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Hercegovina

Bosna i
Hercegovina

BRKO DISTRIKT

BRKO DISTRIKT

BOSNE I
HERCEGOVINE

BOSNE I
HERCEGOVINE

Internacionalni
Univerzitet Brko

Internacionalni
Univerzitet Brko

Predmet: (Poslovni) Engleski 1

Tema: 1. Adverbs in English language
2. Past Simple and Past Perfect Tense
(Seminarski rad)

Mentor:
Student: Dei Danijel
1

Mr.sci Kristina Varaakovi

Broj indeksa:OFM 695/2013

Brko ,Januar 2014.

CONTENTS:
1. Part one
1.1. Adverbs in English language
1.2. Adverb form

1.3.Adverbs of Manner
1.4. Adverbs of Frequency
1.5. Comparison of adverbs
1.6. Adverbs as intensifiers
1.7. Order of Adverbs
1.8. Relative Adverbs
1.9. Viewpoint, Focus, and Negative Adverbs
2. Part two: Simple and Past Perfect Tense
2.1.USE First: Completed Action in the Past
2.2. Adverb placement
2.3.The Past Perfect Simple Tense
2.4. Moreover
2.5. Adverb placement
2.6. Active/Pasive

1.1.

Part one: Adverbs in English language

An adverb is a word that tells us more about a verb. It "qualifies" or "modifies" a verb (The
man ran quickly). In the following examples, the adverb is in bold and the verb that it modifies
is in italics.

John speaks loudly. (How does John speak?)

Afterwards she smoked a cigarette. (When did she smoke?)

Mary lives locally. (Where does Mary live?)

But adverbs can also modify adjectives (Tara is really beautiful), or even other adverbs (It works
very well). Look at these examples:

Modify an adjective:
- He is really handsome. (How handsome is he?)
- That was extremely kind of you.

Modify another adverb:

- She drives incredibly slowly. (How slowly does she drive?)
- He drives extremely fast.
1.2.

Adverb form

We make many adverbs by adding -ly to an adjective, for example:

quick (adjective) > quickly (adverb)

careful (adjective) > carefully (adverb)

beautiful (adjective) > beautifully (adverb)

There are some basic rules about spelling for -ly adverbs. See the table below:
Adjective ending

most adjectives

do this

adjective

adverb

add -ly

quick
nice
sole
careful

quickly
nicely
solely
carefully

-able or -ible

change -e to -y

regrettable
horrible

regrettably
horribly

-y

change -y to -ily

happy

happily

-ic

change -ic to -ically

economic

economically

Adverbs can be classified by their functions Adverb lists that follow each category are
only partial ones.
Adverbs of manner - answer the question How?
I watch them closely.
I play well.
I walk carefully.
List: cheerfully, fast, quicly, slowly, inadequately, healthy
Adverbs of time - answer the question When?
He has not played chess recently.
I arrive late for most appointments.
Lately, I have had many sleepless nights.
List: early, never, now, often, soon, then, today, tomorrow
Adverbs of place (location, direction) - answer the question Where?
I walked downstairs.
Have you ever gone there?
I will meet you outside.
List: above, away, below, down, here, inside, there, up
Adverbs of degree - answer the question How much?
He is totally prepared for his birthday.
I am too tired to play tennis tonight.
He is completely tired from the journey.
List: almost, entirely, little, much, rather, very, too
Adverbs of frequency - answer the question How often?
He rarely goes by himself.
She constantly finishes her job first.
List: always, never, usually, frequently, sometimes, occasionally
Conjunctive (connecting) adverbs - connect the ideas expressed in different clauses or
sentences.
Use of conjunctive adverb between two independent clauses requires a semicolon before the
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adverb and comma after it.

I want to sleep; however, I need to study.
If conjunctive adverb is used at the beginning of a sentence, comma is used to set it off. note that
the period takes the place of a semicolon.
The day was over. Therefore, I went to sleep.
If conjunctive adverb is placed within a clause, commas are used to set it off.
The day is over. I will, therefore, go to sleep.
Some of the most common conjunctive adverbs: accordingly, also, anyhow, furthermore,
however, moreover, otherwise, still, therefore.
Interrogative adverbs - used at the beginning of questions.
Why are you so angry?
When does the movie start?
List: why, where, how, when

1.3.

Adverbs of Manner

Adverbs of Manner tell us the manner or way in which something happens. They answer the
question "how?". Adverbs of Manner mainly modify verbs.

He speaks slowly. (How does he speak?)

They helped us cheerfully. (How did they help us?)

James Bond drives his cars fast. (How does James Bond drive his cars?)

