Learning English

Adverbs are words like  now, then, today, tomorrow  and  carefully . An adverb modifies the meaning of a verb, an adjective or another adverb. Read the following sentences: Alice smiled  sweetly. Those mangoes were  very  sweet. He spoke  quite  loudly. In sentence 1, the adverb  quickly  shows how (or in what manner) Alice smiled. It modifies the verb  smiled. In sentence 2, the adverb  very  says something about the sweetness of the mangoes. It modifies the adjective  sweet . In sentence 3,  quite  says something about the manner in which he spoke. It modifies the adverb  loudly. Note that  adverbs  standing at the beginning of sentences sometimes modify the whole sentence, rather than a particular word. Unfortunately  no one was present there. (= It was unfortunate that no one was present there.) Probably  I am mistaken. (= It is probable that I am mistaken.) Kinds ...

Adverbs of degree or quantity Adverbs of degree  answer the question ‘how much’ or ‘in what degree’ or ‘to what extent’. Examples are:  very, too, fully, quite, rather, enough, any, partly, almost, utterly, as, entirely etc. That was  very  tragic. I have  almost  finished. He was  rather  busy. Is he  any  good? You are  partly  right. You are  entirely  wrong. Adverbs of reason Adverbs of reason  answer the question ‘why?’. Examples are:  therefore, hence, consequently etc. Consequently  he refused to go. Therefore  they decided to boycott the meeting. He is  hence  unable to refute the charge. Adverbs of affirmation or negation Examples are:  surely, certainly, not, probably, indeed etc. You are  certainly  right. I am  not  going. He is a fool  indeed. Interrogative adverbs Adverbs which are used for asking questions are c...

Adverbs of manner  which answer the question ‘how?’ normally comes immediately after the verb or after the object if there is one. It is raining  heavily. She combed her hair  gently.  (NOT She combed gently her hair.) She speaks English  well. (NOT  She speaks well English.) He walked  slowly. Adverbs of place  (e.g. here, there, everywhere, nowhere, on the roof etc.) and  adverbs of time  (now, then, today, tomorrow, next week etc.) are usually placed after the verb or after the object if there is one. I saw him  yesterday. I looked  everywhere  but couldn’t find anything. Hang the picture  there. They are coming  next week. When two or more adverbs modify the same verb, they usually come in the following order: adverbs of manner, adverbs of place, adverbs of time. We will go  there tomorrow evening. He performed  well at the concert last night. Adverbs of frequency  which ...

Adverbs   should be placed next to the word or words they modify. He had  almost got  to the top when the rope broke. (Here the adverb almost modifies the verb got.) As a general rule, the adverb  only  should come immediately before the word it modifies. I solved  only two problems . Only John  managed to solve the problem. Praise them  only when the deserve it. In spoken English,  only  is usually placed before the verb. The intended meaning is conveyed by stressing the word which  only modifies. He  only solved  two problems. (The word two is stressed.) Two negatives destroy each other. Hence they should not be placed in the same sentence unless our intention is to make an affirmation. I  haven’t  got  any  money. (NOT I haven’t got no money.) I could  not  find him  anywhere . (NOT I could not find him nowhere.) Hardly anyone  believes in such ghost stories ...

Very Very is commonly used before an adjective or another adverb in the positive degree. It means ‘ to a great extent’. She is  very beautiful . (with adjective) It is  very hot . (with adjective) He did it  very nicely . (with adverb) She is  very sweet . (with adjective) He wrote the letter  very carefully . (with adverb) Very  can be used with a  present participle  (e.g. running, singing, reading, playing etc.) used as an adjective. It was  very amusing. When used with  well  very shows agreement or assent. Very well  doctor, I will give up smoking. Very  can be used with a superlative or ‘own’. It means ‘in the highest degree’ or ‘absolutely’. She is the  very best  singer here. This tea is of the  very best quality. Keep this present for your  very own.  (absolutely for your own use) Very with much Very  is often used before  much. Thank you  ve...

