English Grammar

The adverb in English



What is an Adverb ?

An adverb is used to provide more information about the verb or the action in the sentence. It also has the property of describing the adjective or another adverb. It tells us how, where, when, how much and how often something occurs.

How? Where? When? How Much? How Often?
quietly above now quite aLways
peacefully abroad yesterday fairly sometimes
carefully far soon too often
slowly away later enormously frequentLy
badly back tomorrow entirely normalLy
closely here yet very generally
easily outside aLready extremely usually
well backwards tonight rather occasionally
fast behind today almost seldom
quickly below then absolutely rarely
cheerfully down last month just hardly ever
efficiently indoors last year barely never
painfully downstairs completely
secretly inside enough
nearby deeply
there fully
towards


Examples : Adverbs modifying verbs, adjectives, and adverbs
  • Karima danced slowly.
  • Mouha is extremely talented.
  • I started playing golf quite recently.




Summary of Adverbs in English Grammar





How to form an adverb ?

Firstly :

1- Most adverbs are formed by adding ‘-ly’ to the end of the related adjective.

Example :

Adjective Adverb Traduction الترجمة
slow slowly lentement ببطء
quick quickly rapidement بسرعة
clear clearly clairement بوضوح
quiet quietly tranquillement بهدوء
clever cleverly habilement بذكاء
annual annually annuellement سنويا
cheap cheaply à bon marché رخيص
beautiful beautifully beau جميل
firm firmly ferme حازم
delicate delicately délicat حساس
abrupt abruptly brusque شديد الأنحدار
careful carefully prudent حذر
harsh harshly rude صارِم
cheerful cheerfully joyeux مبتهج
sad sadly triste حزين

Examples :
  • Miloud goes quickly.
  • He walked slowly to the door.
  • She certainly had an interesting life.
  • He carefully picked up the sleeping child.



2- If the adjective ends in ‘-y’, replace the ‘y’ with ‘i’ and add ‘-ly’ :

Example :

Adjective Adverb Traduction الترجمة
happy happily heureusement بسعادة
easy easily facilement بسهولة
angry angrily en colère بغضب
lucky luckily heureusement لحسن الحظ
greedy greedily cupide طماع
hungry hungrily affamé جوعان
heavy heavily lourd ثقيل
breezy breezily frais منسم
cozy cozily confortable مريح
cheery cheerily gai مبتهج
busy busily occupé مشغول

It has some exceptions such as:
Shy Shyly بخجل
Dry  Dryly  بشكل مجفف



3- If the adjective ends in ‘-able’, ‘-ible’, or ‘-le’, replace the ‘-e’ with ‘-y’ :

Example :

Adjective Adverb Traduction الترجمة
possible possibly peut-être ربما
gentle gently doux لطيف
terrible terribly terrible رهيب
probable probably probable محتمل
capable capably capable قادر
fashionable fashionably à la mode الموضة
suitable suitably approprié مناسب
responsible responsibly responsable مسؤول
eligible eligibly admissible صالح
horrible horribly horrible فظيع
incredible incredibly incroyable رائع

4- If the adjective ends in ‘-ic’, add ‘-ally’:

Example :

Adjective Adverb Traduction الترجمة
fanatic fanatically fanatiquement بتعصب
basic basically essentiellement أساسًا
economic economically économiquement من الناحية الاقتصادية
tragic tragically tragiquement بشكل مأساوي
dramatic dramatically spectaculaire دراماتيكي
energetic energetically énergique نشيط
strategic strategically stratégique استراتيجي
arithmetic arithmetically arithmétique علم الحساب
geometric geometrically géométrique هندسي
artistic artistically artistique فني
academic academically académique أكاديمي

It has some exceptions such as: public – publicly


5- When an adjective ends with ‘-ll’, we simply add a ‘-y’. However, adjectives ending in ‘–l’ take the ‘–ly’ ending.

