in comparisons i. The construction with The
When used in making comparisons, the superlative form of an adverb is usually preceded by the. This construction is summarized below, followed by examples.
the + superlative form of adverb
He jumped the Our team plays the They sing the See Exercises 8 and 9.
highest best
most sweetly
of all the boys in the class.
of all the teams in the league.
of all the choirs I have heard.
In the case of adverbs which form the superlative with the ending est, the superlative is sometimes preceded by a possessive adjective, instead of by the definite article, the.
In the following exam ples, the possessive adjectives are printed in bold type.
e.g. He ran his fastest.
I did my best.
ii. The construction with The Least
Adverbs may also be preceded by the expression the least. This construction is summarized below, followed by examples. The words least and most have opposite meanings.
She speaks This bus runs
the + least + positive form of adverb the
the
least least
loudly often.
EXERCISES for Chapter 25
of all the children.
1 . For each of the following sentences, fill in the blank with the adverb which corresponds to the adjective given in brackets. For example:
The letter was ____ legible. (scarce) The letter was scarcely legible.
He did the work as ____ as possible. (careful) He did the work as carefully as possible.
They won the game ___ . (easy) They won the game easily.
She handled the situation very ___ . (capable) She handled the situation very capably.
I ___ expected that to happen. (full) I fully expected that to happen.
The view was ___ magnificent. (true) The view was truly magnificent.
The theory has never been ______ proved . (scientific) The theory has never been scientifically proved.
1 . I was _____ impressed by their courage. (due) 2. The chi ldren chattered ______ . (noisy)
3 The sun shone ______ behind the clouds. (pale) 4. They have settled in _______ . (comfortable)
5. He _______ maintained his point of view. (dogmatic) 6. Everything is proceeding _____ . (normal)
7. Please drive ______ . (slow)
8. She worked ______ until nine o"clock. (steady) 9. The cost of fuel has risen _______ . (dramatic) 10. He _______ scrambled up the slope. (agile)
ii. Everything was explained clearly and ______ . (si mple) 1 2 . The train whistle blew _____ at the crossing. (shrill) 1 3 . ______ , it stopped raining before we had to leave. (lucky)
14. She was signaling ______ . (frantic) 1 5 . That was ______ unexpected. (whole) 16. We arrived ______ . (punctual)
17. England is a ______ populated country. (dense) 18. They are _____ dependent on coal for fuel. (sole) 19. The material was produced _______ . (synthetic) 20. They _____ agreed to the proposal. (ready)
Answers
2. For each of the following sentences, fill in the blank with the adverb which corresponds to the adjective given in brackets. For example:
He hit the ball ___ . (hard) He hit the ball hard.
The newspaper is delivered ___ . (daily) The newspaper is delivered daily.
She did ___ in the competition. (good) She did well in the competition.
Please close the door ___ . (quiet) Please close the door quietly.
1 . I drove _____ home. (straight) 2. We came to work ______ . (early)
3. She ______ filled in the answers. (quick) 4. He like to drive ______ . (fast)
5. We proceeded ______ . (cautious)
6. He threw the ball _____ into the air. (high) 7. How _____ do you know her? (good )
8. We arrived _____ . (late)
9. They did the work _____ . (bad) 10. He spoke _____ . (little)
ii. The gathering is held . (annual)
1 2 . They replied ______ . (immediate) 1 3 . The workers met ______ . (weekly)
14. I will deal with that problem ______ . (first)
1 5 . They were _______ dressed for the occasion. (suitable) Answers
3. For each of the following sentences, pay attention to whether the word to be placed in the blank modifies a noun or a verb, and complete the sentence with either the adjective given in brackets or the corresponding adverb, as appropriate. For example:
It is necessary to wear ___ clothes in the winter. (thick) It is necessary to wear thick clothes in the winter.
Snow fell ___ on the ground. (thick) Snow fell thickly on the ground.
1 . We _______ concluded the deal. (successful)