Adverbs are very interesting because you can put more emphasis in a writing or in a conversation. Likewise, some adverbs modify entire sentence. These are called sentences adverbs.
Basically, most adverbs tell you how, where, or when something is done. In other words, they describe the manner, place, time or frecuency of an action. Here are some examples:
Manner : She speaks slowly
Place: The party is going to take place here
Time: He called her yesterday.
Frecuency: She always get up 6am.
Adverbs are words that modify
* a verb (He drove slowly. — How did he drive?)
* an adjective (He drove a very fast car. — How fast was his car?)
* another adverb (She moved quite slowly down the aisle. — How slowly did she move?)
As we will see, adverbs often tell when, where, why, or under what conditions something happens or happened. Adverbs frequently end in -ly; however, many words and phrases not ending in -ly serve an adverbial function and an -ly ending is not a guarantee that a word is an adverb. The words lovely, lonely, motherly, friendly, neighborly, for instance, are adjectives:
* That lovely woman lives in a friendly neighborhood.
Be Careful!
* Some adjectives don't change in the adverb form. The most important of these are: fast - fast, hard - hard
* Good is probably the most important exception. The adverb form of 'good' is 'well'. Unfortunately, this is a common mistake that many people make!
NOT!!: She plays volleyball good.
Adverbs can also modify an adjective. In this case, the adverb is placed before the adjective.
Example: She is extremely happy. They are absolutely sure.
Be Careful!
* Do not use 'very' with adjectives that express an increased quality of a basic adjective Example: good - fantastic
NOT!!: She is a very beautiful woman.
One of the hallmarks of adverbs is their ability to move around in a sentence. Adverbs of manner are particularly flexible in this regard.
* Solemnly the minister addressed her congregation.
* The minister solemnly addressed her congregation.
* The minister addressed her congregation solemnly.
Adverbs of frequency (always, never, sometimes, often, etc.) usually come before the main verb
Example: He is often late for class. Do you always eat in a restaurant? They don't usually travel on Fridays.
Be Careful!
* Adverbs of frequency expressing infrequency are not usually used in the negative or question form.
NOT!!: Does she rarely eat fish? They don't seldom go to the cinema.
* Adverbs of frequency are often placed at the beginning of a sentence. Example: Sometimes, he likes to go to museums.
* Adverbs of frequency follow - come after - the verb 'to be'. Example: He is sometimes late for work.
If a group of words containing a subject and verb acts as an adverb (modifying the verb of a sentence), it is called an Adverb Clause:
* When this class is over, we're going to the movies.
When a group of words not containing a subject and verb acts as an adverb, it is called an adverbial phrase. Prepositional phrases frequently have adverbial functions (telling place and time, modifying the verb):
* He went to the movies.
* She works on holidays.
* They lived in Canada during the war.
Also, if you change the position of a Focus adverbs (almost, even, just, only) often change the meaning of the sentences. Example:
* They only eat vegetables.
* Only they eat vegetables.
Negative adverb creates a negative meaning in a sentence without the use of the usual no/not/neither/nor/never constructions:
* He seldom goes to party.
* She hardly eats anything since the accident.
* After his tedious lectures, rarely was anyone awake.
CARMEN ALVAREZ CH.
