Types of Adverbs

Adverbs love to dress up verbs or other adverbs. For example, we might progress from, "He sat down," to,
"He hurriedly sat down." Now, we know the manner in which he sat. Since verbs are such integral parts of our everyday
language, their modifiers are also multi-faceted.

To start, there are five types of adverbs you should familiarize yourself with: adverbs of degree, frequency, manner,
place, and time. With these categories under your belt, you'll be well-positioned to identify several different parts of a
sentence.

Adverbs of Manner
Adverbs of manner tell us how, or in what manner, something was carried out. They mostly modify verbs and can often be
found at the end of a clause. This category comprises the most common adverbs - the ones that end in -ly. Here are some
examples of adverbs of manner:

 beautifully  neatly  quickly

 generously patiently  well

 happily  softly

And here are some example sentences:

 He trimmed the white roses neatly.

 I combed my dog's fur carefully because it had lots of tangles.

 There's no reason why you can't discuss the topic with me calmly.

Adverbs of Degree
Adverbs of degree tell us more about the intensity of the verb in the sentence, in other words, they describe how much, or
to what degree. They can be categorized as low degree (e.g. somewhat), medium degree (e.g. fairly), and high degree
(e.g. extremely). Adverbs of degree can also modify adjectives and other adverbs and are placed before the word they
modify. Popular adverbs of degree include:

 almost  just  simply

 enough  nearly  so

 hardly  quite  too

Let's look at some sample sentences:

 This short essay is hardly sufficient.

 It's simply not enough.

 I'm so excited to move to Ireland.

Adverbs of Frequency
Adverbs of frequency let us know how often the verb occurs. Therefore they mostly modify verbs. These adverbs tend to
appear right before the main verb in the sentence. Popular adverbs in this category include:

 again  normally  sometimes

 always  rarely  usually

 never  seldom

Here they are in action:

 I always read a book before bed.

 Does he normally walk his dog at this time?

 She usually shops at the Korean market in town.

Adverbs of Place
Adverbs of place tell us more about where the verb took place. These tend to pop up after the main verb or direct object of
the sentence. Here are some common adverbs of place:

 above  in  out

 below  inside  outside

 everywhere  into  there

 here  nowhere

Let's take a look at them in action:

 In Ireland, there are thatched-roof cottages everywhere.

 Clearly, there aren't any leprechauns here.

 I was so beguiled, I drove into a ditch.

Adverbs of Time
Adverbs of time detail when the verb took place. We usually see these kinds of adverbs placed at the beginning or end of a
sentence. Adverbs of time include:

 annually

 daily

 monthly

 recently

 tomorrow

 weekly

 yearly

 yesterday
Here they are at work:

 Lately, you've been rude to everyone around.

 They recently relocated to Santa Fe.

 The morning newspaper arrives daily.

Add Adverbs
Add adverbs… with caution. Sure, they provide us with more information (and information is power). However, if you see
a spot where you can opt for one strong verb in lieu of an adverb and a mediocre verb, opt for the singular verb.

Otherwise, our writing can become too bulky and cumbersome. Ready to learn some more lists? We've gathered a
printable list of 100 adverbs. Perhaps you'll bookmark this page the next time you feel one of your verbs, adjectives, or
adverbs needs a little accessorizing.

*Adverbs of Degree

For adverbs that answer “how much” or to “what extent”, the are adverbs of degree. For example, they usually modify other
verbs, adjectives or adverbs making them stronger or weaker.

These types of adverbs modify adjectives but not the other way around. In other words, adverbs can combine with other adverbs
to put more emphasis on the verb. When you use ‘more’, ‘most’ and ‘least’, they can show degree when describing a verb.

ADVERBS OF DEGREE EXAMPLES:

 He’s very good at playing the piano.

 She’s almost always late arriving at school.
 It’s pretty interesting to see the history of China.
 The English test was extremely difficult.
 When he wears his running shoes, he moves more quickly among everyone.
2 Adverbs of Frequency
Adverbs of frequency express “how often” something takes place. In other words, it explains the intensity of occurrence that an
event happens. Adverbs of frequency are usually in this form: Subject + Adverb + Verb

Adverb of Frequency How Often

Never 0%

Hardly Ever 10%

Rarely 20%

Seldom 30%

Occasionally 40%

Sometimes 50%

Often 60%

Frequently 70%

Usually 90%

Always 100%

In addition, adverbs like “daily”, “weekly”, “monthly” and “yearly” describe frequency. But these adverbs of frequency answer
“how often” in a more specific way.

ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY EXAMPLES:

 I usually go to the gym on weekends.

 She always wake up at 7:00 am.
 The family rarely eat brown rice for dinner.
 I never take sick days.
3 Adverbs of Manner
Adverbs of manner express how something happens. In most cases for adverbs of manner, you can take an adjective and simply
add -ly to form an adverb. For example, if you take take the sentence – “The cat is quick (adjective).”
Instead of describing a noun, an adverb describes or modifies a verb. In this case, the noun is the word ‘cat’. Because adverbs
describe verbs, you need to add a verb in the sentence. For example, you can use the verb “to run” in this form – “The cat runs
quickly.”

Adverbs of manner tell us the way or how to do something. However, not all adverbs end with -ly. For example, the words ‘fast’
and ‘well’ describe verbs but do not end in -ly.

ADVERBS OF MANNER EXAMPLES:

The cat runs quickly.

 She plays the violin terribly.
 The horse moved fast.
 She plays the piano well.
4 Adverbs of Place
Adverbs of Place describe “where” an action takes place. In addition, we usually find adverbs of place
after the main verb.
For example, “indoors”, “next week” and “still” all describe where something happens. Again, we often
find these adverbs of place after a verb in a sentence.
ADVERBS OF PLACE EXAMPLES:

 If you want to see the hot air balloon, you will have to go outside.
 When she entered the classroom, she sat down.
 I searched everywhere but I couldn’t find him.
 He walks downstairs to meet his father.
5 Adverbs of Time
As with all adverbs, they tell us more about the verb. For adverbs of time, they tell us when the verb happened or will happen.
For example, “afterwards”, “every day” and “recently’ are adverbs of time and describe “when”.

On the other hand, adverbs of time can describe the duration of an event occurs. Also, it can show when an action is complete.

ADVERBS OF TIME EXAMPLES:

 We’ll go to the festival tomorrow.

 Yesterday, we played in the basketball tournament.
 She’ll eventually finish studying and go to university.
 They ate popcorn and watched movies all day.
The 5 Types of Adverbs

As with all adverbs, they tell us more about the verb. For adverbs of time, place, manner, frequency and
degree, we’ve provided examples that we use in every day English.
All things considered, adverbs are common parts of speech and sentence structure.
Despite the subtle differences between these 5 types of adverbs, let’s hear some adverb examples that
you know of.
And if you want to teach adverb types, check out our free adverb worksheets that you can use in your
classroom today.
4 thoughts on “The 5 Types of Adverbs: Degree, Frequency, Manner, Place and Time”
Thus:
He’s very good at playing the piano. These are mostly adjectives
– She’s almost “always late” arriving at school.
-It’s “pretty interesting” to see the history of China.
-The English test was “extremely difficult.”
-When he wears his running shoes, he moves “more quickly” among everyone. (Adverb modifying adverb.)

All involve the “to be” verb.