Forming adverbs (with example)

FORMING ADVERBS

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. They answer the questions When? Where? How? Or How much? Adverbs describe an action or state of being in greater detail and can provide a more vivid picture of what is happening.

Example:

- She always signs her name with “Ms.” (When?)

- They put the children downstairs? (Where?)

- Knead the dough slowly. (How?)

- I objected mildly to the suggestion. (How much?)

1) First Case

Most adverbs can be formed from the adjectives by adding “ly” at the end.

Adjective	Adverb
Careful Collective Beautiful Frequent Normal Important Free True Fair General Sincere Foolish Quiet Silent Surprising	Carefully Collectively Beautifully Frequently Normally Importantly Freely Truly Fairly Generally Sincerely Foolishly Quietly Silently Surprisingly

NOTE 1: Some adverbs have two or more syllables and end in “consonant + y” we have to change y to i before adding “ly”.

Adjective	Adverb
Easy Necessary Happy Risky Healthy Wealthy	Easily Necessarily Happily Riskily Healthily Wealthily

NOTE 2: Some adverbs have only one syllable and end in “consonant + y” we must just add “ly” to the adjectives to form adverbs.

Adjective	Adverb
Shy Sly	Shyly Slyly

WARNING: Some words end in “ly” but they are not adverbs. The following words are the adjectives but not adverbs.

Lovely, friendly…

2) Second Case

Some adverbs can be made from adjectives but we don’t add “ly.” For those adverbs we have to change their form from the adjectives to adverbs. Notice that we use the superlative degree of the adjective to form adverbs.

Adjective	Adverb
Late Many Good	Last Most Well

3) Third Case

For some adverbs can be made from the adjectives without changing any letter and we just keep the same form from adjectives.

Adjective	Adverb
Cowardly Hourly Hard Fast Late Well	Cowardly Hourly Hard Fast Late Well

What are adverbs?

What are adverbs of frequency?

Position of adverbs

Forming adverbs (with example)

Types of adverb and position (with example)

Adverb position and meaning (with example)

Comparisons of adverb (with example)