ADVERBS

(Adverbs and Adverb Phrases)

A.      DEFINITION

Adverbs are words that tell you more about verbs, adjectives and other adverbs.

Adverbs adalah kata-kata yang menerangkan (lebih jelas/detail) kata-kata kerja (Verbs), kata-kata sifat (Adjectives) dan  kata-kata keterangan yang lain (other Adverbs).

Adverbs are words that modify

• a verb (He drove slowly. — How did he drive?)
• an adjective (He drove a very fast car. — How fast was his car?)
• another adverb (She moved quite slowly down the aisle. — How slowly did she move?)

B.      ADVERBS FORM

 Many adverbs end in ly. You make these adverbs by adding ly to adjectives.

Umumnya Adverb berbentuk Adjective + ly,

Ø  She writes neatly.

Ø  The traffic was moving slowly.

Ø  We waited patiently to see the doctor.

Ø  They waved goodbye sadly.

Ø  David sings beautifully.

Ø  The children walked quickly into the classroom.

As we will see, adverbs often tell when, where, why, or under what conditions something happens or happened. Adverbs frequently end in -ly; however, many words and phrases not ending in -ly serve an adverbial function and an -ly ending is not a guarantee that a word is an adverb. The words lovely, lonely, motherly, friendly, neighborly, for instance, are adjectives:

• That lovely woman lives in a friendly neighborhood.

If a group of words containing a subject and verb acts as an adverb (modifying the verb of a sentence), it is called an Adverb Clause:

• When this class is over, we're going to the movies.

When a group of words not containing a subject and verb acts as an adverb, it is called an adverbial phrase. Prepositional phrases frequently have adverbial functions (telling place and time, modifying the verb):

·         He went to the movies.

·         She works on holidays.

·         They lived in Canada during the war.

And Infinitive phrases can act as adverbs (usually telling why):

·         She hurried to the mainland to see her brother.

·         The senator ran to catch the bus.

But there are other kinds of adverbial phrases:

·         He calls his mother as often as possible.

Adverbs can modify adjectives, but an adjective cannot modify an adverb. Thus we would say that the students showed a really wonderful attitude" and that "the students showed a wonderfully casual attitude" and that "my professor is really tall, but not "He ran real fast."

Like adjectives, adverbs can have comparative and superlative forms to show degree.

·         Walk faster if you want to keep up with me.

·         The student who reads fastest will finish first.

We often use more and most, less and least to show degree with adverbs:

·         With sneakers on, she could move more quickly among the patients.

·         The flowers were the most beautifully arranged creations I've ever seen.

·         She worked less confidently after her accident.

·         That was the least skillfully done performance I've seen in years.

The as — as construction can be used to create adverbs that express sameness or equality: "He can't run as fast as his sister."

A handful of adverbs have two forms, one that ends in -ly and one that doesn't. In certain cases, the two forms have different meanings:

·         He arrived late.

·         Lately, he couldn't seem to be on time for anything.

In most cases, however, the form without the -ly ending should be reserved for casual situations:

·         She certainly drives slow in that old Buick of hers.

·         He did wrong by her.

·         He spoke sharp, quick, and to the point.

Adverbs often function as intensifiers, conveying a greater or lesser emphasis to something. Intensifiers are said to have three different functions: they can emphasize, amplify, or down tone. Here are some examples:

• Emphasizes:
• I really don't believe him.
• He literally wrecked his mother's car.
• She simply ignored me.
• They're going to be late, for sure.
• Amplifiers:
• The teacher completely rejected her proposal.
• I absolutely refuse to attend any more faculty meetings.
• They heartily endorsed the new restaurant.
• I so wanted to go with them.
• We know this city well.
• Down toners:
• I kind of like this college.
• Joe sort of felt betrayed by his sister.
• His mother mildly disapproved his actions.
• We can improve on this to some extent.
• The boss almost quit after that.
• The school was all but ruined by the storm.

