As you read the following adverb examples, youll notice

how these useful words modify other words and phrases

by providing information about the place, time, manner,
certainty, frequency, or other circumstances of activity
denoted by the verbs or verb phrases in the sentences.

Rules on using adverbs

There are many rules for using adverbs, and these rules
often depend upon which type of adverb you are using.
Remember these basics, and using adverbs to make
sentences more meaningful will be easier for you.

Adverbs can always be used to modify verbs.

Notice that the second of these two sentences is much
more interesting simply because it contains an adverb:

The dog ran. (You can picture a dog running,

but you dont really know much more about the scene.)

The dog ran excitedly. (You can picture a

dog running, wagging its tail, panting happily, and
looking glad to see its owner. You can paint a much
more interesting picture in your head when you know
how or why the dog is running.)

Adverbs are often formed by adding the letters ly to adjectives. This makes is very easy to identify
adverbs in sentences. There are many exceptions to this
rule; everywhere, nowhere, and upstairs are a few
examples.

An adverb can be used to modify an adjective and

intensify the meaning it conveys. For example:

He plays tennis well. (He knows how to play

tennis and sometimes he wins.)

He plays tennis extremely well. (He knows

how to play tennis so well that he wins often.)

Adverbs of Frequency Rules

These simple rules for adverbs of frequency will help
you to use them correctly:

Always use adverbs of frequency to discuss how

often something happens.

Adverbs of frequency are often used to indicate

routine or repeated activities, so they are often used
with the present simple tense.

If a sentence has only one verb, place the adverb

of frequency in the middle of the sentence so that it is
positioned after the subject but before the verb. For
example: Tom never flies. He always takes the bus.

When a sentence contains more than one verb,

place the adverb of frequency before the main verb. For
example: They have often visited Europe.

When using an adverb of frequency in the

negative or in forming a question, place it before the
main verb. For example: Do you usually get up so late?
There are a few rules to remember regarding adverbs of
manner:

When using these adverbs, be careful not to place

them between the object and the verb. They often fit
best after the sentences object or main verb.

If there is a preposition before the object, the

adverb of manner may be placed either before the
preposition or after the sentences object.

Add emphasis by placing an adverb of manner

before both the verb and object, and when these
adverbs are placed at the beginning of a sentence, they
catch the readers attention.

Below, between, above, behind, through, around and so

forth.

Many adverbs of place indicate movement in a

particular direction and end in the letters -ward or
-wards. For example: Toward, forward, backward,
homeward, westward, eastwards onwards

Adverbs of time rules

These simple rules for adverbs of time will help you to
use them the right way:

Adverbs of time often work best when placed at

the end of sentences. For example:

Robin Hood
Nottingham yesterday.

These simple rules for adverbs of place will help you to

use them the right way:

Im sick of living in chaos, so Im going to

clean my house tomorrow.

An adverb of place always talks about the location

where the action of the verb is being carried out.

You can change the position of an adverb of time

to lend emphasis to a certain aspect of a sentence. For
example:

Adverbs of place are normally placed after a

sentences object or main verb.

Later Robin Hood stole the kings crown.

(The time is the most important element here.)

Adverbs of place can be directional. For

example: Up, down, around, away, north, southeast

Adverbs of place can refer to distances. For

example: Nearby, far away, miles apart

Robin Hood later stole the kings crown.

(This is a formal way to use the adverb later. Notice how
the statement sounds like it belongs in a police report.)

Robin Hood stole the kings crown later.

(This is a neutral, standard way to use the adverb later.)

Adverbs of place rules

An adverb of place can indicate an objects

position in relation to another object. For example:

swindled

the

Sheriff

of

Adverbs of time describing for how long an action

occurred usually work best at the end of a sentence. For
example:

She stayed at her grandmothers house all

day.

Conjunctions are for connecting thoughts, actions,

and ideas as well as nouns, clauses, and other parts of
speech.
For
example: Mary
went
to
the
supermarket and bought oranges.

