What are Adverbs of Manner?
Adverbs of manner tell us how something happens or how someone does something. They are usually placed right after the main verb or after the object.
- She sings beautifully. (How does she sing? Beautifully.)
- He drives the car carefully. (How does he drive? Carefully.)
Forming Adverbs of Manner
Most adverbs of manner are formed by adding -ly to an adjective.
- slow ➔ slowly
- quiet ➔ quietly
- careful ➔ carefully
Spelling Rules:
- If the adjective ends in -y, change it to -i and add -ly (happy ➔ happily, easy ➔ easily).
- If the adjective ends in -le, drop the -e and add -y (gentle ➔ gently, terrible ➔ terribly).
Irregular Adverbs (Crucial to Memorize)
Some adverbs do not follow the "-ly" rule at all. You must memorize these, as they are very common in daily English and exams.
| Adjective | Adverb | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| good | well | He played well. |
| fast | fast | She runs very fast. (Not fastly) |
| hard | hard | They worked hard. |
| late | late | I woke up late. |