Adverbs of manner - English Grammar Lessons Guide

 Adverbs of manner - English Grammar Lessons Guide

Examples of Adverbs of Manner

The adverb of manner in each example has been italicized for easy identification.

He quickly agreed to go to the store for milk. (His agreement was quick)

He agreed to go to the store for milk quickly. (He would go to the store quickly)

She quietly asked me to leave the room. (Her request was quiet)

She asked me to leave the room quietly. (I am not going to make noise when I leave)

The doctor woke the gently sleeping patient. (The patient was sleeping gently)

The doctor gently woke the sleeping patient. (The doctor was gentle while waking the patient)

Adverbs of manner English Grammar Lessons Guide

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Adverbs of manner tell us how something happens. They are usually placed either after the main verb or after the object.

Examples

He swims well.

He ran quickly.

She spoke softly.

James coughed loudly to attract her attention.

He plays the flute beautifully. (after the direct object)

He ate the chocolate cake greedily. (after the direct object)

An adverb of manner cannot be put between a verb and its direct object. The adverb must be placed either before the verb or at the end of the clause.

Examples

He ate greedily the chocolate cake. [incorrect]

He ate the chocolate cake greedily. [correct]

He greedily ate the chocolate cake. [correct]

He gave us generously the money. [incorrect]

He gave us the money generously. [correct]

He generously gave us the money. [correct]

If there is a preposition before the verb's object, you can place the adverb of manner either before the preposition or after the object.

Examples

The child ran happily towards his mother.

The child ran towards his mother happily.

Adverbs of manner should always come immediately after verbs which have no object (intransitive verbs).

Examples

The town grew quickly after 1997.

He waited patiently for his mother to arrive.

These common adverbs of manner are almost always placed directly after the verb: well, badly, hard, & fast

Examples

He swam well despite being tired.

The rain fell hard during the storm.

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The position of the adverb is important when there is more than one verb in a sentence. If the adverb is placed before or after the main verb, it modifies only that verb. If the adverb is placed after a clause, then it modifies the whole action described by the clause. Notice the difference in meaning between the following sentences.

Example                                                                   Meaning

She quickly agreed to re-type the letter.          the agreement is quick

She agreed quickly to re-type the letter.          the agreement is quick

She agreed to re-type the letter quickly.          the re-typing is quick

He quietly asked me to leave the house. the request is quiet

He asked me quietly to leave the house. the request is quiet

He asked me to leave the house quietly.         the leaving is quiet

Literary usage

Sometimes an adverb of manner is placed before a verb + object to add emphasis.

Examples

He gently woke the sleeping woman.

She angrily slammed the door.

Some writers put an adverb of manner at the beginning of the sentence to catch our attention and make us curious.

Examples

Slowly she picked up the knife.

Roughly he grabbed her arm.

Adverbs of Manner List

accidentally

angrily

anxiously

awkwardly

badly

beautifully

blindly

boldly

bravely

brightly

busily

calmly

carefully

carelessly

cautiously

cheerfully

clearly

closely

correctly

courageously

cruelly

daringly

deliberately

doubtfully

eagerly

easily

elegantly

enormously

enthusiastically

equally

eventually

exactly

faithfully

fast

fatally

fiercely

fondly

foolishly

fortunately

frankly

frantically

generously

gently

gladly

gracefully

greedily

happily

hard

hastily

healthily

honestly

hungrily

hurriedly

inadequately

ingeniously

innocently

inquisitively

irritably

joyously

justly

kindly

lazily

loosely

loudly

madly

mortally

mysteriously

neatly

nervously

noisily

obediently

openly

painfully

patiently

perfectly

politely

poorly

powerfully

promptly

punctually

quickly

quietly

rapidly

rarely

really

recklessly

regularly

reluctantly

repeatedly

rightfully

roughly

rudely

sadly

safely

selfishly

sensibly

seriously

sharply

shyly

silently

sleepily

slowly

smoothly

so

softly

solemnly

speedily

stealthily

sternly

straight

stupidly

successfully

suddenly

suspiciously

swiftly

tenderly

tensely

thoughtfully

tightly

truthfully

unexpectedly

victoriously

violently

vivaciously

warmly

weakly

wearily

well

wildly

wisely

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