Adverbs perform a wide range of functions. They typically modify verbs (or verb phrases),
adjectives (or adjectival phrases), or other adverbs (or adverbial phrases). However, adverbs also
sometimes qualify noun phrases (only the boss; quite a lovely place); pronouns and determiners
(almost all); prepositional phrases (halfway through the movie); or whole sentences, to provide
contextual comment or indicate an attitude (Frankly, I don't believe you). They can also indicate
a relationship between clauses or sentences (He died, and consequently I inherited the estate).
Many English adverbs are formed from adjectives by adding the ending -ly, as in hopefully,
widely, theoretically (for details of spelling and etymology, see -ly). Certain words can be used as
both adjectives and adverbs, such as fast, straight, and hard. The adverb corresponding to the
adjective good is well (note that bad forms the regular badly, although ill is occasionally used in
some phrases).
There are also many adverbs that are not derived from adjectives, including adverbs of time,
of frequency, of place, of degree and with other meanings. Some suffixes that are commonly
used to form adverbs from nouns are -ward[s] (as in homeward[s]) and -wise (as in lengthwise).
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Most adverbs form comparatives and superlatives by modification with more and most: often,
more often, most often; smoothly, more smoothly, most smoothly (see also comparison of
adjectives, above). However, a few adverbs retain irregular inflection for comparative and
superlative forms: much, more, most; a little, less, least; well, better, best; badly, worse, worst;
far, further (farther), furthest (farthest); or follow the regular adjectival inflection: fast, faster,
fastest; soon, sooner, soonest; etc.
Adverbs indicating the manner of an action are generally placed after the verb and its objects
(We considered the proposal carefully), although other positions are often possible (We carefully
considered the proposal). Many adverbs of frequency, degree, certainty, etc. (such as often,
always, almost, probably, and various others such as just) tend to be placed before the verb (they
usually have chips), although if there is an auxiliary or other "special verb" (see Verbs above),
then the normal position for such adverbs is after that special verb (or after the first of them, if
there is more than one): I have just finished the crossword; She can usually manage a pint; We
are never late; You might possibly have been unconscious. Adverbs that provide a connection
with previous information (such as next, then, however), and those that provide the context (such
as time or place) for a sentence, are typically placed at the start of the sentence: Yesterday we
went on a shopping expedition.
A special type of adverb is the adverbial particle used to form phrasal verbs (such as up in
pick up, on in get on, etc.) If such a verb also has an object, then the particle may precede or
follow the object, although it will normally follow the object if the object is a pronoun (pick the
pen up or pick up the pen, but pick it up).

1.4.

Adverbs of Frequency

Adverbs of Frequency are Adverbs of Time that answer the question "How frequently?" or
"How often?". They tell us how often something happens. Here are some examples:
a. daily, weekly, yearly
b. often, sometimes, rarely

You probably see a difference between a) and b) above. With words like daily we know
exactly how often. The words in a) describe definite frequency. On the other hand, words like
often give us an idea about frequency but they don't tell us exactly. The words in b) describe
indefinite frequency.
We separate them into two groups because they normally go in different positions in the
sentence.

1.5. Comparison of adverbs

Like adjectives, adverbs have three forms of comparison: positive, comparative, and
superlative.
Positive degree expresses the quality without comparison.
Comparative degree compares two verbs, adjectives, or adverbs.
Superlative degree compares three or more verbs, adjectives or adverbs.
Adverb comparison
Most adverbs are compared by using another adverb.
More or less are used to express the comparative degree.
Most or least are used to express the superlative degree.
I dance gracefully (or horribly).
I dance more gracefully (or more horribly).
I dance most gracefully ( or most horribly).
Suffix comparison
Some adverbs are compared using a suffix er for the comparative forms and est for the
superlative forms.
I will arrive soon (or fast).
I will arrive sooner (or faster).
I will arrive soonest (or fastest).
Irregular comparison
There are also a number of adverbs compared irregularly.
These must be remembered. Here are some of them.
POSITIVE
bad/badly
far
late/lately
little
much
well

COMPARATIVE
worse
farther/further
later
less
more
better
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SUPERLATIVE
worst
farthest/furthest
latest
least
most
best

Beyond comparison
Some adverbs are never compared. They express qualities unsuitable for comparison.
Here are some of them: again, almost, before, ever, never, here, there, now, then, there, thus, too,
twice, very.

1.6.Adverbs as intensifiers
Adverbs can be used as amplifiers, down toners, or emphasizers.
As emphasizers.
I really like him.
I literally wrecked my car.
As amplifiers
They completely abandoned the city.
I absolutely refuse to leave.
As down toners
I somewhat like this movie.
Peter almost quit that job.

