💭 Why should we care about adverbs?
In the previous lesson, we learned that nouns can be too general, vague, and boring without modifiers, often adjectives. Similarly, without adverbs, verbs can be general, vague, and boring too.
To tell a good story, we need to choose the right adverbs to add specific details to verbs so that they know when (time), where (place), why (reason), how (manner), how often (frequency) and how long (duration of time), how much, and under what condition an action or activity lasts.
Knowing the secrets of adverbs can help us make our writing, especially narrative and expository texts more clear and interesting to read.
“I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops. To put it another way, they’re like dandelions. If you have one in your lawn, it looks pretty and unique.
If you fail to root it out, however, you find five the next day… fifty the day after that… and then, my brothers and sisters, your lawn is totally, completely, and profligately covered with dandelions.
By then you see them for the weeds they really are, but by then it’s — GASP!! — too late.” - Stephen King
As Stephen King advocates, if you choose the right verb or the right dialogue, you don't need an adverb. Compare these two examples:
Original: Extremely annoyed, she stared menacingly at her rival.
Revised: Infuriated, she glared at her rival.
Warm-up activities:
1. Identify adverbs in the quotes and find out which words the adverbs are modifying.
They sprawled and fought, scrambled, clutched, rose and fell shouting, as aimlessly, noisily, monotonously as two puppies. — Jon Franklin, Writing for Story
They sprawled and fought, scrambled, clutched, rose and fell shouting, as aimlessly, noisily, monotonously as two puppies. — Jon Franklin, Writing for Story
The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware. — Henry Miller
The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware. -- Henry Miller
I suppose other things may be more exciting to others when they are at school but to me undoubtedly when I was at school the really completely exciting thing was diagramming sentences and that has been to me ever since the one thing that has been completely exciting and completely completing.
— Gertrude Stein, "Poetry and Grammar"
I suppose other things may be more exciting to others when they are at school but to me undoubtedly when I was at school the really completely exciting thing was diagramming sentences and that has been to me ever since the one thing that has been completely exciting and completely completing.
— Gertrude Stein, "Poetry and Grammar
2. Which adverbs can describe what the duck, the muppet, and the scientist are doing?
Donald duck is laughing ________________.
The meeting is _______________ dull.
The sloth is responding _______ slowly.
1. What is an adverb?
An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, indicating time (e.g., immediately), place (e.g., outside), manner (e.g., vehemently), frequency (e.g., rarely), and duration (e.g., briefly).
A adverb can also modify an adjective (e.g., absolutely amazing), another adverb (e.g., extremely fast), or even a clause (e.g., Luckily, no one was hurt).
2. What are the subcategories of adverbs?
1) By Form
simple adverbs
fast, often, already, indeed, well
faster, fastest; more often, most often, better, worse
compound adverbs
nowhere, anyway, heretofore
complex (derivative) adverbs (adj. + ly → adv.)
ideally, luckily, fortunately, properly
fixed phrases
of course, kind of, sort of, at last
❗️Some words can be both adjectives and adverbs. For example,
He is a fast driver. (adj.)
He drives fast. (adv.)
Some people are late bloomers. (adj.)
Some people boom late. (adv.)
2) By Meaning
time (? when) (e.g., yesterday, now, daily, tonight, later)
I always eat breakfast.
I had never before understood what 'despair' meant.
place (? where) (e.g., here, there, somewhere, everywhere, outside, forward, eastwards)
He lives there.
Some horses were looming in the rain, not near yet.
manner (? how) (e.g., quickly, lazily, slowly, seriously, energetically)
They embraced lightly and carefully.
He ducked, excitedly, awkwardly, into his brother's arms and out again, like a boxer from a clinch.
Very few people in any walk of life speak and write precisely and correctly, and I don't myself.
degree (to what degree/extent) (e.g., extremely, absolutely, utterly)
He understands perfectly well.
You are absolutely right.
additive/restrictive (e.g., too, as well, only)
My dad is a great guy too. (additive)
Only those wealthy people live there. (restrictive)
stance (e.g., likely, probably, candidly, luckily, unfortunately, regrettably)
It is probably true that the train won’t come.
It is likely to rain again tonight.
3) By Function
Adverbs are versatile. They can modify
verbs
talk softly, breathe deeply, dress smartly
adjectives
slightly bigger, terribly sorry, horribly glad
adverbs
really fast, right now, right there
and even a clause
Luckily, I got to the airport on time.
I arrived at the airport on time, luckily.
3. Where can adverbs be placed in a sentence?
1) Adverbs often come after the verbs they modify but can also appear before the verb. For example,
The children ate their dinner quickly. ✔️
The children quickly ate their dinner. ✔️
The children ate quickly their dinner. ✖️
2) Some adverbs must be placed before the verbs they modify.
You must always stay positive. ✔️ You must stay positive always. ✖️
I'm seldom late. ✔️ I'm late seldom. ✖️
He rarely lies. ✔️ He lies rarely. ✖️
3) Other adverbs only appear after the verbs they modify.
I visit my dentist yearly. ✔️ I yearly visit my dentist. ✖️
I can't thank you enough. ✔️ I can't enough thank you. ✖️
4. Special Adverbs
1) Qualifiers
Qualifiers are a special type of adverbs which fine tune adjectives and other adverbs (e.g., very lucky).
very, quite, rather, somewhat, more, most, less, least, too, so, just, enough, still, almost, fairly, really, pretty, even, a bit, a little, a (whole) lot, a good deal, a great deal, kind of, sort of…
e.g.,
very interesting
a bit shy
❗️Unlike prototypical adverbs, qualifiers are not gradable, do not have adverb-making derivational morphemes (e.g., -ly, -ward, -wise), and cannot be moved freely in a sentence.
