Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or entire sentences. Understanding the correct position of adverbs in sentences and how to form their degrees of comparison is essential for the ЕГЭ English exam. These grammatical structures allow you to express how, when, where, and to what extent actions occur, which are fundamental aspects of English communication.
In English, adverbs can be placed in different positions in a sentence depending on their type and the emphasis desired. Additionally, like adjectives, many adverbs have comparative and superlative forms that allow for comparisons. Mastering these concepts will help you achieve a higher score in both the grammar and writing sections of the ЕГЭ English exam.
Adverbs can be classified according to their meaning:
| Type | Function | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Adverbs of Manner | Describe how an action is performed | quickly, carefully, well, badly |
| Adverbs of Place | Indicate where an action happens | here, there, everywhere, nowhere |
| Adverbs of Time | Show when an action occurs | now, then, yesterday, soon |
| Adverbs of Frequency | Indicate how often an action happens | always, usually, often, sometimes, never |
| Adverbs of Degree | Show the intensity or degree of an action, adjective, or another adverb | very, too, extremely, quite, rather |
| Adverbs of Certainty | Express how certain or sure we are about something | certainly, definitely, probably, perhaps |
| Adverbs of Comment | Express the speaker's opinion about what they are saying | fortunately, unfortunately, surprisingly |
| Adverbs of Viewpoint | Express from what perspective we are speaking | politically, economically, personally |
Many adverbs are formed by adding -ly to an adjective:
| Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
| quick | quickly |
| careful | carefully |
| happy | happily |
| terrible | terribly |
There are some spelling rules to remember when forming adverbs:
Some adverbs have the same form as their corresponding adjectives:
Some adverbs have a completely different form from their corresponding adjectives:
Be careful with "good" and "well." "Good" is an adjective, while "well" is usually an adverb:
She is a good singer. (adjective)
She sings well. (adverb)
However, "well" can also be an adjective meaning "in good health":
I don't feel well today. (adjective)
The position of an adverb in a sentence depends on its type and the emphasis desired:
Adverbs of manner usually come after the verb or after the object if there is one:
They can also come before the main verb (but after auxiliary verbs):
Adverbs of place usually come after the verb or after the object if there is one:
Adverbs of time can come at the beginning or end of a sentence, but rarely in the middle:
Adverbs of frequency usually come:
Adverbs of degree usually come before the word they modify:
Adverbs of certainty can come:
Adverbs of comment and viewpoint usually come at the beginning of a sentence:
When there are multiple adverbs in a sentence, they usually follow this order: manner, place, time:
Like adjectives, many adverbs have three degrees of comparison: positive, comparative, and superlative.
For adverbs ending in -ly, we use "more" for the comparative and "most" for the superlative:
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| quickly | more quickly | most quickly |
| carefully | more carefully | most carefully |
| happily | more happily | most happily |
Examples in sentences:
For adverbs that have the same form as adjectives, we add -er for the comparative and -est for the superlative, or use "more" and "most":
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| hard | harder | hardest |
| fast | faster | fastest |
| early | earlier | earliest |
Examples in sentences:
Some adverbs have irregular comparative and superlative forms:
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| well | better | best |
| badly | worse | worst |
| far | farther/further | farthest/furthest |
| little | less | least |
| much | more | most |
Examples in sentences:
"Farther" and "further" are both comparative forms of "far," but they have slightly different uses:
"Farther" typically refers to physical distance: She lives farther from school than I do.
"Further" can refer to physical distance but is also used for figurative or abstract meanings: Let's discuss this further at the meeting.
To express that two actions are equal in some way, use "as + adverb + as":
There are several structures used with comparative adverbs:
| Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| comparative + than | She runs faster than her brother. |
| comparative + and + comparative | He's working harder and harder these days. |
| the + comparative..., the + comparative... | The more carefully you study, the better you'll do on the exam. |
One common error is using an adjective when an adverb is needed, or vice versa:
Remember:
After linking verbs (be, seem, look, feel, sound, taste, smell), we use adjectives, not adverbs:
"Hard" and "hardly" have different meanings:
"Late" and "lately" have different meanings:
"Near" and "nearly" have different meanings:
"Most" and "almost" have different meanings:
Choose the correct form (adjective or adverb) to complete each sentence.
Answers:
1. She speaks English well. (adverb modifying the verb "speaks")
2. He is a careful driver. (adjective modifying the noun "driver")
3. The food tastes delicious. (adjective after the linking verb "tastes")
4. They arrived late for the meeting. (adverb modifying the verb "arrived")
5. She looks happy today. (adjective after the linking verb "looks")
Form the comparative and superlative degrees of the following adverbs.
Answers:
1. quickly → more quickly → most quickly
2. well → better → best
3. hard → harder → hardest
4. carefully → more carefully → most carefully
5. badly → worse → worst
Place the adverb in the correct position in each sentence.
Answers:
1. He always drives to work. (adverb of frequency before the main verb)
2. She has never been to Paris. (adverb of frequency between the auxiliary verb and the main verb)
3. They sometimes watch TV in the evening. (adverb of frequency before the main verb)
4. We will go to the beach tomorrow. (adverb of time at the end of the sentence)
5. The children play happily in the garden. (adverb of manner after the verb)
In the ЕГЭ English exam, pay special attention to the correct position of adverbs in sentences, especially adverbs of frequency. Also, be careful with the choice between adjectives and adverbs, particularly after linking verbs. Remember that some adverbs have irregular comparative and superlative forms, and these are often tested in the exam.