Conjunctions are useful for making lists. For

example: We made pancakes, eggs, and coffee for
breakfast.

When using conjunctions, make sure that all the

parts of your sentences agree. For example: I work
busily yet am careful does not agree. I work
busily yet carefully shows agreement.

My father was up with heartburn for hours.

Adverbs of time that express an exact number of
times the action happens usually work best at the end
of a sentence. For example:

The newspaper arrives daily.

They go out to dinner weekly.

Our family goes on an outing monthly.

There are a few important rules for using conjunctions.

Remember them and you will find that your writing
flows better:

When using more than one adverb of time in a

sentence, use them in the following order:

1. How long

2. How often

3. When
For example:

She volunteered at the hospital (1) for three

days (2) every month (3) last year.

Conjunction Rules

Subordinate conjunctions rules

There is only one rule to remember about using
subordinate conjunctions:
A subordinate conjunction performs two functions within
a sentence. First, it illustrates the importance of the
independent clause. Second, it provides a transition
between two ideas in the same sentence. The transition
always
indicates
a place,
time, or cause
and
effect relationship. For example: We looked in the metal
canister, where Ginger often hides her candy.

Correlative conjunctions rules

There are some important rules to remember for using
correlative conjunctions correctly.

When
using
correlative
conjunctions,
ensure verbs agree so your sentences make sense. For
example: Every
night, either loud
music or fighting
neighbors wake John from his sleep.

When you use a correlative conjunction, you must

be
sure
that pronouns agree.
For
example:
Neither Debra nor Sally expressed her annoyance when
the cat broke the antique lamp.

preference. The fact is, you can begin sentences

with coordinating conjunctions as long as you follow
these three rules for doing so:

When using correlative conjunctions, be sure to

keep parallel structure intact. Equal grammatical units
need to be incorporated into the entire sentence. For
example: Not
only did
Mary
grill
burgers
for
Michael, but she also fixed a steak for her dog, Vinny.

Coordinating Conjunction Rules

As there are only seven of these words, there are just a
few rules for using coordinating conjunctions correctly:
1.

Its a good idea to use the mnemonic FANBOYS

to memorize coordinating conjunctions so youll
never forget them. They are:

F = for A = and N = nor B = but

Y = yet
S = so
2.

3.

O=

or

Coordinating
conjunctions
always
connect
phrases, words, and clauses. For example: This
batch of mushroom stew is savory and delicious.
Some instructors warn that starting a sentence
with a coordinating conjunction is incorrect. Mostly,
this is because they are attempting to help prevent
you from writing fragments rather than complete
sentences; sometimes though, its just a personal

Ensure that the coordinating conjunction is

immediately followed by a main clause

Dont use coordinating conjunctions to begin

all of your sentences. Do so only when it makes your
writing more effective.

Although
commas
typically
follow
coordinating conjunctions used in areas other than
the beginning of a sentence, they should not be
used after coordinating conjunctions used to open
sentences unless an interrupter immediately
follows.

Conjunctive adverbs rules

This is just one of the things youll need to remember;
additional rules for using conjunctive adverbs follow:

Always use a period or semicolon before the

conjunctive adverb when separating two independent
clauses. Conjunctive adverbs are not strong enough to
join
independent
clauses
without
supporting
punctuation.

Use a comma if a conjunction such as and, but,

or, or so appears between the conjunctive adverb and
the first clause.

prepositions, a comprehensive list of prepositions, and

some helpful preposition exercises.

Use a comma behind conjunctive adverbs when

they appear at the beginning of a sentences second
clause. The only exception to this rule is that no comma
is necessary if the adverb is a single syllable.

As you read the examples and study the list, remember

that prepositions usually convey concepts such as
comparison,
direction,
place,
purpose,
source
possession, and time.

If a conjunctive adverb appears in the middle of a

clause, it should be enclosed in commas most of the
time. This is not an absolute rule and does not normally
apply to short clauses.

