Usage of Adverb – Important English Grammar Tricks
Now a days Exams has changing the questions pattern of English Section more often, to tackle the English Section aspirants should be very strong in the Basic English Grammar. To help you in this aspect here we have given the Important English Grammar Tips in usage of Adverb which will be more helpful to attend Error Spotting Questions
Adverbs
An Adverb is a word which modifies the meaning of a verb, an adjective or another adverb.
Kinds of Adverbs
(A) According to their uses, adverbs are divided into three classes.
1. Simple Adverbs These adverbs modify the meaning of a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. eg,
(i) You are quite right.
(ii) She can hardly believe it.
2. Interrogative Adverbs These adverbs are used for asking questions. eg,
(i) How did you come here?
(ii) Why is she not playing?
3. Relative Adverbs These adverbs are the same in form as interrogative adverbs, but instead of asking questions, they join two sentences together.
These adverbs relate to some antecedent, expressed or understood. eg,
(i) Let me know the time when you will come.
(The antecedent expressed)
Let me know when you will come.
(The antecedent understood)
(ii) I remember the house where I was born.
(B) According to their meanings, adverbs may be divided into the following classes.
1. Adverbs of Time These are the adverbs which tell us when an action takes place. eg,
(i) I hurt my knee yesterday.
(ii) He comes here daily.
2. Adverbs of Place These are the adverbs which tell us where an action takes place. eg,
(i) He follows Nisha everywhere.
(ii) She left her bag here.
3. Adverbs of Frequency These are the adverbs which tell us how often an action takes place. eg,
(i) He seldom makes mistakes.
(ii) I have called you twice.
4. Adverbs of Degree or Quantity These are the adverbs which tell us how much or in what degree or to what extent.eg,
(i) These apples are almost ripe.
(ii) He is kind enough to help her.
5. Adverbs of Manner These are the adverbs which tell us how an action takes place or in what manner. eg,
(i) The soldiers fought bravely.
(ii) He came down slowly
6. Adverbs of Reason These are the adverbs which tell us why an action takes place. eg,
(i) She therefore left school.
(ii) I am hence unable to do it.
7. Adverbs of Affirmation and Negation These are the adverbs which tell us whether an action is done or not. eg,
(i) She certainly hit him.
(ii) I did not meet her.
Some Important Adverbs
1. Too and Very
Too means ‘more than required’ and it is usually used before unpleasant adjectives.
Very means ‘in a great degree’ and it is used before pleasant/ unpleasant adjectives.
If the sentence is not based on too …… to structure, very should be used in place of too. e.g.,
(i) I am too happy today. (Incorrect)
I am very happy today. (Correct)
(ii) My son’s health has been too good. (Incorrect)
My son’s health has been good. (Correct)
2. Too much and Much too
After too much a noun is used.
After much too an adjective is used. eg,
His wife’s rude behaviour gives him much too pain. (Incorrect)
His wife’s rude behaviour gives him too much pain. (Correct)
3. Much and Very
(a) Very is used with positive degree and much is used with comparative degree. eg,
(i) The air is very hot today.
(ii) The air is much hotter today than yesterday.
(b) Very is used with present participle and much is used with past participle. eg,
(i) It is very surprising for me.
(ii) I was much surprised at hearing the news.
4. Fairly and Rather
(a) Fairly is used with positive degree while rather is used with both positive degree and comparative degree.
(b) Fairly is used with pleasant objectives while rather is usually used with unpleasant adjectives. eg,
(i) She is fairly wise.
(ii) This job is rather difficult.
But, rather good, rather clever, rather pretty are used.
5. Hard and Hardly
Hard means ‘difficult’ or ‘solid’. It is used as an adjective as well as an adverb.
Hardly means ‘almost not’ and it is used as an adverb. eg,
(i) It is hard to believe that he is guilty.
(ii) There is hardly any tea left.
6. Late and Lately
Late means ‘near the end of a period of time’ and lately means ‘recently’. eg,
(i) She married in her late twenties.
(ii) He had lately returned from Australia.
7. Ago
Ago is always used in past indefinite tense. eg,
(i) I met her a year ago.
(ii) This had happened a week ago. (Incorrect)
This happened a week ago. (Correct)
8. Enough
(a) Enough is used just after the word that it qualifies.
(b) Always use positive degree of adjective/adverb before
enough. eg,
(i) He is now strong enough to leave his bed.
(ii) She is enough wise to allow her son to go. (Incorrect)
She is wise enough to allow her son to go. (Correct)
9. Else
Else should always be followed by but and never by than. eg,
It is nothing else but love.
10. Still and Yet
Still is usually used in affirmative sentences and yet in negative sentences. eg,
He has not still returned the money. (Incorrect)
He has not yet returned the money. (Correct)
Position of Adverbs
1. Always, often, seldom, never, just, ever, usually, hardly, already, nearly etc are used before the main verb. eg,
(i) I have told often him to write neatly. (Incorrect)
I have often told him to write neatly. (Correct)
(ii) He never talks ill of his friends.
(iii) Imran always comes late.
2. Adverbs of time/ place/manner are generally placed after the verb or after the object if there is one. eg,
(i) He does his work carefully.
(ii) She looked everywhere.
(iii) I met her yesterday.
Adverb of manner is used before the object if a clause starting with who/ which/ that is used after the object. eg,
She received warmly all those who had come in time.
3. If adverbs of time/place/manner all are to be used in a sentence, the normal order is—adverb of manner, adverb of place, adverb of time. eg,
He danced in the city hall well last night. (Incorrect)
He danced well in the city hall last night. (Correct)
4. Adverbs of quantity are usually used before the word that they qualify. eg,
(i) The party was too dull.
(ii) She is quite cool.
5. Only should be placed immediately before the word it qualifies. eg,
(i) We worked only four sums.
(ii) She has slept only two hours.
6. Preposition is not used before an adverb. eg,
My sister asked me to go to market with quickly. (Incorrect)
My sister asked me to go to market quickly. (Correct)
7. The adverbs of frequency and quantity should be placed before the auxiliaries have to and used to. eg,
I used to often take a break from my packed schedule. (Incorrect)
I often used to take a break from my packed schedule. (Correct)
8. An adverb is not used by splitting an infinitive. eg,
She asked him to carefully write the answer. (Incorrect)
She asked him to write the answer carefully. (Correct)
9. No adverb is used before quite. eg,
Raman is absolutely quite alone. (Incorrect)
Raman is quite alone. (Correct)
10. ‘Inverted form of verb’ is used in the sentences starting
with seldom, never, hardly, scarcely, rarely, no sooner.
eg,
(i) No sooner had he entered the class than the bell rang.
(ii) Seldom she meets her friends. (Incorrect)
Seldom does she meet her friends. (Correct)