Example :

Adjective Adverb Traduction الترجمة
fully full pleinement تماما
final finally enfin أخيراً


6- For adjectives that end in ‘-cal’, just add ‘-ly’ to turn it into an adverb.

Example :

Adjective Adverb Traduction الترجمة
chemical chemically chimique المواد الكيميائية
biological biologically biologique بيولوجي
logical logically logique منطقي
grammatical grammatically grammatical نحوية
physical physically physique بدني
mechanical mechanically mécanique ميكانيكي
mathematical mathematically mathématique رياضي
musical musically musical موسيقي
critical critically critique شديد الأهمية
medical medically médical طبي


Secondly :

1- Irregular adverbs are adverbs that are not formed from standard English spelling conventions.

List of irregular Adverbs

Adjective Adverb Traduction الترجمة
close close fermer يغلق
daily daily tous les jours يوميًا
early early tôt مبكر
fair fair équitable عدل
far far loin بعيد
fast fast rapide سريع
free free gratuit مجاني
hard hard dur صعب
high high haut عالي
late late en retard متأخر
like like comme مثل
likely likely probable محتمل
live live en direct مباشر
long long long طويل
low low faible ضعيف
right right droite يمين
straight straight droit مستقيم
wide wide large واسع
wrong wrong faux خطأ

Examples :

Adjective

Adjectif

صفة

 Adverb

Adverbe

ظرف حال
This is a cheap book. I bought it cheap.
Is this a daily paper? We meet daily (weekly…etc)
I took an early train. I got up vary early
We had a late dinner. He came home late.
The far end of the park. Have you come far?
This is a fast car. She drives too fast.
Mr. Mourad a hard worker. He worked hard all his life.
It was still evening in April. Will you please sit still?
We went on a long journey. I'm sorry it took so long.
The man spoke in a low voice. We flew low over the hills.
The play was a near success. The time draws near when we must go.
Give me a straight answer. We went straight home


Note : There is a word in the English language, Hardly, but it is not derived from the word Hard, which means difficult. Rather, it is a different adverb that means hardly or rarely.

2- There are some words that change completely when adverbs are formed.

Examples :

Adjective Adverb Traduction الترجمة
Good Well Bien حسنًا (بشكل جيد)

The adverb for the adjective 'good' is 'well'. Examples :

1. Said is a good guitarist. –     Said plays the guitar well.
2. She is a good dancer. –     She dances well.
3. Sara is a good student. –     Sara studies well.
4. He is a good chess player. –     He plays chess well.

Of course, in English, there are always exceptions. Several adverbs do not end in "-ly" and do not follow the normal pattern at all. For example :

  • Well (not "goodly")
  • Fast (not "fastly")
  • Hard (not "hardly")




Adverbs and verbs

Adverbs often modify verbs. This means that they describe the way an action is happening.

Examples :
  • Mourad sings loudly in the shower.
  • My cat waits impatiently for his food.
  • I will seriously consider your suggestion.
  • She danced beautifully.
  • I left my wallet there.
  • My uncle is going to London tomorrow.
  • She often works on the weekend.
  • She has probably gone home.

However, there is one type of verb that doesn’t mix well with adverbs. Linking verbs, such as feel, smell, sound, seem, and appear, typically precede adjectives, not adverbs.

Ali feels badly about what happened. (adverb) incorrect
Ali feels bad about what happened. (adjective) correct


Adverbs and adjectives

Adverbs can also modify adjectives. An adverb modifying an adjective generally adds a degree of intensity or some other kind of qualification to the adjective.

This cake is absolutely delicious.
The adverb 'absolutely' modifies the adjective 'delicious'.

Examples :
  • The lake is quite beautiful.
  • This book is more interesting than the last one.
  • "Is my singing too loud ?" asked Mouha.
  • We will be slightly late to the meeting.
  • My cat is incredibly happy to be having his dinner.
  • This shirt is a very unflattering shade of puce.


Adverbs and other adverbs

You can use an adverb to describe another adverb.

