14 Types of adverbs English Grammar Lesson

Adverbs are an important part of the English language as they provide additional information about verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs by modifying them. Adverbs help to express the manner, place, time, frequency, and degree of an action, making our communication more precise and clear.

Most common types of adverbs in English:


  1. Adverbs of Manner: These adverbs describe how something is done. Examples:
  • He sings beautifully.
  • She runs fast.
  • They danced gracefully.

  1. Adverbs of Place: These adverbs indicate where something is happening. Examples:
  • He is here.
  • They are there.
  • She went everywhere.

  1. Adverbs of Time: These adverbs indicate when something is happening. Examples:
  • I will call you later.
  • I already finished it.
  • They will arrive soon.

  1. Adverbs of Frequency: These adverbs indicate how often something happens. Examples:
  • I always wake up early.
  • She rarely goes out.
  • They sometimes eat at home.

  1. Adverbs of Degree: These adverbs indicate the extent or intensity of something. Examples:
  • It's extremely hot.
  • It's a bit cold.
  • He is very tired.

  1. Interrogative Adverbs: These adverbs are used to form questions. Examples:
  • Where is he going?
  • How are you?
  • When will he be back?


  1. Conjunctive Adverbs: These adverbs connect clauses and sentences. Examples:
  • However, I don't think that's a good idea.
  • Therefore, I suggest we take a different approach.
  • Meanwhile, I'll start working on the presentation.
  1. Exclamatory Adverbs: These adverbs express strong feeling or emotion. Examples:
  • What a beautiful view!
  • How delicious!
  • Why did you do that?



Less common types of adverbs in English:


  1. Adverb of reason: These adverbs indicate the reason why something is done. Examples:
  • He was absent from the class because of an illness
  • He did not go to the party for no reason

  1. Adverb of purpose: These adverbs indicate the purpose of an action. Examples:
  • He left early to catch the train.
  • He came late deliberately.

  1. Adverb of result: These adverbs indicate the result of an action. Examples:
  • He worked hard and passed the exam.
  • She cooked carefully so the food was delicious.

  1. Adverb of affirmation: These adverbs indicate the affirmation of an action. Examples:
  • He certainly is going to the party
  • She definitely wants to come

  1. Adverb of negation: These adverbs indicate the negation of an action. Examples:
  • He certainly is not going to the party
  • She definitely does not want to come

  1. Adverb of concession: These adverbs indicate the concession of an action. Examples:
  • Although he is not well, he still goes to work
  • Despite the heavy rain, we still went on the picnic.



Special Cases:

  1. Adverbs of manner and adjective: Adjectives and adverbs of manner can be used together to give more emphasis. Examples: "She sings beautifully" "He speaks fluently"
  2. Adverb placement: Adverbs can be placed in different positions in a sentence and it can change the meaning. Examples: "I almost never eat fast food" "I never almost eat fast food"


Common Mistakes:

  1. Double use of adverbs: Using adverb twice in the same sentence for the same purpose. Examples: "He speaks very very well" "She runs extremely extremely fast"
  2. Adverb form: Some adverbs are irregular, and it's necessary to memorize them. Examples: "I have good" "I have well"

Applicable questions:

  1. How?
  2. When?
  3. Where?
  4. To what extent?
  5. How often?

Practical Uses:


  1. Adverbs of manner can be used to express emotions or opinions. Examples: "She sings beautifully" "He speaks fluently"
  2. Adverbs of place can be used to give directions. Examples: "He is here" "They are there"
  3. Adverbs of time can be used to make an event more specific. Examples: "I will call you later" "I already finished it"
  4. Adverbs of degree can be used to express the intensity of an adjective. Examples: "It's extremely hot" "It's a bit cold"

Comprehension exercises:

  1. Identify the adverb in the following sentence and explain its function: "He speaks clearly"
  2. Rewrite the following sentence, including an adverb of manner: "He writes"
  3. Write a sentence using an adverb of degree: "She is extremely tired"
  4. Correct the adverb placement errors in the following sentence: "He quickly ran to the store"
  5. Complete the following sentence with the most appropriate adverb: "He ___ spoke to the teacher"
  6. Match the adverb with the correct definition:

  • quickly

  • here

  • always

  • extremely

  • later

  • Adverb of manner

  • Adverb of place

  • Adverb of time

  • Adverb of degree

  • Adverb of time



Suggestions on answering the exercises.


For exercise 1, the adverb in the sentence "He speaks clearly" is "clearly" and its function is to describe how he speaks.

For exercise 2, the sentence "He writes" rewritten with an adverb of manner could be "He writes neatly"

For exercise 3, a sentence using an adverb of degree could be "She is extremely tired"

For exercise 4, the sentence "He quickly ran to the store" would need to be corrected to "He ran quickly to the store" to have the adverb "quickly" in the right position.

For exercise 5, the most appropriate adverb for the sentence "He ___ spoke to the teacher" would depend on the context and the intended meaning. It could be "nervously", "politely", "angrily", "happily", or any other adverb that describes how he spoke to the teacher.

For exercise 6,

  • quickly = Adverb of manner
  • here = Adverb of place
  • always = Adverb of frequency
  • extremely = Adverb of degree
  • later = Adverb of time
Newer Older
Join the conversation (0)
Post a Comment
comment url