C. Adverbs
1. Many adverbs are formed by adding -ly to an adjective. Use an ly adverb to modify a verb, adjective, or a clause.
She speaks quietly. The suit he wore was quietly tasteful. Quietly, she made her way across the room.
2. Adding -ly to an adjective to create an adverb may also create a change in spelling, as in the following examples.
A few adjectives already end in ly, far example, friendly, lovely, lively, fatherly.
For an adverbial sense, use the adjective in the phrase “in a… way."
She spoke to me in a friendly way.
3. Not all adverbs are derived from adjectives. Here are some common adverbs that indicate place or time: here, (here, nowhere, anywhere, somewhere, already, soon, now, then.
4. Some adverbs, called “adverbs of frequency” tell how often or regularly an action occurs; never, rarely, seldom, sometimes, occasionally, often, always and also once a week, twice a month, etc.
5. Adverbs modify not only verbs. They are also often used to modify an adjective or another adverb. Here are a few of the more frequent such adverbs; very, extremely terribly, fairly, somewhat, too, almost, quite. Bill Gates is very rich. He runs his company quite efficiently.
Some adverbs are used almost exclusively with certain adjectives.
You should learn and use these adjective-adverb combinations. A good dictionary should be able to give you this information.
Task 1. Insert the appropriate adjective or adverb in the blanks in the following sentences.
1. A servant thought that Charles Darwin was ___ (idle/idly) because he stared at an anthill for an hour.
2. Darwin wanted to observe every creature in ___ (minute/ minutely) detail.
3. He studied ants and turtles ___ (particular/particularly) ___ (close/closely).
4. Darwin always held a ____ (powerful/powerfully) affection for family.
5. He wanted to observe ___ (accurate/accurately) human beings' emotions.
6. Darwin argued that love, affection, morality, and sympathy had ___ (gradual/gradually) developed from our primate.
7. Even baboons can feel ___ (evil, evilly) passions.
8. When corroding the proofs for his book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Lower Animals, Darwin ___(emphatic/emphatically) deleted (he word "lower."
Tricky Adjective and Adverb Forms
1. Some adverbs do not add -ly to the adjective form.
They seem to be good writers. They write well.
He is a fast swimmer. He swims fast
She is a hard worker. She works hard.
Take care with hard and hardly. The adverb farm hardly does exist, but it is not associated with the adjective hard and it has negative connotations, It means
’scarcely' or '‘almost not at all.”
He hardly ever offers to help.
I’d hardly describe her looks as beautiful!
2. After linking verbs such as feel, seem, and income, use an adjective.
The teachers feel bad.
Some verbs (such as appear, look, see, smell, taste) can be used as either linking verbs or action verbs.
She looked sad when she heard the news, look – linking verb)
She looked sadly around the room, (look – action verb)
Never place an adverb between a verb and the direct object. The following sentence is incorrect in English.
He is certainly very intelligent/ he is very intelligent, certainly
3. Another type of adverb that can move around in the sentence is one that modifies the whole sentence, for example, fortunately, actually, obviously, certainly, and recently.
Certainly, he is very intelligent.
He is certainly very intelligent.
He is very intelligent, certailnly.
4. The adverb only also has the ability to move around in the sentence, but its position changes the meaning of the sentence.
In the following sentence – the context of which is a bus accident – the word only can be inserted at each one of the points (1-6) indicated. Except for when it appears at points 4 and 6. the position of only changes the meaning of the sentence. Can you work out the fixe different meanings of this sentence, depending on the position of only?
(1) The (2) passenger (3) hint (4) his (5) arm (6).
5. Many adverbs of frequency (such as always, sometimes, often, seldom, usually, frequently) modify the whole sentence and not just the verb. They usually occur in the middle position in a sentence after the subject.
He always behaves tactfully, (before a main verb)
He has always spoken tactfully to his boss, (after the first auxiliary verb)
He is always tactful, (after be as the main verb)
6. Adverbial phrases are best placed at the end of a sentence.
She approached me in a very friendly manner.
My friend works out in the gym three times a week.
Task 2. Use an insertion mark (√) to indicate where to place the given adverb in the sentence.
Example: Tom Hanks makes political speeches, (sometimes)
Answer: Tom Hanks sometimes makes political speeches.
1. Tom Hanks plays romantic roles, (frequently)
2. He acts very well, (usually)
3. He has played a villain a few times, (only)
4. He prepares for each role, (apparently, with a great deal of care)
5. In the film Castaway, he managed to alter his body, (drastically)
6. He has won an Oscar twice even though he has been nominated many times, (only)
7. He was grateful to receive the Oscar for Best Actor two years in a row – 1994 and 1995. (extremely)
8. Hanks accepts the Oscar, (always, graciously)
Comparisons
1. To form comparative and superlative forms of most one-syllabic adjectives, add -er and -est endings.
cool cooler coolest
warm warmer warmest
2. Comparative forms are usually followed by the word than, Superlative forms are almost always preceded by the word the.
In Brazil, January is warmer than July.
In Canada, July is the warmest month.
One-syllable adjectives ending In a single vowel + a single consonant double the consonant when adding the -er and -est endings,
big