The turtle moves very slowly.
The adverb 'very' modifies another adverb 'slowly'.

In the following sentence, the adverb almost is modifying the adverb always (and they're both modifying the adjective right) :
Example : The weather report is almost always right.

In fact, if you wanted to, you could use several adverbs to modify another adverb.
Example : Mouha sings rather enormously too loudly.

However, that often produces weak and clunky sentences like the one above, so be careful not to overdo it.

Adverbs and sentences

Some adverbs can modify entire sentences unsurprisingly, these are called sentence adverbs. Common ones include generally, fortunately, interestingly, and accordingly.

Sentence adverbs don’t describe one particular thing in the sentence instead, they describe a general feeling about all of the information in the sentence.

Examples :

Fortunately, we got there in time.
Interestingly, no one at the auction seemed interested in bidding on the antique spoon collection.




Adverbs of Manner (How ?)

Adverbs of manner are a type of adverb used to modify verbs and describe how an action or event is done or takes place. They provide information about the way or manner in which something happens.

Examples: Adverbs of manner in a sentence
  • Rania read quietly.
  • Ali laughed loudly.

Adverbs of Manner: Placement

Adverbs of manner are usually placed :
1. after the main verb and or its object or object phrase
2. between the auxiliary and the main verb
3. at the beginning or at the end of a sentence

If the verb has a direct object, the adverb should be placed before the verb or at the end of the sentence. It should never be placed between the verb and its object.

Examples : Adverbs of manner and direct objects
(in the following examples, "the book" is the object).

• Malika read quietly the book. incorrect
• Malika quietly read the book. correct
• Malika read the book quietly. correct

Some common examples of Adverbs of Manner
accidentally eventually obediently successfully
anxiously extravagantly passionately superficially
badly fiercely perfectly suspiciously
barely foolishly politely tactfully
boldly generously poorly tenderly
briefly gently powerfully tightly
brightly gracefully promptly tremendously
busily greedily quickly truthfully
calmy hardly quietly unexpectedly
carefully hungrily rapidly vicariously
carelessly jovially recklessly victoriously
cheerfully joyously regularly violently
clearly loudly repeatedly vividly
comfortably lovingly roughly warmly
deliberately madly sensibly wastefully
doubtfully mysteriously seriously well
earnestly neatly slowly widely
enormously nervously smoothly wisely



Adverbs of Time (When / how long ?)

Adverbs of time modify a verb to tell us when and for how long an action takes place.

Examples: Adverbs of time in a sentence
  • I went to school a little late yesterday.
  • He always gets a good result.
  • I will leave Monday.
  • He smokes occasionally.
  • I have to run, but I’ll see you tomorrow.
  • The newspaper arrives daily.
  • They go out to dinner weekly.
  • Our family goes on an outing monthly.

Common Adverbs of Time

1. past : yesterday, last year, just, before, previously, recently
2. present : still, today, now
3. future : tomorrow, soon, next week, later

Adverbs of Time: Placement

Adverbs of time are typically placed at the end of a sentence.

Some common examples of Adverbs of Time
always last month rarely
annually last week recently
currently last year soon
daily later then
day after tomorrow momentarily today
day before yesterday monthly tomorrow
earlier now weekly
everyday often yearly
immediately quarterly yesterday



Adverbs of Place (Where ?)

An adverb of place provides information about the location of an action (e.g., position, distance, and direction).

Examples: Adverbs of place in a sentence
  • Go downstairs and open the door.
  • Confetti was thrown everywhere.
  • Come here!
  • Put the cake there.
  • After a long day at work, we headed homewards.
  • Please bring that book here.
  • My grandfather’s house is nearby.

Adverbs of Place: Placement

Adverbs of place typically occur after the main verb of a sentence.

Some common examples of Adverbs of Place
abroad everywhere out
anywhere forward someplace
around here somewhere
away homeward southeast
backwards in southwards
behind miles apart there
below nearby towards
down north up
downstairs northeast upstairs
east northwards west
eastwards nowhere westwards



Adverbs of Frequency (How often ?)