Adverbs (as well as adjectives) in their various degrees can be accompanied by premodifiers:

• She runs very fast.
• We're going to run out of material all the faster

C.     KINDS OF ADVERBS

1. Adverbs of Manner
      She moved slowly and spoke quietly.
2. Adverbs of Place
      She has lived on the island all her life.
      She still lives there now.
3. Adverbs of Frequency
      She takes the boat to the mainland every day.
      She often goes by herself.
4. Adverbs of Time
      She tries to get back before dark.
      It's starting to get dark now.
      She finished her tea first.
      She left early.
5. Adverbs of Purpose
      She drives her boat slowly to avoid hitting the rocks.
      She shops in several stores to get the best buys.

D.     POSITIONS OF ADVERBS

One of the hallmarks of adverbs is their ability to move around in a sentence. Adverbs of manner are particularly flexible in this regard.

Salah satu dari keunggulan Adverbs adalah kemampuannya untuk berpindah tempat dalam sebuah kalimat. Salah satu contohnya adalah Adverbs of manner.

• Solemnly the minister addressed her congregation.
• The minister solemnly addressed her congregation.
• The minister addressed her congregation solemnly.

The following adverbs of frequency appear in various points in these sentences:

• Before the main verb: I never get up before nine o'clock.
• Between the auxiliary verb and the main verb: I have rarely written to my brother without a good reason.
• Before the verb used to: I always used to see him at his summer home.

Indefinite adverbs of time can appear either before the verb or between the auxiliary and the main verb:

• He finally showed up for batting practice.
• She has recently retired.

E.      ADVERB PHRASE

Adverb phrases are groups of words that functions as single adverbs to describe

the action of the verb.

For example :

Ø  Are you sitting in a comfortable chair?

Ø  Mr. Dickson always dresses in fashionable clothes.

Ø  He draws cartoons like a real cartoonist.

Ø  The train arrived on time.

1. Adverbs of Manner

Some adverbs and adverb phrases describe the way people do things.

They answer the question “How?”

For example :

Ø  The girls answered all the questions correctly.

Ø  He was driving carelessly.

Ø  The plane landed safely.

Ø  Katy plays the piano skillfully.

Ø  Sam is behaving like a baby.

Ø  Please speak in a clear voice.

Ø  She writes in a very grown-up way.

Ø  You can buy fruit very cheaply in this shop.

Ø  They sell everything at very low prices.

Ø  David sings like a professional singer.

N o t e s

Some words that end in ly are not adverbs. Some adjectives end in ly too. For example:

a.       Sam was feeling very lonely.

b.       She was wearing a lovely dress.

c.       It was a very lively party.

2.       Adverbs of Time

Some adverbs and adverb phrases answer the question “when?”

They are called adverbs of time.

For example

Ø  I’m going to my new school tomorrow.

Ø  The train has already left.

Ø  We moved into our new house last week.

Ø  My big brother goes to college in the autumn.

Ø  Our favorite TV program starts at 6 o’clock.

Ø  It rained heavily last night.

Ø  We’re going on a trip in a few days’ time.

Ø  We’ll leave as soon as possible.

Ø  My shoes will be too small for me next year.

Ø  I haven’t seen Mom this morning. Is she working today?

3.       Adverbs of Place

Some adverbs and adverb phrases answer the question “where?”

They are called adverbs of place.

For example

Ø  It’s very sunny but cold outside.

Ø  The boys are playing upstairs.

Ø  That’s our ball there.

Ø  I couldn’t find my book anywhere.

Ø  They live in a house nearby.

Ø  The dog is in the garden.

Ø  Flowers like these grow in the park.

Ø  We’re going to New York City on our school trip.

Ø  My brother is studying at an English university.

Ø  They live on the northern side of the island.

