Practice
Adverbs exercise: describe actions clearly in English
A colleague says, "Please speak slowly; I am taking notes." The adverb slowly changes the action, and its position makes the request easy to follow. In this exercise, you will use adverbs to add useful detail without making a sentence hard to read.
Choose an adverb that matches the meaning and place it naturally with the verb, adjective, or other adverb it describes.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
carefully, usually, extremely /ˈkeə.fəl.i/, /ˈjuː.ʒu.ə.li/, /ɪkˈstriːm.li/
The short answer
Use an adverb to add information about an action, description, or another adverb. Put many manner adverbs after the verb or its object, place frequency adverbs before the main verb but after be, and place degree adverbs before the word they strengthen.
The guide explained the route clearly.
Why it works: Clearly tells us how the guide explained the route. It follows the verb and its object.
5 more examples
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The nurse spoke calmly to the worried child.
Calmly answers how the nurse spoke. It follows the verb spoke.
Not this:The nurse spoke
in a calm voiceto the worried child. What changes: The phrase uses the adjective calm to describe the noun voice. Calmly is the adverb form used with spoke. -
Mina checks her calendar every morning.
Every morning gives a regular time pattern and comes after the object.
Not this:Mina
usually checksher calendar before work. What changes: Usually is a frequency adverb, so it comes before the main verb checks. -
Our neighbours are always helpful.
Always follows are because be comes before a frequency adverb.
Not this:Our neighbours
always helpwith heavy bags. What changes: With the main verb help, always comes before the verb. -
The museum was surprisingly busy on Tuesday.
Surprisingly changes the strength and expectedness of the adjective busy.
Not this:The museum was
busybecause a school group arrived. What changes: Busy gives the basic description. Surprisingly busy adds the speaker's reaction to the level of activity. -
Please put your shoes upstairs.
Upstairs tells us where to put the shoes and follows the object.
Not this:Please put your shoes on the
upstairs shelf. What changes: Here upstairs describes the noun shelf. In the first sentence, upstairs tells us where the action should happen.
Read the full guide
Do not choose an adverb only because it ends in -ly. First identify the question it answers: how, how often, when, where, or how much. Then look at the verb pattern. A manner adverb often comes after a verb or its object. An adverb such as always usually comes before the main verb, but after be. A degree word such as very sits close to the adjective or adverb it changes.
Find the question the adverb answers
An adverb often answers a practical question about the action. Carefully answers how. Often answers how frequently. Tomorrow answers when, and outside answers where. When you identify the question first, the word choice becomes easier.
The team will meet tomorrow after lunch.
Tomorrow gives time. The team will meet in the library gives place. Both words add information, but they answer different questions.
Use manner adverbs to show how an action happens
Many manner adverbs are formed from an adjective plus -ly: careful becomes carefully and polite becomes politely. They often follow the verb, or the verb and its object. Use the adverb when it describes the action rather than a person or thing.
Rafi packed the glasses carefully.
Rafi packed the careful glasses is not the same meaning. Careful describes glasses there, while carefully describes how Rafi packed them.
Choose the word that describes the action: The driver stopped ___ at the crossing.
Use suddenly if you mean the stop happened without warning. Use carefully if you mean the driver stopped with care. The intended meaning chooses the adverb.
Put frequency adverbs in their usual position
Frequency adverbs tell us how often something happens. With most main verbs, put always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, or never before the verb. With be, put the frequency adverb after am, is, are, was, or were.
I often take the bus. My sister is often on the same bus.
Often take has the frequency adverb before the main verb. Is often has be first, then the frequency adverb.
Keep degree adverbs next to what they strengthen
Degree adverbs tell us how strong a description is. Very, really, quite, and extremely usually come before an adjective or another adverb. Their position makes the relationship clear: really useful changes useful, while really quickly changes quickly.
The new map is quite detailed, but the labels are very small.
Quite detailed describes the amount of detail. Very small describes the size. Each degree adverb sits directly before the adjective it changes.
Complete the sentence: The instructions were ___ easy to follow.
A natural answer is very: The instructions were very easy to follow. Very strengthens the adjective easy.
Use time and place adverbs to organise a message
Time and place adverbs can make instructions and stories easier to follow. A time word often comes at the end or beginning of a clause. A place word commonly follows the verb or its object. Keep the order natural and avoid adding an adverb that repeats information already clear from the context.
After the meeting, leave the signed form here.
After the meeting tells us when to act. Here tells us where to leave the form.
Check words that look similar but mean different things
A few common forms need special care. Good is an adjective, so say She is a good singer; well is usually the adverb in She sings well. Hard means with effort, while hardly means almost not. Read the complete sentence before choosing either form.
Nora studied hard, but she hardly slept before the exam.
Studied hard means Nora put in effort. Hardly slept means she slept very little.
Before you go
Remember this
Ask what the extra word tells you: how, how often, when, where, or to what degree. Put manner adverbs naturally after the action, use frequency adverbs before the main verb but after be, and keep degree adverbs close to the adjective or adverb they modify.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Adverbs exercise: describe actions clearly in English"
What does an adverb do in an English sentence?
An adverb adds information about an action, description, or another adverb. In The nurse spoke calmly to the worried child, calmly tells us how she spoke. In The museum was surprisingly busy on Tuesday, surprisingly changes the description busy.
The nurse spoke calmly to the worried child.
Where do adverbs of frequency go?
Put a frequency adverb such as usually before the main verb: Mina usually checks her calendar before work. Put it after be: Our neighbours are always helpful. The position depends on whether the sentence uses be or another main verb.
The nurse spoke in a calm voice to the worried child.
What is the difference between an adjective and an adverb?
An adjective describes a noun, while an adverb often describes an action. A calm voice uses calm for the noun voice. The nurse spoke calmly uses calmly for the action spoke. Check the word you want to describe before choosing the form.
Mina checks her calendar every morning.
Can an adverb describe an adjective?
Yes. A degree adverb can strengthen an adjective or another adverb. The museum was surprisingly busy on Tuesday places surprisingly before busy. In he spoke really softly, really strengthens the adverb softly.
Mina usually checks her calendar before work.
Why are hard and hardly different?
Hard usually means with effort or force, as in Nora studied hard. Hardly means almost not, as in Nora hardly slept before the exam. They look related, but they have different meanings and cannot replace each other.
Our neighbours are always helpful.
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