Adverbs of frequency describe how often something happens. They modify the verb in a sentence and provide information about the frequency or number of occurrences of an action or event.

Adverbs of Frequency: Types

They can be divided into two categories based on how specific they are.
• Indefinite adverbs of frequency
• Definite adverbs of frequency

Indefinite Adverbs of Frequency

Indefinite adverbs of frequency describe the frequency of an action or event in a general, approximate way. They do not provide a specific percentage or number of occurrences, but rather give a sense of how often something happens.

Adverbs of Frequency Percent of Frequency
always 100%
usually 90%
normally 80%
generally 80%
often 70%
frequently 70%
sometimes 50%
occasionally 30%
seldom 10%
rarely 5%
hardly ever 5%
never 0%


Examples : Adverbs of indefinite frequency in a sentence
  • Nadia always works on Saturdays.
  • Loubna never washes the dishes.

Definite Adverbs of Frequency

Definite adverbs of frequency provide a specific number of times an action or event occurs. They give a precise measurement of the frequency of an action or event rather than a general sense of how often something happens.

Definite adverbs of frequency adverbs include :
  • every day
  • once a week
  • twice a month
  • three times a day
  • every other day
  • daily
  • monthly
  • weekly

Examples: Adverbs of definite frequency
  • I check my email hourly.
  • We visit France yearly.

Adverbs of Frequency: Placement

Adverbs of frequency are placed after the auxiliary verbs and before the main verbs.

He has always been kind to me.
I will never forget you.

Some common examples of Adverbs of Frequency
always generally often
constantly hardly ever rarely
daily hourly regularly
eventually monthly scarcely
ever never seldom
every hour normally sometimes
everyday now and then usually
frequently occasionally yearly



Adverbs of Degree (How Much ?)

Adverbs of degree are used to qualify verbs, adjectives, or adverbs by expressing extent or degree.

Examples: Adverbs of degree in a sentence
  • The medication had a very positive effect.
  • I’ll be ready soon; I’m almost finished.
  • They were almost finished.
  • This cake is absolutely wonderful.
  • The temperature was barely above freezing.
  • Our driveway is completely frozen.
  • We felt incredibly lucky after winning tickets to the World Series.
  • My teacher is terribly grumpy today.

Adverbs of Degree: Placement

Adverbs of degree are usually placed :
 
      • before the main verb
The game is almost finished. (modifying the verb)
 
      • before the adjective or adverb
He ran quite slowly. (modifying the adverb)
She is very thin. (modifying the adjective)

Some common examples of Adverbs of Degree
absolutely fully less scarcely
almost greatly little somewhat
badly hardly most strongly
barely highly much terribly
completely horribly practically thoroughly
deeply incredibly pretty too
enormously insanely purely unusually
enough just quite utterly
extremely largely really very
fairly least remarkably virtually




Adverbs: Reminder

Adverbs of place Adverbs Adverbs of degree
Here Almost
Inside Enough
Above Adverbs of time A bit
Away Now Really
Nearby Early Hardly
There Tomorrow Partly
Later
Adverbs of frequency Already Adverbs of manner
Always Then Fast
Usually Carefully
Often Fluently
Sometimes Well
Rarely Badly
Never Randomly



Comparison of Adverbs

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, providing information about manner, place, frequency, degree, and more.
Just like adjectives, many adverbs can be compared using comparative and superlative forms.


Regular Adverb Comparisons

Degrees of comparison

English adjectives and adverbs recognize three degrees – the positive, the comparative and the superlative.

1. Positive degree :

This is the basic form of the adverb.

Examples:
  • She sings loudly.
  • Karim runs fast.
  • Imad runs as fast as Karim.
  • Ikram is happy.
  • This dress is pretty.
  • He looks handsome.
  • Karima is tired.
  • The sun is bright.