1.6. Adverbs as modifiers

(adverbs in adverbial functions)
An adverb modifies a verb
He walked quickly. ('quickly' modifies verb 'walked')
I accepted new task willingly. ('willingly' modifies verb 'accepted')
Mike snored melodically. ('melodically' modifies verb 'snored')
An adverb modifies an adjective
They were really unhappy. ('really' modifies adjective 'unhappy')
My brother is completely fearless. ('completely' modifies adjective 'fearless')
I know she is very careful. ('very' modifies adjective 'careful')

 An adverb modifies an adverb

He is almost always hungry. ('almost' modifies adverb 'always')
John plays tennis very well. ('very' modifies adverb 'well')
You never can work too carefully. ('too' modifies adverb 'carefully')
An adverb modifies a clause
Perhaps you are correct, but not at first glance. ('perhaps' modifies clause 'you are correct')
Surely he will be on time, but I hope not. ('surely' modifies clause 'he will be on time')
An adverb modifies a sentence
Suddenly, she went home. ('suddenly' modifies a whole sentence)
Finally, he will be on time. ('finally' modifies a whole sentence)
Today, we can take a vacation.('today' modifies a whole sentence)

1.7. Order of Adverbs

There is a basic order in which adverbs will appear when there is more than one. It is similar to
The Royal Order of Adjectives, but it is even more flexible.

THE ROYAL ORDER OF ADVERBS

Verb
Beth
swims

Manner
enthusiastically

Place

Frequency

Time

Purpose

in the pool every morning

before dawn to keep in shape.

Dad walks impatiently

into town every afternoon

before
supper

Tashonda
naps

in her
room

before
lunch.

every morning

to get a newspaper.

In actual practice, of course, it would be highly unusual to have a string of adverbial modifiers
beyond two or three (at the most). Because the placement of adverbs is so flexible, one or two of
the modifiers would probably move to the beginning of the sentence: "Every afternoon before
supper, Dad impatiently walks into town to get a newspaper." When that happens, the introductory
adverbial modifiers are usually set off with a comma.

1.8. Relative Adverbs

Adjectival clauses are sometimes introduced by what are called the relative adverbs:
where, when, and why. Although the entire clause is adjectival and will modify a noun, the
relative word itself fulfills an adverbial function (modifying a verb within its own clause).
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The relative adverb where will begin a clause that modifies a noun of place:
My entire family now worships in the church where my great grandfather used to be minister.
The relative pronoun "where" modifies the verb "used to be" (which makes it adverbial), but the
entire clause ("where my great grandfather used to be minister") modifies the word "church."
A when clause will modify nouns of time:
My favorite month is always February, when we celebrate Valentine's Day and Presidents' Day.
And a why clause will modify the noun reason:
Do you know the reason why Isabel isn't in class today?
We sometimes leave out the relative adverb in such clauses, and many writers prefer "that" to
"why" in a clause referring to "reason":

Do you know the reason why Isabel isn't in class today?

I always look forward to the day when we begin our summer vacation.

I know the reason that men like motorcycles.

1.9. Viewpoint, Focus, and Negative Adverbs

A viewpoint adverb generally comes after a noun and is related to an adjective that precedes
that noun:

A successful athletic team is often a good team scholastically.

Investing all our money in snowmobiles was probably not a sound idea financially.

You will sometimes hear a phrase like "scholastically speaking" or "financially speaking" in
these circumstances, but the word "speaking" is seldom necessary.
A focus adverb indicates that what is being communicated is limited to the part that is focused; a
focus adverb will tend either to limit the sense of the sentence ("He got an A just for attending
the class.") or to act as an additive ("He got an A in addition to being published."
Although negative constructions like the words "not" and "never" are usually found embedded
within a verb string "He has never been much help to his mother." they are technically not
part of the verb; they are, indeed, adverbs. However, a so-called negative adverb creates a
negative meaning in a sentence without the use of the usual no/not/neither/nor/never
constructions:

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He seldom visits.
She hardly eats anything since the accident.

After her long and tedious lectures, rarely was anyone awake.

Some Special Cases

The adverbs enough and not enough usually take a postmodifier position:

Is that music loud enough?

These shoes are not big enough.

In a roomful of elderly people, you must remember to speak loudly enough.

(Notice, though, that when enough functions as an adjective, it can come before the noun:

Did she give us enough time?

The adverb enough is often followed by an infinitive:

She didn't run fast enough to win.

The adverb too comes before adjectives and other adverbs:

She ran too fast.

She works too quickly.

If too comes after the adverb it is probably a disjunct (meaning also) and is usually set off with a
comma:

Yasmin works hard. She works quickly, too.

The adverb too is often followed by an infinitive:

She runs too slowly to enter this race.

