Skip to content
Skip to main content

About this free course

Download this course

Share this free course

Describing language
Describing language

Start this free course now. Just create an account and sign in. Enrol and complete the course for a free statement of participation or digital badge if available.

1.2 More things you can do with adverbs

Adverbs can do more than tell us how someone does (or did) something (slowly, painfully, happily, expensively). Sometimes we can use adverbs to give us more information about an adjective. Maybe we think clever or hot or expensive is going too far, so we can add is quite clever, is fairly hot, or is somewhat expensive. Or if the adjective on its own isn’t strong enough, we can add really clever, immensely hot, or extremely expensive.

Another set of adverbs can show how often something happens: never, rarely, seldom, occasionally, sometimes, regularly, often, frequently, always. As you can see, a good number of these common adverbs don’t end in -ly.

Of those that do take this morpheme, there are some adverbs that can be used to show your opinion about or attitude towards something: understandably, unquestionably, arguably, basically, obviously, actually, naturally. These adverbs are often used at the start of a statement, such as obviously that was a mistake or understandably he was annoyed.

Activity 2 Can you spot the adverbs?

Timing: This activity should take around 10 minutes

In the following passage, see if you can highlight all the adverbs (there are fourteen). Once you’ve found them all, put each one in a column of the table below, according to the information that it is adding to the passage.

Active content not displayed. This content requires JavaScript to be enabled.
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).
Frequency (how often?) Manner (how?) Modifying an adjective Showing opinion
To use this interactive functionality a free OU account is required. Sign in or register.
To use this interactive functionality a free OU account is required. Sign in or register.
To use this interactive functionality a free OU account is required. Sign in or register.
To use this interactive functionality a free OU account is required. Sign in or register.
Words: 0
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Comment

Frequency (how often?) Manner (how?) Modifying (a verb or adjective) Showing opinion

regularly

often

frequently

sometimes

always

hard

early

suddenly

 

 

nearly

extremely

really

vitally

 

naturally

obviously

 

 

 

If you spotted them all, well done. If there were a few you missed, take a look at the text again. (Note the two very common adverbs which don’t end in -ly, often and hard, and that lonely and lovely are both adjectives.)