Henry asked his son about some homework he had for school.
Henry: Did you finish your homework quicky?
Tom: No, I did it slowly. It was hard!
Henry: But you did it carefully, right?
Tom: Yes, I always do it carefully.
Henry wanted to know how his son did the homework. Quickly? Slowly? Carefully?
These are adverbs of manner. Let's discover why they are so useful when we describe actions.
What are adverbs of manner?
Adverbs of manner are words that describe how you do an action. Do you remember Tom? He did his homework carefully and slowly.
Usually, adverbs of manner are formed by adding -ly to the adjective.
careful: carefully
slow: slowly
quick: quickly
However, there are some exceptions: some adverbs have the same form as an adjective: late, fast, hard.
He came home late.
He ran fast.
He worked hard.
Where can we place adverbs of manner?
Adverbs of manner can be placed right after the verb on many occasions:
He spoke angrily.
She ran slowly.
They sang beautifully.
But they can also appear after the object in a sentence:
Tom did the homework carefully.
Daniel opened the door quietly.
The teacher observed the students confidently.
Sometimes you can also find them before the verb, and even at the beginning of the sentence:
He carefully looked at his brother.
Carefully, he looked at his brother.
Quiz
Tom and Henry did other interesting things. Can you select the correct sentences?
When do we use adverbs of manner?
We use adverbs of manners in different situations:
To describe an action in detail: How does she dance? She dances beautifully.
To describe clear instructions and processes: Cut the paper carefully.
To make stories more clear: The children ran happily in the park
To show attitude or emotion: He agreed to help reluctantly.
Be careful!
We don't use adverbs of manner with link verbs. Link verbs are followed by a noun or adjective — for example, the verb "to be".
She is happy.
My teacher is smart.
She is happily.
My teacher is smartly.
Other verbs are similar to the verb "to be": look, appear, and seem.With these verbs, we use an adjective (not an adverb).
He looked angry.
She seemed confident.
Quiz
Tom is quiet right now. Which of the following sentences is correct?
Take Action
Get ready to use adverbs of manner right away!
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