Rules on using
Preposition
There are two very important rules to remember when
using prepositions. Because they are somewhat vague,
learning about prepositions and using them correctly in
sentences takes practice. Because 1:1 translation is
often impossible when dealing with prepositions, even
the most advanced English students have some
difficulty at first.

The first rule is that certain prepositions must be

used to make the relationships between words in a
sentence clear. Most prepositions are interchangeable
but only to a certain extent.

The second rule for using prepositions is that

these words must be followed by nouns.
There are more than 100 prepositions in the English
language. In addition, there are endless possibilities for
creating prepositional phrases. In the following
sections, you will find examples of prepositions, types of

Rules for prepositional phrases

Remember the following rules for prepositional phrases
and you will find that using them becomes much easier.

Prepositional phrases always consist of two basic

parts at minimum: the object and the preposition.

In formal English, prepositions are almost always

followed by objects.

Adjectives
can
be
placed
between
prepositions and objects in prepositional phrases.

Prepositional
phrases
can
act
as adverbs or adjectives. When they are used as
adjectives, they modify nouns and pronouns in the same
way single-word adjectives do.

When prepositional phrases are used as adverbs,

they at the same way single-word adverbs and adverb
clauses do, modifying adjectives, verbs, and other
adverbs.

the

Just like bread and cheese are the minimum ingredients

for making a cheese sandwich, a preposition and the
object of a preposition are the minimum requirements

for forming a prepositional phrase. The object of a

preposition is the name for the noun or pronoun
following the preposition.
Prepositional phrases dont have to be plain. Just as
adding more ingredients to a sandwich dresses it up,
adding more words such as adverbs or adjectives is a
good method for spicing up prepositional phrases. As
you read the following examples of prepositional
phrases, youll notice that the first sentence in each set
contains a basic prepositional phrase, while the second
one contains a more interesting one.

Use of Interjections
Beginning of Sentences
When people think of interjections, they commonly think
of them being used at the beginning of the sentence.
Many also associate interjections with a punctuation
mark designed to convey emotion: the exclamation
point.
This is often true. Interjections can and do appear in the
beginning of sentences. For example:

Yikes, I didnt realize that there was a test on

grammar today!
Oh no, I cant believe that it is snowing here
again!
In both of these sentences the interjection - yikes and
oh no appear at the beginning of the sentence. In

addition, in both of the sentences, the emotion is a

strong emotion and the sentence itself ends with an
exclamation point.

Middle or End of Sentences

Interjections do not always have to be at the beginning
of a sentence. They can appear in the middle, at the
end, or anyplace else where the author wants to
interject a bit of feeling and emotion.
For example, in the sentence So, its snowing again,
huh? the interjection is found at the end. Here, the
interjection is designed to express confusion (or perhaps
dismay) at the continued snow falling. In this sentence,
the emotion wasnt an emotion that necessitated an
exclamation point--instead, the interjection huh turned
the sentence into a question.
The sentence In my opinion, my gosh, this is just the
smartest thing you have ever said the interjection is
found in the middle. It designed to express or convey
the authors emphasis on his opinion that the statement
was smart. Again, no exclamation point is required.

Stand-alone Sentence
An interjection can also be used by itself as a standalone sentence. For example, look at the two sentences:
Oh gosh! I cant believe how late it is. The interjection
oh gosh is a stand-alone sentence. This is
grammatically correct, although Oh Gosh does not
contain a subject and action that is normally required

for a complete thought to be expressed. The

interjection--or the emotion felt--is the entire point of
the sentence.

You should capitalize the title when it come

immediately before or after someone's name.
You don't have to capitalize the job title if it comes
after the word "the."
For example: "Dr. Rogers was the Cardiac Surgeon."
"The cardiac surgeon allowed me to come into the room
and observe the patient."

