Unit 4

How Do We Express Ourselves?

Activity

Superheroes and villains on the big screen, such as Batman, Joker, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman, perform extraordinary actions.

Adverbs limit or clarify actions.  They provide information about verbs which are action words.  Adverbs answer the questions you might have about the action such as:

  • how high is the jump?
  • how fast is the movement?
  • how soon will she arrive?

Overuse adverbs and your writing becomes ordinary, even boring.

Definition
Adverbs tell when, how, where, and to what extent an action is done. Adverbs can also show comparison, contrast, and time.  They link sentences and paragraphs.

  1. In language, adverbs give information about verbs so that the reader or listener knows how these actions are performed.

    • Tara walked hurriedly along the walkway.
    • Tara walked fearfully along the walkway.
    • Tara walked angrily along the walkway.

    Hurriedly, fearfully, and angrily provide very different impressions of how Tara walked (verb).

    -ly adverbs should be used sparingly.  Use strong verbs instead.  The adverb is your friend only if you use it to explain not only how an action happens but also why it happens.

    • Hurriedly kicking off her high heels, Tara fled along the walkway.
    • Silently, Tara crept  along the walkway past the zombie.
    • Tara staggered crazily along the walkway, frightening the oncoming bicyclist.

  2. Adverbs can give information about adjectives (words that describe nouns) and other adverbs.

    • Jan thought it was an incredibly boring movie.

    ("boring" describes the noun "movie";  "incredibly" tells something about the adjective "boring."   How boring was it?)

    Again, beware of using adverbs such as quite, very, or incredibly.  Are they necessary?  Do they add meaning to the sentence?  If they are unimportant, eliminate them.

  3. Adverbs can give information about other adverbs.

    • Maria always spoke very softly.

("softly" describes the verb "spoke"; "very" tells something about the adverb "softly." How softly did she speak?)

Types of Adverbs:


  Click on the four tabs below for information on adverbs.


Adverbs of Manner, such as carefully, courageously, cheerfully, fast, well, hard, quietly, and loudly, answer the question "how" or "in what manner was an action performed?"

  • Sam climbed down the ladder carefully.
  • The town grew slowly after 2010.
  • You are looking well these days.
Adverbs of Place, such as above, across, here, there, before, behind, up, down, anywhere, everywhere, and nowhere, answer the question "where?"

  • The wind pushes us sideways.
  • She decided to drop in on her grandparents.
  • Everywhere I look, I see water.
Adverbs of Time, such as now, soon, yet, still, today, already, afterwards, recently, tomorrow, always, and yesterday, answer the question "when?"

  • You can take your afternoon break now, if you'd like.
  • There are other participants still to come to the race.
  • Not everyone that was invited has arrived yet.
Adverbs of Degree, such as very, fairly, rather, quite, so, too, hardly, almost, nearly, not, less, and extremely, tell to what extent an action was performed.

  • He advanced very slowly along the hiking trail.
  • Kate rather liked the way Simone danced on her own.
  • Damon was so surprised he hardly knew how to answer.