ADVANCED ENGLISH GRAMMAR

TYPES OF ADVERB AND POSITION

Adverb is a word which is used to modify verb, adjective or adverb. There are six kinds of
adverb in English. They are:
1) Adverb of Time
2) Adverb of Place
3) Adverb of Manner
4) Adverb of Frequency
5) Adverb of Probability
6) Adverb of Degree

1) Adverb of Time
Adverb of time is used to tell the time that an action happens or someone does something. There
are many adverbs of time as the following.
Today, last night, yesterday, now, tomorrow, last month,
before…
Formula1:
Sentence + Adverb of Time
Example:
- I study English today.
- He met his friends last night.
Formula2:
Adverb of Time + Sentence
Example:
- Yesterday she went to Phnom Penh.
- Now I’m learning English.

2) ADVERB OF PLACE
Adverb of place is used to tell the place where an action occurs or where someone does
something. There are many adverbs of place as the following.
Here, there, inside, outside… or we can use with the
preposition of place like at school, at the market…
Formula:
Sentence + Adverb of Place
Example:
- My dog sleeps outside.
- We have the meeting in the hotel.

3) ADVERB OF MANNER
Adverb of manner is used to tell how an action happens.
Those Adverbs of Manner are:
Badly, beautifully, carefully, quickly, softly, lately, hardly,
late, hard, truly, fast, easily, fully, automatically…
Formula:
 Subject + Intransitive Verb + Adverb of Manner
Example:
- She sings beautifully.
- He runs quickly.
NOTE: For lately and hardly its formula is:
Subject + Lately/Hardly + Verb + Complement
Example:
- She hardly believes you.
- He lately goes to USA.
WARNING: Don’t use adverb after “Linking Verb”.

4) ADVERB OF FREQUENCY
Adverb of frequency is used to expresses how often something happens or someone does
something.
100% 80% 60%
Always Usually often
Everyday normally frequently
generally
50-40% 20% 10% 0%
sometime Seldom rarely never
occasionally hardly ever
Formula:
Subject + Adverb of Frequency + Verb + Complement
Example:
- They always do their homework at night.
- We sometime go to the cinema at the weekend.

5) ADVERB OF PROBABILITY
Adverb of probability is used to show how sure when someone does something.
Probably, perhaps, definitely, obviously, certainly, truly,
exactly....
Formula1:
Adverb of Probability + Sentence
Example:
- Perhaps she comes today.
- Probably I have to get up early tomorrow.
Formula2:
Subject + Modal Verb + Adverb of Probability + Main
Verb + Complement
Example:
- He will probably get married next year.
- Many people can exactly speak English very well.

6) ADVERB OF DEGREE
Adverb of degree is used to give information about the extent or degree of something.
 Very, quite, fairly, extremely, too, enough, so, almost, a
lot...
Formula1:
Subject + Intransitive Verb + Adverb of Degree
Example:
- My friends talk a lot.
- The economy grows extremely.
Formula2:
Sub +Transitive Verb + Object + Adverb of Degree
Example:
- My boss treats all workers fairly.
- Children study English, too.

Formula3:
Subject +Linking Verb + Adverb of Degree + Adjective
Example:
- She seems too hungry.
- I feel too much better.

7) Focusing adverbs

especially just mainly particularly

generally largely only simply

I just wanted to ask you what you thought.

I wouldn’t particularly like to move to a modern house.

8) Evaluative adverbs (surprisingly) and viewpoint adverbs

(personally)
We put some adverbs outside the clause. They modify the whole sentence or utterance.
Evaluative and viewpoint adverbs are good examples of this:

The electric car, surprisingly, does not really offer any advantages over petrol cars. (evaluative)

Personally, I think the show was great. (viewpoint)

9) Linking adverbs (then, however)

Linking adverbs show a relationship between two clauses or sentences (e.g. a sequence in time,
cause and effect, contrast between two things):
I left my house in the morning [sequence]then I went to pick up Leanne at her house.

[cause]We talked until the early hours and [effect]consequently I overslept the next morning.
(the result of the late night is that I was late the next morning)

The sun will be shining in France. [contrast]However, heavy rain is expected in Spain.

Warning:

We can use then and consequently to join clauses or sentences. We usually use but not however
to connect two clauses in the same sentence:

There was no room for them but they got on the train.

There was no room for them. However, they got on the train.

10) Quantity

The main adverbs of quantity are much, a lot and a little.

Much is normally used with negative sentences (I don’t get out much these days),
a little with positive (affirmative) sentences (I know him a little) and
a lot can be used with both.
The most common position for all of these is at the end of the clause or sentence.

11) Attitude

Attitude adverbs usually refer to the whole clause or sentence rather than just to a particular word
or phrase. The list of possible attitude adverbs includes: frankly, clearly, obviously, naturally,
fortunately, hopefully, really, surprisingly, astonishingly and apparently. Their position is quite
flexible since they can occur at the beginning and the end of a clause as well as immediately before
the verb and before a complement:

• Frankly , I don’t think we’ll win.

• I don’t think we’ll win, frankly.
• He obviously doesn’t want to come.
• She’s clearly the best person for the job.

You should note that most adverbs of attitude can also function as adverbs of manner; it depends
on how the adverb is used in a sentence and how it is spoken. The examples should help.

• Clearly, it’s a question of choice. (attitude – it’s obvious that…)

• I can see him quite clearly (manner – there is no obstruction)

There are some native speakers who still object to the use of hopefully as an adverb of attitude and
suggest it should only be used as an adverb of manner as in it’s better to travel hopefully… but
quite why this one word is singled in this way is not clear since, as we noted above, many of these
attitude adverbs can be adverbs of manner too, for example:

• Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn. (attitude)

• I would like to speak to you frankly. (manner)

But these examples don’t seem to upset some people to the same extent as hopefully.

Types of adverb Examples

time now, then, presently, soon, already

place there, here

frequency now and again, often, usually

manner slowly, properly, cautiously

degree very, quite, extremely

focus only, especially, just

quantity a bit, a little, a lot

attitude hopefully, unfortunately, sadly