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Types of Adverbs in English – Meaning and Examples (PDF)

In this post you will learn types of adverbs in English with example sentences.

Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They are never used with nouns and can be found anywhere in a sentence that can be a little bit complicated for students working on English assignment. Adverbs help to describe when, where, why, and how something happens. Here you can see 7 types of adverbs with examples:

I will arrive soon. (Adverb of Time)
I always eat breakfast at 7 AM (Adverb of Frequency)
The bird flew high in the sky. (Adverb of Place)
She sings beautifully. (Adverb of Manner)
The cake was very delicious. (Adverb of Degree)
I was tired, so I went to bed early. (Adverb of Reason)
Of course, I will be there. (Adverb of Affirmation or Negation)

Many adverbs are words that ends in –ly. Here are some –ly adverbs that you may know: softly, hardly, only, rarely…

Many adverbs are formed by adding –ly to an adjective: Clear (adjective)/ clearly (adverb), hard / hardly, beautiful / beautifully.

You can find downloadable A-Z List of Adverbs PDF file at the end of this article.

 

Types of Adverbs

Type of AdverbDescriptionExamples
MannerDescribes how an action is performedslowly, beautifully, brilliantly
TimeDescribes when an action took placenow, never, already
PlaceDescribes where an action took placehere, there, everywhere
FrequencyDescribes how often an action takes placealways, sometimes, rarely
DegreeDescribes the extent or intensity of an actionvery, quite, completely

 

Adverb of Time

An adverb of time tells us when an action happened. Examples: yesterday, now, today, tonight, soon.

Adverb of TimeExample
NowI am eating now.
TodayI will see you today.
TonightI have plans for tonight.
YesterdayI visited my grandparents yesterday.
TomorrowI have a meeting tomorrow.
SoonI will be there soon.
LaterLet’s catch up later.
PreviouslyI previously worked at that company.
CurrentlyI am currently reading a book.
FinallyFinally, it’s the weekend!
YetI haven’t finished my work yet.

 

Adverb of Frequency

An adverb of frequency tells us how often an action happens. Examples: always, often, never, rarely, sometimes.

Adverb of FrequencyExample
OftenI often play basketball on weekends.
SometimesSometimes I like to watch movies.
RarelyI rarely go to the library.
UsuallyI usually have breakfast at 7 am.
NeverI never eat junk food.
Every dayI exercise every day.
Every weekI visit my grandparents every week.
Once a yearI take a vacation once a year.
Twice a monthI go to the movies twice a month.

 

Adverbs of Frequency

 

 

Adverb of Place

An adverb of place tells us where an action happened. Several adverbs of place can also serve as prepositions and must be followed by a noun when used as a preposition. Examples: here, there, everywhere, inside, outside.

Adverb of PlaceExample
HereHere is my pen.
ThereThere is a bird on the tree.
EverywhereI looked everywhere for my keys.
AnywhereCan we go anywhere for lunch?
NowhereI can’t find my wallet, it’s nowhere to be seen.
UpI need to go up to my room to get my book.
DownLet’s go down to the park.
InThe cat is in the box.
OutWe’re going out for dinner tonight.
OnThe book is on the table.

 

Check Also:
The Eight Parts of Speech in English (PDF)
100+ Commonly Used English Idioms (PDF)
25+ Common Proverbs and Their Meanings

 

Adverb of Manner

An adverb of manner tells us how something was done or describe the way in which an action is performed. They often end in -ly, but not always. Examples: happily, loudly, quickly, carefully, beautifully.

Adverb of MannerExample
QuicklyShe ran quickly.
SlowlyHe spoke slowly.
LoudlyThe band played loudly.
SoftlyShe whispered softly.
BeautifullyThe sunset was beautifully colored.
GracefullyShe danced gracefully.
CarefullyHe handled the glass carefully.
ClearlyShe explained the situation clearly.
HappilyThey laughed happily.
SadlyShe spoke sadly about her loss.

 

Adverb of Degree

An adverb of degree tells us the level or extent of something. Examples: very, completely, almost, quite, extremely.

Adverb of DegreeExample
AbsolutelyShe absolutely refuses to go.
CompletelyI completely agree with you.
EntirelyHe was entirely to blame.
TotallyThe party was totally awesome!
UtterlyI am utterly disgusted.
WhollyThe project was a wholly new experience.
ExtremelyIt was extremely cold today.
FullyI fully understand what you mean.
ReallyThat was really helpful.
SomewhatI am somewhat tired today.
PartlyThe decision was partly influenced by her parents.
MostlyThe movie was mostly fiction.

 

Adverb of Reason

An adverb of reason tells us why something happened. Examples: therefore, hence, thus, consequently, as a result.

Adverb of ReasonExample
ThereforeI didn’t feel like going to the party, therefore, I stayed home.
ThusThe weather was bad, thus, we cancelled the picnic.
HenceThe store was closed, hence, I couldn’t buy what I needed.
SoI was tired, so I went to bed early.
As a resultI didn’t study, as a result, I failed the exam.
ConsequentlyI didn’t eat breakfast, consequently, I was hungry during the meeting.

 

Adverb of Affirmation or Negation

An adverb of affirmation or negation tells us whether an action was done or not. Examples: yes, no, definitely, not, probably.

Adverb of Affirmation or NegationExample Sentences
YesYes, I will come to the party.
NoNo, I won’t come to the party.
CertainlyCertainly, I will come to the party.
DefinitelyDefinitely, I won’t come to the party.
Of courseOf course, I will be there.
SurelySurely, I won’t be late.
Certainly NotCertainly not, I won’t be there.
Definitely NotDefinitely not, I won’t be late.
NotNot, I won’t come to the party.
NeverNever, I will never come to the party.

 

Adverbs List PDF

You can download a more detailed explanation of Adverbs in English and the A-Z Adverbs List PDF files below.

  Adverbs Explained PDF – download

  A-Z Adverbs List PDF – download

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