Adverbs describe one of three things:

1. verbs,
2. adjectives,
3. other adverbs.

Adverbs usually answer one of four questions:

1. Where?
   The fight started there.
2. When?
   The ambulance arrived promptly. Then the paramedics began assisting the injured.
3. How?
   The man’s face changed suddenly.
4. To what extent? (How much? How long? How often?)
   We had scarely begun the lesson when we had a fire drill.

Adverbial Suffix

Adverbs often end in -ly. Two caveats about this, though:

1. Not all adverbs in in -ly.
2. Not all words that end with -ly are adverbs
   • friendly (noun)
   • monopoly (noun)
   • cowardly (adjective)
   • assembly (noun)
   • lonely (adjective)
   • lovely (adjective)

   An extensive list is here.

Adverbs Modifying Verbs

One of the most commonly used words is an adverb: “not.” It is modifying the verb, making it negative. Thus, when we use the contraction “n’t,” we’re using an adverb.

When an adverb is modifying a verb, it can come before or after the verb.

• Quickly we pushed our bags down to hide them.
• I never see my former college roommate nowadays.

Occasionally, adverbs can come between the auxiliary verbs and main verb.

• She has always wanted to live in Paris.
• Many of the students did not understand the lecture on Kantian philosophy.

Adverbs Modifying Adjectives

One of the most common adverbs is “very.” It can be used to modify an adjective (“That’s very good.”) or an adverb (“She runs very quickly.”)

When an adverb modifies an adjective, it usually comes before the adjective it is modifying.

• An unusually slow start led to Lance Armstrong’s defeat.
• We’ve been particularly busy in English class lately.

Adverbs Modifying Other Adverbs

Often an adverb will modify another adverb.

• The professor ended the lecture quite abruptly.
• Many species are almost entirely extinct.

Many examples are modelled from Elements of Writing by James Kinneavy and John Warriner