AMERICAN ACADEMY
CONVENTIONS
ADVERBS
WHAT IS AN ADVERB?
• An adverb is a word that tells about a verb, an adjective, or another
adverb. Examples:
- Mary and Lilly are playing tennis nicely.
- He will do homework today.
- John and his friends played tag outside.
ADVERB POSITION
• An adverb can appear before or after the word it describes.
Examples:
- Mary and Lilly are playing tennis nicely.
- Mary and Lilly are nicely playing tennis.
- John and his friends played tag outside.
- John and his friends outside played tag.
KINDS OF ADVERBS
• An adverb may tell how something happens, where something happens,
when something happens, or other details. Many adverbs that tell how
something is done end in -ly.
How? – Tommy accidentally broke the window.
Where? – The train stopped nearby.
When? – We slowly try to understand the question.