2. Comparative degree :

The comparative degree of an adverb is used to compare the degree or intensity of one action or state to another, expressing a higher or lower degree of the adverb.

How are they formed ?

The way that Comparative adverbs are formed depends on how many syllables the root adverb has.


1. One-syllable adverbs : add ‘-er’

If an adverb has only one syllable, we usually just add ‘-er’ to make it comparative :
Examples :
Adverb Comparative Adverb
fast faster
hard harder
high higher
late later
long longer
lower low
nearer near
wide wider


Note that most one-syllable adverbs have the same form as their equivalent adjectives. Don't let this confuse you. For example :

  Positive Comparative
Adjective a fast car a faster car
Adverb he drives fast he drives faster


2. Two-syllable adverbs: use more

When an adverb has two or more syllables (like all -ly adverbs), we can make it comparative by adding more in front : quickly → more quickly.

Example :
Adverb Comparative Adverb
beautifully more beautifully
carefully more carefully
efficiently more efficiently
happily more happily
horribly more horribly
often more often
quickly more quickly
recently more recently
slowly more slowly
sadly more sadly
strangely more strangely


You can also use the determiner 'less' before the adverb to suggest a lower degree of the action or state. For example :
Sentence for example
She visits often. once a week
Now she visits more often. ↑ once a day
Now she visits less often. ↓ once a month


Notice also that the comparative adverb is often followed by than.

Examples:
  • She sings louder than her sister.
  • She sings more loudly than her sister.
  • As we get older we remember things less easily.
  • Mina looks sadder than Laila.
  • This bed is more comfortable than the other bed.
  • Could you talk a bit less loudly please?
  • The sun is brighter than yesterday.
  • Your hair is longer than hers.
  • My brother is taller than me.
  • He smiled more warmly than the others.
  • The more hastily written note contained the clue.
  • Planes go less slowly than trains.
  • I used to work less carefully than I do now.

3. Superlative degree :

The superlative degree of an adverb is used to compare the degree or intensity of one action or state to all others in the same category (more than two entities), expressing the highest or lowest degree of the adverb.

How are they formed ?

The way that superlative adverbs are formed also depends on how many syllables the root adverb has.

1. Superlative : One-syllable Adverbs

When the adverb has only one syllable, the suffix '-est' is added to make it superlative. For example :

Adverb Superlative Adverb
fast fastest
hardest hard
latest late
lowest low
near nearest
high highest


2. Superlative: Two-syllable Adverbs

If the adverb has two or more syllables, the determiner 'most' is added before the adverb to make it superlative. For example :

Adverb Superlative Adverb
carefully most carefully
happily most happily
sadly most sadly
slowly most slowly
quickly most quickly
beautifully most beautifully


You can also use the determiner 'least' before the adverb to suggest a minimal degree of the action or state. For example :

Adverb Superlative Adverb
sadly least sadly
slowly least slowly
quickly least quickly


Examples:
  • She sings the loudest of all.
  • She sings the most loudly of all.
  • He smiled most warmly of them all.
  • The most hastily written note on the desk was overlooked.
  • We climbed the highest mountain.
  • The last group was the best of all.
  • The Himalayas are the longest mountain ranges.
  • Milouda is the tallest girl in our gang.

Comparatives and Superlatives Examples
adjective or adverb comparative superlative
small smaller (the) smallest
fast faster (the) fastest
larger large (the) largest
big bigger (note the spelling here) (the) biggest
thoughtful more/less thoughtful (the) most/least thoughtful
useful more/less useful (the) most/least useful
carefully more/less carefully (the) most/least careful
slowly more/less slowly (the) most/least slowly
sleepier sleepy (the) sleepiest
happy happier (the) happiest
little littler (the) littlest
narrower narrow (the) narrowest
gentle gentler (the) gentlest
intelligent more/less intelligent (the) most/least intelligent
important more/less important (the) most/least important



Irregular Adverb Comparisons

Some adverbs do not follow the regular patterns of comparison :

Well
  • Comparative: Better
  • Superlative: Best
Badly
  • Comparative: Worse
  • Superlative: Worst
Far
  • Comparative: Farther/Further
  • Superlative: Farthest/Furthest

Note : Both "farther" and "further" can indicate physical distance, but "further" can also indicate figurative or metaphorical distance.

