In Talking About the World Around Us, We Use Nouns As a Major Category, Naming What We

Adverbs

Guided Notes

In talking about the world around us, we use nouns as a major category, naming what we see. Verbs, which describe what those things are doing, are also a major category. Adjectives act in a secondary way, telling what nouns are like. Adverbs are even further removed from tangible experience.

Adverbs modify…

______(Sue swims quickly)

______(Bill’s car is mechanically sound)

______(Mike Drove incredibly fast)

______(Obviously, someone ate the foot)

There are several different classes of adverbs

Adverbs of Manner - describe ______something happens.

I walked carefully down the stairs

She easily passed the test

Adverbs of Manner can take ______and ______forms.

Hoover vacuums run fast and hum quietly.

Hoover vacuums run faster and hum more quietly than Dyson vacuums.

Hoover vacuums run fastest and hum most quietly of all vacuums.

Adverbs of place - describe ______something happens.

She still lives there.

He is studying abroad this semester.

Adverbs of purpose- describe ______something happens.

Rex accidently broke the vase.

I skipped school so I could see the movie.

I stayed up because I was hungry.

Adverbs of frequency describe ______something happens.

Nebraska loses every game.

He always rides home with her.

Sometimes I eat grapes.

Adverbs of time describe ______something happens.

He came home before dark.
It will be too dark to play outside soon.
Jessica finished her supper first.
Andy left school early.

Adverbs of Degree describe ______.

Max Drives ridiculously slow

It was a fairly large dog

She’s substantially taller than he is.

Testing for Adverbs

As with adjectives, there are certain tests you can use to help you determine whether or not a word is an adjective. Because of the complexity of adverbs as a class, no single criterion listed below among our rules for testing adverbs works for every adverb.

Many adverbs have common ______.
[-ly] – quietly, quickly, silently, boldly, etc. WATCH OUT, some adjectives also use this ending, so don’t assume a word is an adverb just because it has this ending.
[-wise] and [-ways] – lengthwise, clockwise, sideways, etc.
[-ward(s)] – afterward(s), backward(s), toward(s), etc.
Adverbs can be made ______or ______.
Hoover vacuums run fast and hum quietly.
Hoover vacuums run faster and hum more quietly than Dyson vacuums.
Hoover vacuums run fastest and hum most quietly of all vacuums.
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.
Generally, adverbs can be ______around within a sentence. The ______of adverbs is one of their most distinctive characteristics.
He drove through the town slowly
He slowly drove through the town
He drove slowly through the town
Slowly he drove through the town
When there are two or more verbs in a sentence, adverb placement affects the meaning.
She quickly decided to write her paper. (her decision was quick)
She decided to write her paper quickly. (her writing was quick)
The Test frame sentence. When you plug an adverb into the sentence the sentence will make sense; if the word you plug in is not an adverb, the sentence will not make sense.
The man told his story ______.
NOTE: The specific nouns and verbs in the frame sentence can be changed. What is important is the pattern: a complete sentence, with the final slot available for an optional adverb.