4.       Adverbs of Time and Place

The library is closed today and tomorrow (10 & 11 May). It will be reopened on 12 May. Librarian

5.       Adverbs of Frequency

Some adverbs and adverb phrases answer the question “how often?”

They are called adverbs of frequency.

For example :

Ø  Katy practices the piano regularly.

Ø  The children always go to school on the bus.

Ø  I’ll never make that mistake again.

Ø  Have you ever been to Japan?

Ø  We’ve been to Disneyland twice.

Ø  The shops are often very busy.

Ø  The newspaper is delivered daily.

Ø  We walk home from school every day.

Ø  I clean my bedroom every week.

Ø  Have you forgotten my name? I’ve told you three times already.

Ø  Dad polishes his shoes twice a week.

Ø  You should go to the dentist once every six months.

6.       Adverbs of Duration

Some adverbs and adverb phrases answer the question “how long?”

They are called adverbs of duration.

For example :

Ø  The library is temporarily closed.

Ø  We’re staying in a hotel overnight.

Ø  The teacher left the classroom briefly.

Ø  The snow lasted for three days.

Ø  Mom was away a very long time.

Ø  Stand still for a moment while I comb your hair.

Ø  He talked to his girlfriend for over an hour.

Ø  We waited for ages for a bus.

Ø  I haven’t seen my cousins for two years.

Ø  We stayed up all night talking.

7.       Adverbs of Emphasis

We have seen that most adverbs describe verbs, but remember that some adverbs also describe adjectives or other adverbs. They are usually used to add emphasis.

Here are some examples. The emphasizing adverbs are printed in bold.

The adjectives or adverbs they describe are underlined

Ø  Anna can run really fast.

Ø  That’s a very good drawing.

Ø  My rice is too hot.

Ø  The film was just terrible.

Ø  Your excuses are completely unbelievable.

Ø  These old tools are totally useless.

Ø  She sings quite beautifully.

F.      ORDERS 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	Manner	Place	Frequency	Time	Purpose
Beth swims	enthusiastically	in the pool	every morning	before dawn	to keep in shape.
Dad walks	impatiently	into town	every afternoon	before supper	to get a newspaper.
Tashonda naps		in her room	every morning	before lunch.
	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.

G.      More Notes on Adverb Order

As a general principle, shorter adverbial phrases precede longer adverbial phrases, regardless of content. In the following sentence, an adverb of time precedes an adverb of frequency because it is shorter (and simpler):

• Dad takes a brisk walk before breakfast every day of his life.

A second principle: among similar adverbial phrases of kind (manner, place, frequency, etc.), the more specific adverbial phrase comes first:

• My grandmother was born in a sod house on the plains of northern Nebraska.
• She promised to meet him for lunch next Tuesday.

Bringing an adverbial modifier to the beginning of the sentence can place special emphasis on that modifier. This is particularly useful with adverbs of manner:

• Slowly, ever so carefully, Jesse filled the coffee cup up to the brim, even above the brim.
• Occasionally, but only occasionally, one of these lemons will get by the inspectors.

1. Inappropriate Adverb Order

Review the section on Misplaced Modifiers for some additional ideas on placement. Modifiers can sometimes attach themselves to and thus modify words that they ought not to modify.

• They reported that Giuseppe Balle, a European rock star, had died on the six o'clock news.

Clearly, it would be better to move the underlined modifier to a position immediately after "they reported" or even to the beginning of the sentence — so the poor man doesn't die on television.

Misplacement can also occur with very simple modifiers, such as only and barely:

• She only grew to be four feet tall.

It would be better if "She grew to be only four feet tall."