In the formation of comparatives and superlatives, some adverbs are irregular :

Irregular Adverb
(positive degree)		 Comparative degree Superlative degree
badly worse (the) worst
early earlier (the) earliest
far farther / further (the) farthest / furthest
few fewer (the) fewest
little less (the) least
much more  (the) most
good / well better (the) best


Examples:
  • The little boy ran farther than his friends.
  • You're driving worse today than yesterday !
  • He played the best of any player.





Placement of adverbs

Using adverbs in a sentence is quite flexible, still it is not entirely our choice where we place them ; there are some general rules that we should follow.

For example, adverbs are not usually put between a verb and its object.

The typical word order is this :

adverb + verb + object :
  • We often visit museums.
  • Amina accidentally knocked her mother's fresh flowers over.
  • Knowing he was late, he nervously waited for the bus.
  • Their parents often attend cooking classes.

verb + object + adverb :
  • She speaks English well.
  • We had to run quickly.
  • He walked up and down the stairs repeatedly.

In the verb + preposition + object structure the adverb can go either before the preposition or after the object :

  • She looked at me suspiciously.
  • She looked suspiciously at me.

But if the object contains several words, the adverb goes before the preposition :

  • She looked suspiciously at everybody in the room.

Connecting adverbs (which join clauses, e.g. then, next, besides, still, anyway, suddenly, however, consequently) and comment adverbs (e.g. fortunately, surprisingly) can go in front position :

  • She looked at me suspiciously.
  • However, the plan wasn’t fully discussed.
  • He worked until six o’clock. Then, he left the office.
  • Next, I’m going to speak about the advantages of the plan.
  • Suddenly, there was a loud noise.
  • Fortunately, we could take a bus to the village.
  • Fortunately, we caught the train before it left.
  • Hopefully, it will not rain on our walk.
  • Silently, she snuck into the kitchen for a midnight snack.



Demonstrative Adverbs

Demonstrative adverbs are used to indicate the location or direction of something relative to the speaker.
Always remember that these adverbs follow a noun.

There are two types of demonstrative adverbs in English. One is used to emphasize the time and the other is used to emphasize the place of someone or something.

Proximal (Near) Distal (Far)
Place Here There
Time Now Then


Examples:
  • These books here are yours, Karima.
  • That mansion there is my friend's.

  • Nadia would want to talk to you now.
    • 'now' is used to indicate the present moment in time, specifically at the time of speaking

  • I wish I knew then what I know now.
  • It was then that I figured out his intentions.
    • 'then' is used to point to a particular time in the past or future.


Interrogative Adverbs

The interrogative adverbs 'when,' 'where,' 'why,' and 'how' are used to ask a question about a particular aspect of a sentence such as time, place, frequency, or manner.

Examples:
  • When do you want to go shopping ?
  • Where did you get that doughnut ?
  • How did it happen ?
  • Where did you go ?
  • Why did you do that ?
  • When will you be back ?
  • How is your brother feeling ?
  • Why are you painting the canvas ?

These adverbs are often placed at the beginning of a question, and they are used to help us gain more information about a situation.


Relative Adverbs

Whenever an adverb is used to relate or connect or join any two sentences, we use relative adverbs.

There are three main relative adverbs in English :

1. When  → refers to time
2. Where → refers to place
3. Why     → refers to reason

Examples:
  • The store where I bought the dress is closed now.
  • I'll remember the day when we first met.
  • I don't know why she left so suddenly.
  • She showed me how to do it.
  • This is the city where the soldiers were stationed.
  • That was the moment when I first noticed him.
  • This is the hospital where my mom gave birth to me.
  • I remember the day when he proposed to me.


