ADVERB A
PART OF SPEECH or word class chiefly used to modify
VERBS,
ADJECTIVES, or other adverbs.
Form
(1) Most adverbs are formed from adjectives by the addition of the ending
-ly as in
suddenly,
playfully,
interestingly, or
-ally after
-ic as in
automatically,
spasmodically (with the exception
publicly). (2) Some are formed from
NOUNS in combination with other suffixes:
-wise as in
clockwise,
lengthwise, and
-ward(
s) as in
northwards,
skyward. (3) A set of common adverbs have no suffixes (
here,
there,
now,
just,
well), though some are compounds (
therefore,
nevertheless). (4) A set of common adverbs, also known as
adverbial particles, are used along with verbs:
in,
out,
on,
off,
up,
down, etc. See
PHRASAL VERB.
Function
The class is heterogeneous, and some grammarians have attempted to establish separate classes for some sets of words that are traditionally regarded as adverbs, such as
INTENSIFIERS. Within the traditional adverb class, a distinction is made between adverbs that modify adjectives or other adverbs (the most frequent being
very as in
very quick), and adverbs that modify verbs or verbs together with some other part of the sentence (such as
competently in
She handled the matter competently). Adverbs in the second group are sometimes said to have an
ADVERBIAL function, a function also performed by such constructions as prepositional phrases and clauses. The adverb
competently is an adverbial in
She handled the matter competently, as are the prepositional phrase
in a competent manner in
She handled the matter in a competent manner and the clause
as everybody expected her to do in
She handled the matter as everybody expected her to do.
Sentence adverbs
Adverbials that modify the sentence as a whole are
sentence adverbials, and adverbs that function as sentence adverbials are
sentence adverbs. In the following examples,
fortunately and
however are both sentence adverbs:
Fortunately,
she handled the matter competently;
The task was formidable;
however (that is, despite the task being formidable),
she handled the matter competently.
Wh-adverbs
There is a subclass of so-called
wh-adverbs:
how,
when,
where,
why, and combinations such as
whenever and
wherever. The four simple adverbs introduce
wh-questions (
When did they come?), and they and the others introduce certain types of subordinate clauses (
He told us when they had come).
Comparison and modification
(1) Apart from modifying adjectives and adverbs, some adverbs may modify prepositions (
well in
He kicked the ball well past the line), certain pronouns and determiners (
virtually in
They admitted virtually everybody), noun phrases (
quite in
It was quite a quarrel), and nouns of time and place (
afterwards in
the week afterwards). (2) Some adverbs may also function as the complement of certain prepositions (
now in the phrase
by now). (3) Like gradable adjectives,
gradable adverbs allow comparison and modification by intensifying adverbs:
more humbly,
very humbly. Only a small number of gradable adverbs take comparative and superlative inflections, many of them having the same forms as the corresponding adjective:
work hard/harder/hardest;
drive fast/faster/fastest. There are also some irregular forms:
plays well/better/best (compare *
good/better/best plays),
sings badly/worse/worst (compare
bad/worse/worst songs). See
DEGREE,
PERIPHRASIS.