Another common construction with the adverb too is too followed by a prepositional phrase
for + the object of the preposition followed by an infinitive:

This milk is too hot for a baby to drink.

2. Part II: Past Simple and Past Perfect Tense

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2.1.

USE First: Completed Action in the Past

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific
time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do
have one specific time in mind.
Examples:

I saw a movie yesterday.

I didn't see a play yesterday.

Last year, I traveled to Japan.

Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.

Did you have dinner last night?

She washed her car.

He didn't wash his car.

USE 2: A Series of Completed Actions

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st,
2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.
Examples:

I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met
the others at 10:00.

Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

USE 3: Duration in Past

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The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a
longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all
year, etc.
Examples:

I lived in Brazil for two years.

Shauna studied Japanese for five years.

They sat at the beach all day.

They did not stay at the party the entire time.

We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.

A: How long did you wait for them?

B: We waited for one hour.

USE 4: Habits in the Past

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the
same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add
expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.
Examples:

I studied French when I was a child.

He played the violin.

He didn't play the piano.

Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?

She worked at the movie theater after school.

They never went to school, they always skipped class.

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USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer
true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression "used to."
Examples:

She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.

He didn't like tomatoes before.

Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?

People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.

IMPORTANT When-Clauses Happen First

Clauses are groups of words which have meaning but are often not complete sentences. Some
clauses begin with the word "when" such as "when I dropped my pen..." or "when class began..."
These clauses are called when-clauses, and they are very important. The examples below contain
when-clauses.
Examples:

When I paid her one dollar, she answered my question.

She answered my question when I paid her one dollar.

When-clauses are important because they always happen first when both clauses are in the
Simple Past. Both of the examples above mean the same thing: first, I paid her one dollar, and
then, she answered my question. It is not important whether "when I paid her one dollar" is at the
beginning of the sentence or at the end of the sentence. However, the example below has a
different meaning. First, she answered my question, and then, I paid her one dollar.
Example:

I paid her one dollar when she answered my question.

2.2.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever,
still, just, etc.
Examples:
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You just called Debbie.

Did you just call Debbie?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:

Tom repaired the car. Active

The car was repaired by Tom. Passive

2.3.

The Past Perfect Simple Tense

The past perfect simple tense is used to go further back in time when we are already
talking about the past. It can make it clear that something had already happened at the time we
are talking about.

USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Past

The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It
can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.
Examples:

I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.

I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.

Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.

Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?

She only understood the movie because she had read the book.

Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.

We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in
advance.

A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006?
B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.

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USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Past (NonContinuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Past
Perfect to show that something started in the past and continued up until another action in the
past.
Examples:

We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.
By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight
years.

They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more
than forty years.

Although the above use of Past Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs
and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words "live," "work," "teach," and
"study" are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous
Verbs.

IMPORTANT Specific Times with the Past Perfect

Unlike with the Present Perfect, it is possible to use specific time words or phrases with the Past
Perfect. Although this is possible, it is usually not necessary.
Example:

She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in
with them in 1996.

2.4.

MOREOVER

If the Past Perfect action did occur at a specific time, the Simple Past can be used instead of the
Past Perfect when "before" or "after" is used in the sentence. The words "before" and "after"
actually tell you what happens first, so the Past Perfect is optional. For this reason, both
sentences below are correct.

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Examples:

She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in
with them in 1996.
She visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with
them in 1996.

HOWEVER

If the Past Perfect is not referring to an action at a specific time, Past Perfect is not optional.
Compare the examples below. Here Past Perfect is referring to a lack of experience rather than an
action at a specific time. For this reason, Simple Past cannot be used.
Examples:

She never saw a bear before she moved to Alaska. Not Correct
She had never seen a bear before she moved to Alaska. Correct

2.5.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever,
still, just, etc.
Examples:

You had previously studied English before you moved to New York.
Had you previously studied English before you moved to New York?

2.6.

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license.
Active
Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's
license. Passive
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LITERATURA
1.GRAVER, B. D. (1973). Advanced English Practice, OUP.
2. JACKENDOFF, R. (1994): Patterns in the Mind: Language and Human Nature. New York:
Basic Books.
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3. JOVANOVIC, VLADIMIR . (2008): English Morphology: A Coursebook, Ni: Faculty of

Philosophy.
4. MIIC ILIC, B. (2008): Syntax for EFL Students. Ni : Filozofski fakultet
5. Quirk, R. and S. Greenbaum, (1973). A University Grammar of English. Longman.
6. YULE, GFGRGF (2000): The Study of Language, Cambridge: CUP
www.ehow.com
www.oxforddictionary.com
www.englishpage.com

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