What is an adverb?
How, when, where and how often: the word class that tells you more, and the -ly trap.
The answer
An adverb is a word that tells you more about a verb, an adjective or another adverb, often saying how, when, where or how often.
Examples
The tortoise moved slowly across the lawn.
Slowly tells you how it moved.
The film was really exciting.
Really tells you more about the adjective exciting.
She plays the piano very well.
Well tells you how she plays; very tells you more about well.
Luckily, nobody was hurt.
Luckily comments on the whole clause.
How to spot it
- Many adverbs end in -ly (quickly, happily), but not all: soon, often, very, well and never are adverbs too.
- Ask what the word tells you about: an action (how, when, where), an adjective (really exciting) or another adverb (very well).
- Not every -ly word is an adverb. Friendly, lovely and lonely are adjectives: a friendly dog.
The common mistake
Using an adjective where the adverb is needed.
‘He ran quick’ should be ‘He ran quickly’, and ‘She did good’ should be ‘She did well’. Standard English uses the adverb to describe the verb.
When it is taught
- First met
- Year 2
- On the pupil word list
- Year 2, as “adverb”
Year 2 adds -ly to turn adjectives into adverbs. Year 3 uses adverbs such as then, next, soon and therefore to show time and cause, and Year 5 uses adverbs such as perhaps and surely to show possibility.
Try a question
Circle the adverb.
The owl hooted loudly in the dark wood.
Show the answer
Answer: loudly
It tells us how the owl hooted. Dark is an adjective describing the wood.
Related terms
- Practise the 11+ skill: Classify a word in context
More grammar terms
Questions parents ask
What is the difference between an adverb and an adverbial?
An adverb is one word. An adverbial is any word, phrase or clause doing an adverb’s job. Quickly and in five minutes are both adverbials, but only quickly is an adverb.
Is very an adverb?
Yes. Very tells you more about an adjective (very cold) or another adverb (very slowly), which is an adverb’s job.
Is friendly an adverb?
No. It ends in -ly but it describes a noun (a friendly dog), so it is an adjective.
Grammar turns up in 11+ English too
Many 11+ English papers include grammar and punctuation questions alongside comprehension. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.