Too Too  is used to mean ‘more than is required’. You ate  too much.  He is  too fat. It is  too hot  to go out. He is  too weak  to move about. The news is  too good  to be true. Too  is often followed by  to.  I was  too tired to do  any work. (= I was so tired that I could not do any work.) Too  has a negative meaning. It should not be used in the general sense of  very. She is  very beautiful . (NOT She is too beautiful.) Too  has similar meanings to  also  and  as well. She is not only beautiful; she is  also  intelligent. She is not only beautiful; she is intelligent  as well. She is not only beautiful; she is intelligent  too. Enough Enough  shows the ‘proper limit’ or ‘amount’. It is placed after the adjective or adverb it qualifies. He is  rich enough  to buy a car. She is  old enough  to be ...

We have already seen that a group of words called an  adjective phrase  can serve the same purpose as an adjective. In the same way, an  adverb phrase  can does the work of an adverb. Study the following examples. He spoke  politely . (Here the adverb politely says something about the manner in which he spoke.) He spoke  in a polite manner . (Here the adverb phrase ‘in a polite manner’ also says how he spoke.) Thus we have seen that an  adverb phrase  modifies a verb just like an adverb does. It is available  now. It is available  at the moment. In the pair of sentences given above, the adverb phrase ‘at the moment’ modifies the verb just like the adverb  now  does. Definition An adverb phrase  is a group of words that serves the same purpose as an adverb. Like an adverb, an adverb phrase can also modify an adjective or another adverb. Some adverbs and their equivalent adverb phrases are given below. ...

Different kinds of adverbs go in different positions in a sentence. Here are some general rules. Adverbs cannot go between a verb and its object. He speaks English  well . (NOT He speaks well English.) I  often  visit my parents. (NOT I visit often my parents.) An adverb particle (e.g. up, down, off, on etc.) can go between a verb and its object. She switched  off  the light. OR She switched the light  off. An adverb can go in three positions: 1. At the beginning of a clause 2. With  the verb (mid-position) 3. At the end of the a clause Many adverbs can go in all three positions. Some adverbs can go in  mid-  and end  positions. Longer adverb phrases do not usually go in mid-position. Adverbs that can go at the beginning of a clause Adverbs which join a clause to what came before usually go at the beginning. Examples are:  however, then, next, besides, anyway etc. Some of us wanted to go on a picnic;  ho...

Too  is an adverb. It is used before adjectives without nouns and before adverbs. I arrived  too late. You are  too generous. Too and too much Too much  cannot be used before adverbs and adjectives without nouns. She is  too fat . (NOT She is too much fat.) Too with other determiners Too  is not normally used before  adjective + noun. I could not lift the bag because it was  too heavy . (NOT I could not lift the  too heavy bag. ) I could not solve the problem – it was  too difficult . (NOT I could not solve the  too difficult problem. ) Structures with too An infinitive can be used after  too + adjective / adverb. It is  too hot to go  out. He is  too old to work. If the infinitive has its own subject, it is usually introduced by  for. It is  too early for the shops to be open . Note that object pronouns are not normally used after the infinitive in this structure. T...

An adverb clause  serves the purpose of an adverb. There are different kinds of adverb clauses. Adverb clauses of time Adverb clauses of time are introduced by subordinating conjunctions like  when, whenever, before, after, as, since, till, once  and  now that. Whenever  I get an idea for a story, I jot it down in a notebook. When  you heat ice, it melts. After  the match ended, we left for our homes. As  the chief guest arrived, we all stood up. I will wait  until  you have finished dressing. Sunday is the day  when  I am least busy. Whenever  I go to London, I stay with my brother. Once  and  now that  are sometimes used as conjunctions in adverb clauses of time. Once  you have made a decision, you must stick to it. Now that  winter has come, we must buy some woollen clothes. Adverb clauses of place Adverb clauses of place  are introduced by the conjunctions  whe...