2. Adjuncts, Disjuncts, and Conjuncts

Regardless of its position, an adverb is often neatly integrated into the flow of a sentence. When this is true, as it almost always is, the adverb is called an adjunct. (Notice the underlined adjuncts or adjunctive adverbs in the first two sentences of this paragraph.) When the adverb does not fit into the flow of the clause, it is called a disjunct or a conjunct and is often set off by a comma or set of commas. A disjunct frequently acts as a kind of evaluation of the rest of the sentence. Although it usually modifies the verb, we could say that it modifies the entire clause, too. Notice how "too" is a disjunct in the sentence immediately before this one; that same word can also serve as an adjunct adverbial modifier: It's too hot to play outside. Here are two more disjunctive adverbs:

• Frankly, Martha, I don't give a hoot.
• Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Conjuncts, on the other hand, serve a connector function within the flow of the text, signaling a transition between ideas.

• If they start smoking those awful cigars, then I'm not staying.
• We've told the landlord about this ceiling again and again, and yet he's done nothing to fix it.

At the extreme edge of this category, we have the purely conjunctive device known as the conjunctive adverb (often called the adverbial conjunction):

• Jose has spent years preparing for this event; nevertheless, he's the most nervous person here.
• I love this school; however, I don't think I can afford the tuition.

3. 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.

4. 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).

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.

5. 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:

• He seldom visits.
• She hardly eats anything since the accident.
• After her long and tedious lectures, rarely was anyone awake.

H.     EXERCISES OF ADVERBS

Exercise 1

Copy these sentences in your notebook and then underline the adverbs.

1. They arrived early for class.

2. Can you come soon?

3. She placed the crystal vase carefully on the table.

4. You cannot drive there!

5. The bus will arrive here at noon tomorrow.

6. Yesterday, the strikers blocked the driveway effectively

7. Rick gave his girlfriend an extremely expensive gift.

8. Kate is a truly courageous woman.

9. They finished their work surprisingly quickly.

10. The weather turned really hot at the beach during this last week.

Exercise 2

Copy these sentences in your notebook and then underline the adverbs.

1. Computers are relatively new devices.

2. Many businesses use them daily.

3. Today, very fast computers are needed.

4. They produce statistics quickly and accurately.

5. Generally, they are quite easy to use.

6. Many people have never used a computer.

7. The baby has been very cranky lately.

8. Finally, she wrote the very last sentence correctly.

9. She smiled brightly and said that she was really sorry.

10. Politely, he asked for a second helping.

Exercise 3

Choose an adjective from the box and turn it into an adverb to complete the sentences below. The first one has been done for you.

Close                     firm                      bright                   neat                       careful

quick                    sad                         regular                                quiet                     `clear

1. She writes very  neatly

2. You have to talk _________when you’re in the library.

3. Carry the glass_______ so you don’t drop it.

4. You should exercise________ if you want to stay fit.

5. “Goodbye. I’m going to miss you,” she said________ .

6. The sky was blue and the sun was shining _________.

7. If you follow us _________, you won’t get lost.

8. I can’t understand you. Please speak more _________.

9. Let’s walk _________so we get home before it starts to rain.

10. Attach the sign __________to the wall

Exercise 4

Are the bold words in the following sentences adverbs or adjectives?

Write adverb or adjective on the line after each sentence.

1. The teacher smiled kindly.

2. She has a lovely smile.

3. The children in my class are very friendly.

4. John had no friends and felt very lonely.

5. It was raining, so they wisely decided to stay in.

6. My dad buys a daily newspaper.

7. Some snakes are deadly.

8. I’ve nearly finished my homework.

9. I shook hands politely with the head teacher.

10. They played some very lively games.

Exercise 5

Circle the verb in each sentence below. Then underline the adverb or adverb phrase

that describes the verb. What kind of adverb is it? Write M for manner, T for time,

P  for  place, F  for  frequency or D  for  duration in the box after each sentence.

The first one has been done for you.

1. Kent did his homework carelessly.

2. We start our vacation next week.

3. Farah read the poem in a very clear voice.

4. The accident happened during the afternoon.

5. The man walked very slowly.

6. My cousin arrived yesterday.

7. I left my schoolbag in the car.

8. It stopped raining for a few minutes.

9. Dad goes jogging regularly.

10. We eat our meals in the dining room.

Exercise 6

Complete the sentences with an adverb or adverb phrase from the box.

