Adverbs

What is an Adverb?

Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Adverbs can also modify sentences. Adverbs can often—but not always—be identified by the suffix -ly.

Example: Lily carefully planted the sapling. (adverb modifies verb)

Example: He painted a magnificently colorful landscape. (adverb modifies adjective)

Example: Aiden very quietly pulled a cookie from the cookie jar. (adverb modifies adverb)

Example: The boxer punched fast and hard. (adverbs modify verb)
Example: Fortunately, I found a spare pencil to lend to Julie. (adverb modifies sentence)

Adverbs for comparisons

Adverbs fall under three categories: absolute, comparative, and superlative. Comparative and superlative adverbs are used to make comparisons.

Absolute adverbs

Absolute adverbs are regular adverbs that are not used to make comparisons.

Example: Thomas studied diligently for the test.

Comparative adverbs

Comparative adverbs are adverbs that are used to make comparisons between two or more verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or sentences. The words more or less should precede a comparative adverb.

Example: Thomas studied more diligently for the test than his peers.
Example: Jamie studied less diligently for the test than his peers.

Superlative adverbs

Superlative adverbs are adverbs that are used for comparisons when a verb, adjective, adverb, or sentence has the most extreme quality possible among the things being compared. The words most or least should precede a superlative adverb.

Example: Thomas studied most diligently for the test out of all his peers.
Example: Jamie studied least diligently for the test out of all his peers.

Adverb placement

In many situations, adverb placement does not affect the meaning of a sentence.

Example: I ran quickly.
Example: I quickly ran.

However, there are situations where adverb placement can significantly affect the meaning of a sentence. This is especially true for adverbs that place limits on the words they modify, such as only, solely, or just.

Example: The nanny just fed the toddler.

The above example implies that the nanny recently fed the toddler.

Example: The nanny fed just the toddler.

The above example implies that the toddler was the only person the nanny fed.

Adverbs and linking verbs

As previously discussed, adverbs can modify verbs. Some words, like feel or smell, can function as both action verbs and linking verbs. Because linking verbs like feel or smell connect nouns to adjectives, it can be difficult to tell if an adjective or an adverb should be used in a sentence that contains such verbs.

Bad or badly

Example: The dog smelled bad.

In the above example, smelled is used as a linking verb, connecting the noun dog to the adjective bad. In this example, the dog has a bad odor.

Example: The dog smelled badly.

In the above example, smelled is used as an action verb. The adverb badly modifies the verb smelled. In this example, the dog is bad at smelling.

Example: Despite last week’s bath, the dog quickly smelled bad again.

The above example contains both an adverb (quickly) and an adjective (bad). Notice that quickly modifies the linking verb smelled and bad modifies dog. In this example, the dog had a bad odor that returned soon after taking a bath.

Good or well

The adverb form of the word good is well. Generally, the word good is used as an adjective and the word well is used as an adverb. However, the word well is also used as an adjective when describing health.

Example: Her son was good.

In the above example, the adjective good modifies the noun son.

Example: Her son sings well.

In the above example, the adverb well modifies the verb sings.

Example: After the surgery, her son was well.

In the above example, the adjective well modifies the noun son.

The word good may be used informally as an adverb, but in scholarly or academic writing, good should generally be used as an adjective.