Adjectives ending in -ly Most adverbs end in  -ly . There are also some adjectives ending in  -ly.  Examples are:  costly, cowardly, deadly, friendly, likely, lively, lonely, lovely, silly, ugly  etc. She is a  lovely girl . (Here lovely is an adjective. It modifies the noun girl.) I love his  friendly nature . (Here the adjective friendly modifies the noun nature.) There are no adverbs  friendly / friendlily, lovely / lovelily  etc. Some words can be used both as adjectives and as adverbs. Examples are:  daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, early, leisurely  etc. We should catch an  early train . (Here early is an adjective. It modifies the noun train.) I got up  early . (Here early is an adverb. It modifies the verb got up.) Adjectives and adverbs with the same form Some adjectives and adverbs have the same form. Examples are:  fast  and  hard. A  fast car  goes  fast. If yo...

Fine and finely The adverb  fine  means ‘well’. It is used in some informal expressions. She is doing  fine.  The adverb  finely  is used to talk about small careful adjustments. finely ground particles a finely tuned machine Free and freely The adverb  free  means ‘without payment’. The adverb  freely  means ‘without restriction’. Buy two shirts and get one  free. Speak  freely . (= Speak without fear or inhibition.) Hard and hardly The adverb  hard  has a similar meaning to the adjective  hard. He works  hard. Hit it  hard. Hardly  has a negative meaning. It means ‘almost not’. We have got  hardly  any rice left. High and highly High  is used to talk about height.  Highly  often means ‘very much’. He threw it as  high  as he could. It is  highly  amusing. Late and lately The adverb  late  has a sim...

Study the following sentences. They started  in the morning.  (Started when? – in the morning) They started  before the sun rose . (started when? – before the sun rose) It is clear that in sentence 1 and sentence 2 the groups of words in italics do the work of an adverb as they modify the verb  started , showing when the action was performed. Here the group of words ‘in the morning’ is  an adverb phrase.  It does not have a subject or a predicate of its own. It makes sense, but not complete sense. Now consider the group of words ‘before the sun rose’. It has a subject and a predicate of its own. Still, it is not a complete sentence. In fact, it is part of a large sentence. Such a group of words which forms part of a sentence, and has a subject and a predicate of its own is called a  clause. Since the clause ‘before the sun rose’ does the work of an adverb it is called an  adverb clause. More examples are given below. Start ...

Adverb clauses of purpose  are introduced by the subordinating conjunctions  that, so that, in order that  and  lest. We eat  that we may live. He works hard  so that he will become a millionaire. Put on your warm clothes  lest you should catch a chill. Schools were closed early  in order that students might reach home before the thunderstorm. Notes In an informal style,  so that  is more common than  in order that. These expressions are usually followed by modal auxiliary verbs such as  will, can  or  may. She wants to study in England  so that she can perfect her English. We are starting now  so that we will reach there before sunset. In an informal style  that  can be dropped after  so;  this is very common in American English. I have come early  so that  I can meet you. OR I have come early  so  I can meet you. Lest  means  that…no...

Adverb clauses of cause or reason  are introduced by the subordinating conjunctions  because, as, since  and  that. I sing  because I like singing. He thinks he can get anything  because he is rich. Since he has apologized  we will take no further action against him. As he was not there  I left a message with his mother. I am glad  that you have come. My parents were disappointed  that I didn’t get the scholarship. He was furious  that his book was panned by most reviewers. Notes The conjunction  that  is often omitted. I am glad  you like it . OR I am glad  that you like it. They were disappointed  you weren’t in . OR They were disappointed  that you weren’t in. As  and  since  are used when the reason is already known to the listener. As  it is raining again we will have to cancel the match. As and since-clauses  are relatively formal. In an informal s...

Adverb clauses of condition  are introduced by the subordinating conjunctions  if, whether, provided that, so long as  and  unless. If I like it , I will buy it. If you heat ice , it melts. If it rains , we will stay at home. You may come,  if you want to. You won’t pass  unless you work hard. You will be shot  unless you give me the keys of the locker. There will be no problem  provided that you keep your mouth shut. You will have to take the medicine  whether you like it or not. You may have noticed that the adverb clause of condition gives the circumstances under which the action in the main clause will take place. Omission of if Sometimes the conjunction  if  is omitted. Were the child mine , I would have taken it to a doctor. (= If the child were mine, I would have taken it to a doctor.) Should you meet my brother,  tell him that I have gone to the railway station. (= If you meet my brother, tell him th...