Conjunctive Adverbs

These Adverbs are used to connect ideas or clauses, they are used to show consequence or effect or the relation between the two clauses.

Examples of Conjunctive Adverbs :
however
accordingly
on the other hand
moreover
in addition
otherwise		 therefore
for this reason
furthermore
still
besides
thus		 consequently
for example
besides
likewise
nevertheless
hence

Conjunctive adverbs are typically separated from a preceding clause by a period or semicolon and followed by a comma.

  • The car is damaged. Besides, it’s too expensive.
  • The car is damaged; besides, it’s too expensive.
  • He was tired; therefore, he decided to take a nap.
  • She wanted to go to the party; however, she had to stay home.
  • She was feeling sick; nevertheless, she went to work.
  • He was late; moreover, he forgot his wallet.
  • He was running late; furthermore, he was out of gas.





Summary of different Types of Adverbs in EngLish


Adverbs
of manner
Adverbs
of time
Adverbs
of pLace
Adverbs
of frequency
Adverbs
of degree
Help us describe how
something is done or how someone feels. They can be used to describe the way an
action is performed or to express a feeling or opinion.


 Describe when something is happening or how often it happens. They can be used to describe a specific moment in time, a period oftime, or a
frequency.


 Describe where something is happening or where something is located. They can be used to describe a location, a direction, or a distance.



 Explain how often something happens. They can help us
discuss an action's regularity or to express how often something is expected to happen or did happen in the
past.
Describe the intensity of actions or help us compare two things. They often modify adjectives and other adverbs to give more information about the action or show how much of something is being done.
HappiLy, SadLy, LoudLy, QuietLy, CarefuLLy Now, Then, ALways,
Often, Never

 Here, There, Up,
Down, Away

 ALways, Often, Sometimes, RareLy, Never ALmost, Just, Very, Too, Enough

Demonstrative
adverbs
Interrogative
adverbs
ReLative
adverbs
Conjunctive
adverbs

Used to indicate the location or direction of something relative to the speaker.
Used to ask questions. They can be used to ask about a place, a time, or a manner.
These adverbs are specifically used to ask questions and help us gain more information
about a situation.
Used to introduce a clause that modifies or explains a preceding clause. They can be
used to connect two clauses in a sentence or to provide additional information.
Used to join two clauses together.
They show the relationship between two ideas or to
express the cause and effect of an action.
Here, There, Now, Then


 Where, When, How,
Why, Which

 Where, When,
Why, How

 Therefore, However,
NevertheLess, Moreover






Rules for differentiating an adjective and an adverb

Some adverbs keep the same spelling as the adjective to which they are related. It is often difficult to tell at first whether the word is an adjective or an adverb. The general rule is to look at the other words which it occurs with. If it comes before a noun it is probably an adjective.

a short way un court chemin طريقة قصيرة
a long pause une réunion tardive اجتماع متأخر
a late meeting une longue pause وقفة طويلة
an early lecture une première conférence محاضرة مبكرة

If it relates to a verb or an adjective it is probably an adverb.

  • The lesson was cut short.
  • We met late at night.
  • Don’t stay long.
  • He came in early.

Some adverbs have the same spelling as a preposition. They can be told apart if you look at the words they are found with. Prepositions are normally used in front of noun phrases, because prepositions must have an object.

  • He rushed in an attempt to catch his bus.
  • She hurried over her meal because she was late.

When the word is found without an object, especially at the end of a clause, it will usually be an adverb.

  • He rushed in.
  • She hurried over.

Just like certain adjectives, some adverbs have comparative and superlative forms and can be used with submodifiers.

  • Karim less well and Karima the least well.
  • Malika walked the most slowly of all of them.
  • Tariq acted very kindly towards him.
  • You must behave far more sensibly in future.
  • This graph shows that girls performed the best at maths this year.

Superlative forms of adverbs are quite rare.