Adverbs

Many Adverbs of Manner are formed by combining adjectives with ly.

Examples:

loud + ly = loudly

quiet + ly = quietly

quick + ly = quickly

slow + ly = slowly

smart + ly = smartly

beautiful + ly = beautifully

An adverb of manner tells us how an action is done. It is usually used after a verb, as it tells us how the action of a verb is done.

Examples:

sing beautifully

danced gracefully

drive carefully

laugh heartily

smile broadly

cry bitterly

sit comfortably

write neatly

The dancers are dancing gracefully on the stage.

I am waiting patiently for my turn to buy a ticket.

The professor explained the details to the students clearly.

The little girl cried bitterly when her pet cat died.

Ariel's grandfather died peacefully in his sleep.

Robin talked politely to the principal.

Note:

There are adverbs of manner which do not end with ly, especially one-syllable adverbs such as fast, soon, high, late and hard.

Examples:

He ran fast and beat all the other runners.

She works hard every day.

The bird flies high in the sky.

Lina came late to work yesterday.

I hope that he will arrive soon.

Exercises

Rewrite the sentences, adding the adverbs in brackets correctly.

1. We cannot go out because it is raining. (heavily)

2. The students are all dressed for the graduation ceremony. (smartly)

3. The schoolchildren crossed the road. (carefully)

4. I'm sorry. I broke your pen. (accidentally)

5. Today is a sunny day. The sun is shining in the sky. (brightly)

6. Susan's teacher praised her for writing. (neatly)

7. The old man shouted at the mischievous boys. (angrily)

8. Michael was punished for behaving. (rudely)

9. The drunk is walking across the road. (unsteadily)

10. My dog growled at the stranger standing at the gate. (fiercely)

11. All the soldiers fought in the war to defend their homeland. (bravely)

12. The philanthropist donated to the flood victims. (generously)

13. Frank performed on the stage and won the first prize. (skillfully)

14. Tom lied on the couch after a hard day's work. (lazily)

15. Although May was scared, she tried to face the situation. (calmly)

Answers

1. We cannot go out because it is raining heavily.

2. The students are all dressed smartly for the graduation ceremony.

3. The schoolchildren crossed the road carefully.

4. I'm sorry. I broke your pen accidentally.

5. Today is a sunny day. The sun is shining brightly in the sky.

6. Susan's teacher praised her for writing neatly.

7. The old man shouted angrily at the mischievous boys.

8. Michael was punished for behaving rudely.

9. The drunk is walking unsteadily across the road.

10. My dog growled fiercely at the stranger standing at the gate.

11. All the soldiers fought bravely in the war to defend their homeland.

12. The philanthropist donated generously to the flood victims.

13. Frank performed skillfully on the stage and won the first prize.

14. Tom lied on the couch lazily after a hard day's work.

15. Although May was scared, she tried to face the situation calmly.