2) Conjunctive adverbs
We use conjunctions (e.g., and, but, however) to join words, phrases, and clauses together to form larger grammatical units.
Some adverbs can function as conjunctions. Their presence provides smooth transitions between ideas. They are called conjunctive adverbs.
Here is the list of common conjunctive adverbs:
3) Interrogative adverbs (Wh- words)
When is the game?
What is the game?
Where are you playing?
Who is playing?
They asked how we were doing.
Do you know when the election will be?
4) Relative adverbs
We visited the place {where the Vikings landed}. Relative adverb (place)
We live in a time {when pollution is serious}. Relative adverb (time)
Her mass of library of books is the reason {why she’s so well-spoken}.
In all of these sentences, the wh- words introduce a subordinate/dependent clause and connect it to the main/independent clause. The subordinate clauses denote places, times, reasons, manner, etc.
They are called adjectival clauses because they function as post-positioned adjective modifying the antecedent nouns. Another name for them is relative clauses.
4. Writing connection: The rhetoric of adverbs
1) Adverbs as sentence openers
Original: Now and then, he stops at the window to see how the weather looks. - Henry Miller, Black Book
Alternative 1: He stops at the window to see how the weather looks, now and then.
Alternative 2: He stops at the window, now and then, to see how the weather looks.
Which version do you think is the best? Why?
Original: Suddenly, a shot rang out! (narrative)
Alternative 1: A shot rang out suddenly! (expository)
Alternative 2: A shot suddenly rang out! (expository)
Which version do you think is the best? Why?
2). Positioning of adverbs
Adverbs have more freedom in regard to their locations in a sentence. As a result, writers have more freedom to manipulate their positions to package information.
Original: She continued her path, inevitably.
Alternative 1: She continued her path inevitably. (end)
Alternative 2: Inevitably she continued her path. (initial)
Alternative 3: Inevitably, she continued her path. (initial)
Alternative 4: She inevitably continued her path. (middle)
Alternative 5: She continued, inevitably, her path. (middle)
Which version do you think is the best? Why?
3) Adverbs as the stance words
The habit of liking after our own needs obviously (intensifier) had something to do with the assertiveness that characterized the American family familiar to readers of American literature.
-William F. Buckley, Jr.
Full nuclear exchange would probably (downtoner) generate the same kind of dust cloud and darkening that may have wiped out the dinosaurs.
-Steven Jay Gould
Opinion is split on the social role of grammar rules. To some, they are just another device that the Ins use to control the Outs by stigmatizing their language and thereby suppressing their social and political aspirations. To others, the rules of Standard English have been so refined by generations of educated speakers and writers that they must be observed by all the best writers of English. Both views are correct, partly (qualifier) ......
-Williams, J. & Bizup, J. (2017). Style: Lessons in clarity and grace. Pearson.
"At their best, adverbs are words of precision, intensification, and connection. They enhance our 'showing', even in persuasive writing. At their worst, they are empty and misleading qualifiers, attributing an unsupported value that the reader is asked to accept on the writer's authority. Hence, in works of persuasion, we frequently encounter words like certainly, clearly, absolutely, apparently obviously, absolutely, definitively, and undoubtedly. Such words do not reflect on the truth of the propositions they qualify, only on the writer's personal certitude." (Price, p. 313)
You can watch this video from Grammar Monster to learn more about adverbs.
Task 1. Text Analysis #2: verbs and adverbs (optional).
Task 2. Analyze the use of adverbs in three short extracts (optional)
Three short extracts are given. Each one uses adverbs differently. Focus on one excerpt and complete the fours steps:
Read the excerpt.
Identify the adverbs being used to modify verbs.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the writer's use of adverbs.
Rewrite the excerpt, using alternative ways to describe the action or scene (e.g. stronger verbs, or concrete details which create an image).
Anna walked slowly through the streets, looking vacantly around her. People went past busily with their shopping bags. She kept thinking miserably about Mark’s words to her.
Anna walked slowly through the streets, looking vacantly around her. People went past busily with their shopping bags. She kept thinking miserably about Mark’s words to her.
2. The child cried loudly, holding his teddy-bear tightly. His mother spoke to him impatiently. After a moment she took him roughly by the hand and moved him quickly towards the doorway.
The child cried loudly, holding his teddy-bear tightly. His mother spoke to him impatiently. After a moment she took him roughly by the hand and moved him quickly towards the doorway.
3. Entering the cave cautiously, Jack saw the dragon sitting fiercely beside its treasure. Steam came loudly from its nostrils, animal bones lay thickly on the floor and the whole cave smelled strongly of scorched flesh. Jack looked at the scene fearfully.
Entering the cave cautiously, Jack saw the dragon sitting fiercely beside its treasure. Steam came loudly from its nostrils, animal bones lay thickly on the floor and the whole cave smelled strongly of scorched flesh. Jack looked at the scene fearfully.
Task 3. Can you spot the problems with the adverbs in the following sentences? Choose one (or more) to revise and share your answer in the comment box below.
She smiled happily.
Sitting dejectedly in its cage, the parrot looked utterly unhappy.
Ireland is great for the spirit but very bad for the body.
I recorded the hedgehog feeding its hoglets cautiously.
I only eat candy on Halloween. No lie.
Yesterday, I was a dog. Today, I'm a dog. Tomorrow, I'll probably still be a dog. Sigh! There's so little hope for advancement. (Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz via Snoopy)