When most people hear the term “adverb,” they automatically think of a word that modifies (qualifies, describes, or moderates) a verb and usually ends in “ly,” for example, “quickly, hurriedly, overly,” etc. However, adverbs do not modify only verbs. They can also modify adjectives, other adverbs, phrases, clauses, or sentences; plus, not all adverbs end in “ly.” In fact, groups of words, such as phrases and clauses, can act in adverbial roles.
Questions Answered by Adverbs
An adverb answers one of five questions about whatever it is modifying:
- How or in what manner?
- When?
- Where?
- How often?
- To what extent or degree?
Examples:
- Tom slurped nosily as he ate chips. (How or in what manner did he slurp? Nosily.)
- Tom went to the sports bar last night to watch football with his buddies. (When did he go to the bar? Last night.)
- Tom threw the football at the cat. (Where did he throw the football? At the cat, which is a prepositional phrase telling where Tom threw the ball and, therefore, acting in an adverbial role.)
- Tom frequently watches football. (How often does he watch football? Frequently.)
- Tom watches football too much. (To what extent does he watch football? Too much.)
Adverbs Modify Verbs
In their most familiar role, adverbs modify verbs, for example:
- Tom cheered loudly when the New Orleans Saints lost the game. (How did Tom Cheer? Loudly.)
- Sue arrived home from work early. (When did Sue arrive? Early.)
- When the Saints lost the game, Tom tossed potato chips heavenward in celebration. (Where did Tom toss potato chips? Heavenward.)
- Tom rarely gets off the sofa when a football game is airing. (How often does Tom get off the sofa? Rarely.)
- Sue understands Tom’s lack of job motivation quite well. (To what extent or degree does Sue understand Tom’s lack of job motivation? Quite well.)
Adverbs Modify Adjectives
Not only can adverbs modify verbs, they can modify adjectives, for example:
- Tom is very lazy. (How lazy is he? Very.)
- Although Sue likes them, Tom thinks reality shows are totally mindless entertainment. (To what extent or degree are reality shows mindless? Totally.)
- Tom thought the linebacker looked much fatter than he had the previous season. (To what extent did the quarterback look fatter? Much.)
Adverbs Modify Other Adverbs
Adverbs can also modify other adverbs, for example:
- Tom thought the linebacker moved rather spryly for a fat man. (Rather tells to what extent or degree the quarterback moved quickly.)
- Since the front door is too far away from the sofa, Tom never answers the doorbell when a game is playing. (Too tells the degree of distance to the door: How far away? Too far away.)
- Tom watches football so frequently that he knows all players by name. (How often does Tom watch football? Frequently. But to what extent does he frequently watch it? So frequently.)
Adverbs Modify a Phrase or Clause
Adverbs can be single words, prepositional phrases, or subordinate clauses. Moreover, not only can adverbs modify single words, they can also modify phrases or clauses, for example:
- When Sue threatened to leave him, Tom turned finally off the television and worked on his latest novel. (The first clause is an adverb clause modifying the second clause and telling “when” Tom turned off the television: he turned it off “when” Sue threatened to leave).
- Tom’s last novel did not impress Sue. (Not modifies the verb phrase did impress.)
- Sue will never understand why she was stupid enough to marry Tom. (Never modifies the verb phrase will understand.)
Note: The words not and never are adverbs that tell to what extent (not at all) and when (not ever).
Adverbs Modify Entire Sentences
Adverbs can modify entire sentences, for example:
- Astoundingly, Sue still loves Tom. (The word “astoundingly” tells how or in what manner Sue still loves Tom.)
- Naturally, Tom blames his parents for his lack of motivation because he refuses to blame himself. (The word “naturally” tells how or in what manner Tom blames his parents and refuses to blame himself.)
Adverbs Used in Dialogue
Some beginning fiction writers make the mistake of overusing adverbs when, more often than not, adverbs can detract from the strength, as well as realism, of what characters are saying. Not only the characters’ words, but also how they say those words and how they act and/or react with one another should be sufficient to convey their emotions.
With this in mind, instead of writing something like the first example below, write something like the second example:
- "I’m sick of you watching football all the time," Sue shouted accusatorily.
- “I’m sick of you watching football all the time," Sue shouted.
Learning the specific roles that adverbs play can help writers avoid either misusing or misplacing them within sentences. It an also help prevent their over usage, a practice that can weaken the force of sentences and dialogue. Ultimately, however, as is the case with all grammatical rules, writers who possess a thorough understanding of adverb usage are better equipped to compose strong, concise sentences and realistic dialogue.
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