Adverbs

Grammar Lesson: Adverbs

Adverbs are words that modify other words or parts of sentences. They can tell us when, where, how, and why something happens. For example:

• She ran quickly to catch the bus. (how)
• He arrived yesterday from London. (when)
• Do they live nearby? (where)
• Unfortunately, he failed the exam. (why)

In this grammar lesson, we will look at some of the main features of adverbs and how to use them correctly.

A. Morphological Features

Morphology is the study of word formation and structure. Adverbs have different morphological features depending on their origin and function.

• Many adverbs are formed from adjectives by adding the suffix -ly: clearly, eagerly. This is a productive process, meaning that we can create new adverbs by adding -ly to existing adjectives: friendly -> friendlily; lovely -> lovelily.
• Some adverbs have no -ly ending: however, just. These are often called flat adverbs or plain adverbs. They can be derived from other word classes, such as nouns (home -> homeward), prepositions (back -> backwards), or verbs (fast -> fast).
• A few adverbs allow comparative and superlative forms like those for adjectives: soon -> sooner -> soonest; fast -> faster -> fastest. These forms are used to compare the degree or frequency of an action or state: He ran faster than me; She visits her parents more often than I do.

B. Syntactic Features

Syntax is the study of how words are arranged and combined in sentences. Adverbs have different syntactic features depending on their position and function.

• Adverbs can occur as the head of an adverb phrase: [very noisily], [more slowly than I had expected]. An adverb phrase consists of an adverb and any modifiers that modify it: very, more, than I had expected.
• Adverbs, with or without their own modifiers, can act as modifiers of an adjective or another adverb: really old, very soon. In this case, they usually precede the word they modify: a really old car; a very soon departure.
• Adverbs can also act as adverbials in the clause: I'll see you again soon. An adverbial is a word or phrase that modifies the whole clause or part of it: again modifies see you; soon modifies the whole clause.

C. Semantic Features

Semantics is the study of meaning in language. Adverbs have different semantic features depending on their meaning and function.

• As modifiers, adverbs most often express the degree of a following adjective or adverb: totally wrong; right now. They can intensify (very, extremely), weaken (slightly, somewhat), or negate (not, never) the meaning of the modified word.
• As elements of clauses (adverbials), adverbs and adverb phrases have a wide range of meanings:
  • They can modify an action, process, or state, by expressing such notions as time (when), place (where), manner (how), frequency (how often), duration (how long), reason (why), condition (if), concession (although), purpose (for), result (so), etc, e.g. So I learnt German quite quickly. She was here earlier today.
  • They can convey the speaker's or writer's attitude towards the information in the rest of the clause: Surely that child's not mine? These are called modal adverbs or comment adverbs. They can express certainty (surely, definitely), possibility (maybe, perhaps), probability (probably, likely), necessity (necessarily, inevitably), obligation (obviously, clearly), etc.
  • They can express a connection with what was said earlier: It must be beautiful, though. These are called connective adverbs or linking adverbs. They can indicate addition (also, moreover), contrast (however, nevertheless), sequence (firstly, then), cause-effect (therefore, consequently), etc.

Summary

Adverbs are a versatile and useful word class that can modify various parts of speech and sentences. They have different morphological, syntactic, and semantic features that determine their form, position, and meaning. By using adverbs correctly and appropriately, you can enrich your language and make it more precise and expressive.