The kind of adverb you will need is in parentheses after each sentence.

The first one has been done for you.

outside                                 this morning                      ever                       on the bus                           clearly

all day                   in old clothes                    for a week           already                                every day

1. His face was dirty and he was dressed in old clothes . (manner)

2. Have you __________been in a plane? (frequency)

3. She was so ill that she missed school ___________. (duration)

4. I did some homework last night and finished it __________. (time)

5. We went __________to play. (place)

6. Dad takes the dog for a walk ______________. (frequency)

7. Sally left her pencil case _____________. (place)

8. Speak__________ so everyone can hear you. (manner)

9. It was a fine day and the children played  in the garden_______________ . (duration)

10. “Go and do your homework.” “I’ve _________done it.” (time)

I.  LIST OF COMMON ADVERBS

A abnormally absentmindedly accidentally acidly actually adventurously afterwards almost always angrily annually anxiously arrogantly awkwardly	B badly bashfully beautifully bitterly bleakly blindly blissfully boastfully boldly bravely briefly brightly briskly broadly busily	C calmly carefully carelessly cautiously certainly cheerfully clearly cleverly closely coaxingly colorfully commonly continually coolly correctly courageously crossly cruelly curiously	D daily daintily dearly deceivingly delightfully deeply defiantly deliberately delightfully diligently dimly doubtfully dreamily	E easily elegantly energetically enormously enthusiastically equally especially even evenly eventually exactly excitedly extremely
F fairly faithfully famously far fast fatally ferociously fervently fiercely fondly foolishly fortunately frankly frantically freely frenetically frightfully fully furiously	G generally generously gently gladly gleefully gracefully gratefully greatly greedily	H happily hastily healthily heavily helpfully helplessly highly honestly hopelessly hourly hungrily	I immediately innocently inquisitively instantly intensely intently interestingly inwardly irritably	J jaggedly jealously joshingly joyfully joyously jovially jubilantly judgmentally justly
K keenly kiddingly kindheartedly kindly kissingly knavishly knottily knowingly knowledgeably kookily	L lazily less lightly likely limply lively loftily longingly loosely lovingly loudly loyally	M madly majestically meaningfully mechanically merrily miserably mockingly monthly more mortally mostly mysteriously	N naturally nearly neatly needily nervously never nicely noisily not	O obediently obnoxiously oddly offensively officially often only openly optimistically overconfidently owlishly
P painfully partially patiently perfectly physically playfully politely poorly positively potentially powerfully promptly properly punctually	Q quaintly quarrelsomely queasily queerly questionably questioningly quicker quickly quietly quirkily quizzically	R rapidly rarely readily really reassuringly recklessly regularly reluctantly repeatedly reproachfully restfully righteously rightfully rigidly roughly rudely	S sadly safely scarcely scarily searchingly sedately seemingly seldom selfishly separately seriously shakily sharply sheepishly shrilly shyly silently sleepily slowly smoothly softly solemnly solidly sometimes soon speedily stealthily sternly strictly successfully suddenly surprisingly suspiciously sweetly swiftly sympathetically	T tenderly tensely terribly thankfully thoroughly thoughtfully tightly tomorrow too tremendously triumphantly truly truthfully
U ultimately unabashedly unaccountably unbearably unethically unexpectedly unfortunately unimpressively unnaturally unnecessarily utterly upbeat upliftingly upright upside-down upward upwardly urgently usefully uselessly usually utterly	V vacantly vaguely vainly valiantly vastly verbally very viciously victoriously violently vivaciously voluntarily	W warmly weakly wearily well wetly wholly wildly willfully wisely woefully wonderfully worriedly wrongly	Y yawningly yearly yearningly yesterday yieldingly youthfully	Z zealously   zestfully    zestily