An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb. It answers how? (slowly), when? (soon), where? (outside), how often? (often) or how much? (very). It builds on Adjectives and Articles and Action and Linking Verbs.
Key idea
Find an adverb by its job, not its ending. Ask which word it tells about, and what it tells: how, when, where, how often or how much.
Why it works
Adverbs make actions precise: “ran” versus “ran slowly” or “nearly ran.” Words like not, never, very and too are some of the most common adverbs in English, and they can change a sentence’s whole meaning.
Worked example: Not every adverb ends in -ly
Find the adverb: “The friendly neighbor waved often.”
- friendly ends in -ly, but it describes the neighbor, a noun. It is an adjective.
- often tells how often the neighbor waved. It is the adverb.
Answer: often
Worked example: What does it modify?
In “The soup was too hot,” what does too modify?
- too tells how hot.
- hot is an adjective.
Answer: hot, an adjective
Common mistake
Thinking every adverb ends in -ly. Then you miss very, often, soon, fast, not and here, and you call friendly, lovely and lonely adverbs when they are adjectives. Check the job.