Adjective and adverbs in English

20th August 2017

Adverbs are an important part of the English language. Learn what they are and how you can use them in spoken and written English with our new Study Tip lesson.

Our holiday was too short- the time went quickly.

She speaks English perfectly. 

Quickly and perfectly are adverbs. Many adverbs are made from an adjective + ly

But not all words ending in –ly are adverbs. Some adjective end in –ly too. For example:

Friendly, lively, lonely, silly

Adjective or adverb?

An adjective tells us more about a noun. We use adjectives before nouns and after a few verbs (especially be)

• Tom is a careful driver. (adjective + noun)
• She is a fantastic teacher! (adjective + noun)
• Be quiet, please! (be + adjective)
• I was sad that my exam results were bad. (be + adjective)

An adverb tells us more about a verb. An adverb tells us in what way someone does something or in what way something happens:

• Tom drives carefully.
• Speak quietly, please.
• I was sad that I did badly in my exams.

She speaks perfect English (adjective + noun)

She speaks English perfectly (verb + object + adverb)

We also use adverbs before adjectives and other adverbs. For example

• Reasonably cheap
• Terribly sorry
• Incredibly quickly 

Test your knowledge:

Angrily             badly               dangerously                fast                  heavily             quietly

1. It is raining heavily.
2. He sings____________________
3. They came in________________
4. She shouted at me___________
5. She can run very_____________
6. He was driving_______________

For more Study Tips lessons, click here.