Capitalization Rules
1. Names or titles of people
This one may seem obvious, but theres also a catch. Of
course, you capitalize the first letters of a persons first,
middle and last names (John Quincy Adams), but you
also capitalize suffixes (Jr., the Great, Princess of Power,
etc.) and titles.
Titles can be as simple as Mr., Mrs. or Dr., but they also
apply to situations wherein you address a person by his
or her position as though its their first name. For
example, when we talk about President Lincoln, we are
using his role as though it were a part of his name. We
dont always capitalize the word president. Indeed, we
could say, "During the Civil War, President Lincoln was
the president of the United States."
Another way to look at capitalizing job titles is to look at
the position of the job title in the sentence in reference
to the person's name.

2. Names of mountains, mountain ranges, hills

and volcanoes
Again, were talking about specific places. The word hill
is not a proper noun, but Gellert Hill is because its the
name of one specific hill. Use a capital letter to begin
each word in the name of a mountain (Mt. Olympus),
mountain range (the Appalachians), hill (San Juan Hill)
or volcano (Mt. Vesuvius).

3. Names of bodies of water (rivers,

oceans, seas, streams and creeks)

lakes,

From here, it gets pretty easy. The same rules that apply
to mountain names also apply to water names. A river is
just a river, but the Mississippi River is a proper noun
and must be capitalized, just like Lake Erie, the Indian
Ocean and the Dead Sea.
4. Names of buildings, monuments, bridges and
tunnels
Man-made structures also often have names. The White
House, the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the

Golden Gate Bridge and the Lincoln Tunnel are a few

good examples.

Capitalize both the actual name part of the name

(Capital) and the road part of the name (Boulevard);
both are necessary for forming the entire name of the
street (Capital Boulevard).

This ones a little tricky when and, articles or

prepositions are involved. If the is the first word in the
given name of a work, it must be capitalized (The
Washington Post, The Glass Menagerie). If a or an is
the first word, it too is capitalized (A Few Good Men),
and if a preposition leads the way, you guessed it:
Capitalized (Of Mice and Men). However, if any of these
words come in the middle of the title, it is not
capitalized.

6. Schools, colleges and universities

9. The first letter in a sentence

All of the words in the name of the educational

institution should be capitalized. For example: Harvard
University, Wilkesboro Elementary School, Cape Fear
Community College.

The last two rules are easy. Always capitalize the first
letter of a sentence. If the sentence is a quotation within
a larger sentence, capitalize it, but only if its a
complete sentence. If its merely a phrase that fits
neatly into the larger sentence, it does not require
capitalization. Study the following two examples for
clarification:

5. Street names

7.
Political
divisions
(continents,
regions,
countries, states, counties, cities and towns)
As is the case with regions of a country, the divisions
may not always be political, but you get the idea. When
you refer to New England, the Midwest, the Pacific
Northwest or the South as a region (as opposed to a
compass direction), you capitalize it. Also, continents
(South
America),
countries
(Belgium),
states
(Wisconsin), counties (Prince William County), cities
(London) and towns (Lizard Lick) get capitalized.
8.
Titles
of
books,
movies,
magazines,
newspapers, articles, songs, plays and works of
art

The waiter said, My manager will be here

shortly, but he never came.
The waiter told us that his manager would be
here shortly, but he never came.
10. The pronoun I
Its only necessary to capitalize other pronouns when
they begin a sentence, but I is always capitalized.
Remembering the Rules
Well, first of all, you should ask yourself three questions:
Is this the first letter in a sentence? If the answer is yes,
capitalize.
Is this the pronoun I? If yes, capitalize.

Am I using a name that someone gave to this thing or

person? If yes, capitalize.
And if you want to remember all the specific categories,
The first letter of each word stands for a category:
F - First letter in a sentence
B - Buildings (and other man-made structures)
B - Borders (of regions, states, countries, etc.)

T - Titles
P - People
I-I
S - Schools
W - Water
M - Mountains
S Streets