Adverbs of Manner: How to Use

In this lesson, we are learning Adverbs of manner: how to use them correctly.

Adverbs of manner are adverbs that you must know and be able to use correctly if you want your speech to sound interesting and varied.

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Why do we need Adverbs of manner?

We use Adverbs of manner to describe how, in what way, we perform actions.

We often use such adverbs because every day we have to talk about what we have done, are doing, or are going to do in the future. The actions that we describe are often accompanied by the Adverbs of manner.

That is why the group of these adverbs is large and very diverse.

The Adverbs of manner answers the questions:

• How?
• In what way?

We have to know that the money is being spent wisely.
It’s worked beautifully so far.
Who can speak loudly?

Rules of How Adverbs of Manner are formed

There are several types of how Adverbs of manner are formed. Let’s take a closer look at them.

Rule 1: The suffix –ly.

Adding the suffix –ly is one of the most common ways to form adverbs including Adverbs of manner.

Most often we form adverbs in this way from monosyllabic words.

• sweet – sweetly
• clear – clearly
• brave – bravely

Rule 2: By adding the suffix -lly.

We add the -lly suffix most often to words that have two or more syllables.

• comically
• amorally

Rule 3: By adding the suffix –ily.

We add the suffix –ily when forming an adverb from an adjective when the adjective ends with the vowel -y.

• heavy – heavily
• lucky – luckily
  

Rule 4: late and lately.

Many students often confuse late and lately, thinking that lately is late + -ly made from late.

But in fact, late and lately are two completely different adverbs.

She knew it was too late to do anything.

What have you been doing lately?

Rule 5: Hard and hardly.

Many students also often confuse hard and hardly, thinking that hardly is hard + ly made from hard. And this is also not true.

Hard and hardly are two completely different adverbs. Hard and hardly have different meanings.

A good man is hard to find.

False tongue will hardly speak truth.

Rule 6: An adjective becomes an adverb without changing its form.

Among the adverbs, there are such adverbs that are formed from adjectives, but at the same time, these adjectives do not change in any way.

Look at the following list, remember that these words all look the same as adjectives and adverbs:

• fast
• early
• deep
• long
• near
• late
• far
• high
• wide
• hard
• low
• straight

TIP: Learn these adjectives so you don’t make mistakes when trying to add suffixes to them.

Adverbs of Manner: how to use them in a sentence

Adverbs of Manner in a sentence most often play the role of circumstances.

We can use Adverbs of Manner in different places. For example:

Rule: We can use Adverbs of Manner right after the verb or after the object.

Adverbs of Manner determine how the action takes place. Therefore, we often put such adverbs right after the verb described by the adverb.

He stepped boldly forward to speak.

Rule: Adverbs of Manner cannot stand between a verb and its direct object.

If a sentence contains a verb and a direct object of the verb, then in such a sentence the adverb cannot come after the verb.

We don’t put an adverb of manner between the verb and its direct object!

In such sentences, we put Adverbs of Manner before the verb or at the end of the sentence.

Correct: He bravely blinked his tears.
Correct: He blinked his tears bravely.
Incorrect: He blinked bravely his tears.

Correct: She carefully preserved all her letters.
Correct: She preserved all her letters carefully.
Incorrect: She preserved carefully all her letters.

Rule: If there is a preposition before the object with a verb …

If a sentence contains a verb and an object between which there is a preposition, then in such a sentence we can put Adverbs of Manner before the preposition or after the object.

Disk drive may not function correctly on this system.

Rule: At the end of the sentence.

We often put adverbs of manner at the end of a sentence. We can put adverbs of manner at the end of a sentence after the verb and after the direct object.

She held the baby gently.
She looked at her son and sighed happily.

Rule: After an intransitive verb

Where to put an adverb of manner if there is an intransitive verb in the sentence?

First, let’s remember what intransitive verbs are.

Intransitive verbs are those verbs to which a direct object is not attached. In other words, intransitive verbs have no direct object.

If there is such a case in a sentence, then we always put the adverb of manner after such an intransitive verb.

My brother lives happily in his house.

Rule: Adverbs hard, fast, well, badly after the verb.

We almost always put the adverbs hard, fast, well, badly after the verb.

Many shops are doing badly because of the economic situation.

The senator worked hard.

Rule: Adverbs of manner in fiction

In fiction, the place of an adverb of manner may depend not on the rules of English grammar, but the desire of the author of the text.

We can put an adverb at the beginning of a sentence if we focus not on the action, but on how or in what way the action was done.

Rule: If there are two or more verbs in a sentence …

If the sentence contains two or more verbs, then we put an adverb of manner with the verb that expresses the most important action in terms of meaning.

She’d thrown herself into it with gritted teeth, recklessly taking on more than she could handle.

When the storm arose on the river, they had to bale out to reach the shore safely.

Accurately, our radar pinpointed the attacking planes.

If there is more than one verb in a sentence, we must remember that if we put an adverb before the verb or after the verb, then the adverb will only describe this verb.

If we want the adverb to characterize all verbs, we put the adverb at the end of the sentence.

Adverbs and adjectives: how to avoid confusion

We use the following rules to distinguish between adverb and adjective:

Rule1 : Supporting questions.

Auxiliary questions What? How? In what way? help to distinguish an adjective from an adverb of manner.

An adverb of manner answers the questions of how and in what way?

An adjective answers the question what?

He slid safely into the third base.

The team was safe.

Rule 2: Verbs-exceptions.

There are some verbs after which we can only use an adjective.

When we see such a verb, we know for sure that after it there is an adjective and not an adverb of manner.

Most often these are verbs that describe feelings, sensations or thought processes.

• to be
• to smell
• to taste
• to feel
• to seem
• to appear
• to look
• to sound

That meat smells rotten.

The leader seems inspiring.

Examples of Adverbs of manner

Take a look at these sentences with adverbs of manner. These examples will help you remember the lesson better.

His policies were severely criticized.

He strode angrily into the classroom.

They analyzed the situation closely.

The school is widely admired for its excellent teaching.

Give me a call to let me know you’ve arrived safely.

I don’t think you are being entirely truthful.

Her tears flowed freely.

I barely restrained myself from hitting him.

He slowly backed his car into the garage.

She held the coin carefully between finger and thumb.

A muscle in his jaw pulsed angrily.

He angrily haggled the door into pieces.