Adverbs make our speech and writing more colourful. They allow us to gaze adoringly, whistle cheerfully, tiptoe cautiously and smile sheepishly.

In English, adverbs fall into the category called modifiers. (A modifier is a word that either describes or limits the meaning of the word it refers to.) There are two main classes of modifiers: adjectives and adverbs. This article focusses on adverbs.

What is an adverb?

An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, another adverb or sometimes even an entire clause or sentence:

• The tent collapsed slowly.
  (slowly modifies the verb collapsed)
• Amy grew increasingly bored.
  (increasingly modifies the adjective bored)
• Jorge played especially well.
  (especially modifies the adverb well)
• Naturally, I accepted
  (naturally modifies the sentence I accepted)

What questions do adverbs answer?

Adverbs answer these questions:

How? John tiptoed quietly past the sleeping guard.
How long? We will be eternally grateful.
How much? The fire completely destroyed the building.
How often? Jenna and Kurt visit the East Coast regularly.
When? I saw that movie recently.
Where? Inwardly, Marielle was seething.

Do all adverbs end in –ly?

All of the adverbs in the examples above end in –ly. In fact, the ending ‑ly is the common sign of an adverb. We form most of our adverbs by taking an adjective and adding the ending –ly: the adjective swift becomes the adverb swiftly, the adjective natural becomes the adverb naturally, and so on.

But there are also many adverbs that do not end in –ly. Here are some examples: almost, always, down, fast, hard, here, in, long, now, often, out, quite, rather, so, then, there, too, up, very, well.

Note: The adverbs too and very modify only adjectives and other adverbs: very happy, too fast.

Where can I find an adverb in a sentence?

Adverbs that modify an adjective or another adverb can be found in front of the word they modify: too hot, quite loudly.

But an adverb that modifies a verb or a sentence is movable. These adverbs may appear at the beginning or end of the sentence, as well as next to the verb:

Swiftly the runner leaped over the hurdle.
The runner swiftly leaped over the hurdle.
The runner leaped swiftly over the hurdle.
The runner leaped over the hurdle swiftly.

Punctuation tip: Most adverbs modify a verb or another modifier. They do not usually need a comma before or after them; however, they may take a comma for emphasis:

Ruth eased open the window, slowly and carefully.

In contrast, conjunctive adverbs like consequently, however, moreover or therefore modify an entire sentence. They usually require a comma before or after them (or sometimes both):

However, the alarm went off.
(comma after introductory adverb)

The alarm went off, however.
(comma before adverb in final position)

The alarm, however, went off.
(commas before and after interrupting adverb)

Do adverbs have different forms?

Yes, adverbs have three forms: positive, comparative and superlative.

The positive form is the adverb itself: fast, gently, hopefully.

The comparative form is used to compare two actions.

• To form the comparative of short adverbs (one syllable), add the ending ‑er: faster, harder.
• For longer adverbs, use more before the adverbs: more happily, more often.

The superlative form is used to compare three or more actions.

• To form the superlative of short adverbs (one syllable), add the ending ‑est: fastest, hardest.
• For longer adverbs, use most before the adverbs: most happily, most often.

Are there any irregular comparative and superlative forms?

Yes, the list below shows five common adverbs with their irregular comparative and superlative forms:

• badly, worse, worst
• far, farther, farthest
• little, less, least
• much, more, most
• well, better, best

Are there any don’ts to avoid when we use comparative and superlative adverbs?

The following are the most common don’ts:

1. Don’t combine the two forms for the comparative or superlative. Use either more or -er (or most or ‑est), but not both:

better (not more better)
fastest (not most fastest)

2. Don’t use the superlative when comparing only two persons or things:

Who threw the ball farther (not farthest), Jacob or Myriam?