Adverbs

Cheat sheetsGrammar · Quick reference

How, when, where and how often: adverb forms, positions and comparisons at a glance.

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs or a whole sentence. They tell us how, when, where, how often or to what degree.

Many adverbs of manner come from adjectives + -ly, but some forms are irregular or unchanged.

Form / use	Pattern	Example
Most adjectives	Add -ly	slow → slowly · careful → carefully
Consonant + -y	Change -y to -ily	happy → happily · easy → easily
Ending in -le	Usually replace -le with -ly	gentle → gently · simple → simply
Ending in -ic	Usually add -ally	basic → basically · automatic → automatically
Exception to -ic	public → publicly	She spoke publicly.
Irregular	good → well	She is a good singer. · She sings well.
Unchanged	fast · hard · early · late	He runs fast. · We arrived early.
Adjective ending in -ly	Use an adverbial phrase	friendly → in a friendly way

Adverbs of manner describe how an action happens. They usually follow the verb or its object.

Form / use	Pattern	Example
Verb + adverb	With no object	She smiled warmly.
Verb + object + adverb	Keep the verb and object together	He opened the door quietly.
Before the main verb	Often possible for emphasis	She carefully checked the answers.
After linking verbs	Use an adjective to describe the subject	She looks happy. · The soup tastes good.

Frequency adverbs tell us how often something happens. They usually come before the main verb, after be, or after the first auxiliary.

Form / use	Pattern	Example
Frequency scale	always → usually → often → sometimes → rarely → never	I often read at night.
Before the main verb	subject + adverb + verb	She usually walks to work.
After be	subject + be + adverb	He is always early.
After the first auxiliary	auxiliary + adverb + main verb	I have never been there.
Sometimes at the beginning	Flexible position for sometimes	Sometimes we eat out.
Frequency expressions	Usually at the end	We meet twice a week.
Never / hardly ever	Already negative in meaning	She never calls. · He hardly ever cooks.

Time adverbs say when; place adverbs say where. Both often go at the end, while time expressions can also introduce a sentence.

Form / use	Pattern	Example
Time	now · soon · yesterday · tomorrow	We are leaving tomorrow.
Place	here · there · outside · upstairs	Please wait outside.
Place before time	Common order at the end	We met there yesterday.
Time at the beginning	Set the time context	Yesterday, we stayed home.
Already	Usually after the first auxiliary	She has already left.
Yet	Usually at the end of questions and negatives	Has she arrived yet? · She has not arrived yet.
Still	Before the main verb; after be	He still lives here. · She is still asleep.

Degree adverbs show intensity. Most come before the word they modify; enough follows adjectives and adverbs.

Form / use	Pattern	Example
very / really	Intensify an adjective or adverb	very cold · really slowly
quite / fairly	Often a moderate degree with gradable adjectives	quite warm · fairly quickly
too	More than is suitable	You are driving too fast.
enough	After the adjective or adverb	warm enough · quickly enough
almost / nearly	Close to a state or amount	The work is almost finished.
much / a little	Modify a comparative	She works much faster. · Walk a little more slowly.
absolutely	With strong or absolute meanings	absolutely exhausted · absolutely impossible

Compare how actions happen. Use than for the second item and often the with superlatives; the can be omitted in expressions such as runs fastest.

Form / use	Pattern	Example
Short forms	-er / -est	fast → faster → fastest · hard → harder → hardest
Most -ly adverbs	more / most + adverb	carefully → more carefully → most carefully
well	better / best	She sings better than I do.
badly	worse / worst	He played worse today.
Less / least	Lower degree	Speak less loudly.
Equality	as + adverb + as	She runs as fast as her brother.

Adding -ly can change the meaning completely. Learn these pairs in context.

Form / use	Pattern	Example
hard / hardly	With effort / almost not	She works hard. · She hardly works.
late / lately	After the expected time / recently	He arrived late. · I have been busy lately.
near / nearly	Close / almost	Come near. · We are nearly ready.
high / highly	At a high position / to a great degree	The bird flew high. · She is highly skilled.