WHAT IS AN ADVERB?
• Adverbs can modify (describe)
three different parts of speech.
• Modify: Verbs, Adjectives, and
other Adverbs
ADVERBS MODIFYING VERBS
• Adverbs give us more details about action verbs.
• Answer the following questions:
Where?
When?
In what Way?
To what extent?
ADVERBS MODIFYING VERBS
VERB
ADVERB
Where?
When?
push upward
travels everywhere
Swims often
delivered daily
fell there
go outside
Arrived yesterday
exhibits yearly
In what way?
To what extent?
works carefully
chews noisily
hardly ate
almost cried
speaks well
acted willingly
really surprised
partly finished
FINDING ADVERBS THAT MODIFY VERBS
1. One of California’s main attractions is the coastline, which stretches
continuously along the western border of the state.
2. Some people enjoy watching the gray whales as these whales migrate yearly
to the California coast.
3. Others intently view the tide pools for hours at a time.
4. The ocean life seems to disappear as the water rushes in and out.
5. The seals calmly sunbathe on some of the rocky cliffs and swim lazily in the
ocean waters.
ADVERBS THAT MODIFY VERBS: PART 1
1. Alan grows tomatoes everywhere.
2. He lives in the city now.
3. Alan carefully planted two plants in pots.
4. He watered them daily.
5. The plants grew quickly.
6. Finally, he picked four ripe tomatoes.
7. He served them proudly.
8. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed them.
ADVERBS THAT MODIFY VERBS: PART 2
9. Susan looked at them nervously.
10.Finally, she asked if they were alive.
11.She had never seen bats.
12.Now she and her uncle stared at some.
13.He knew they would fly away.
14.Bats live everywhere, but most people never see them.
15.Susan looked quietly at the tiny creatures.
16.She really wanted to see them fly.
ADVERBS THAT MODIFY VERBS: PART 3
17. Suddenly she saw a cat.
18. The cat was staring hard at a sparrow.
19. The sparrow was pecking carelessly at some seeds.
20. The cat crept steadily toward the bird.
21. The cat’s tail twitched nervously.
22. Ana shouted loudly at the cat.
23. Immediately the cat stopped.
24. The sparrow flew high into a tree.
25. The hungry cat ran away.
ADVERBS THAT MODIFY ADJECTIVES
• An adverb that modifying an adjective only answers
one questions
To what extent?
ADVERB ADJECTIVE
To what extent?
very upset
extremely tall
definitely wrong
never nice
ADVERBS MODIFY ADJECTIVES: PART 1
1. California’s central valley has soil abundantly rich in nutrients.
2. The state’s warm weather allows for an unusually long growing season.
3. Farmers are able to grow many different kinds of fruits and vegetables.
4. The broccoli and spinach that are grown in California are dark green and
nutritious.
5. California avocados are tasty, but they have a high fat content.
ADVERBS THAT MODIFY ADJECTIVES: PART 2
6. Grapes and peaches are extremely sweet fruits that many people enjoy.
7. Cantaloupes and honeydew melons are packed in very large containers for
shipping to market.
8. Plums and apricots are small fruits, but they have unusually large seeds.
9. The constantly humid weather of southern California is good for growing oranges.
10.California’s delicious fruits and vegetables are widely known throughout the world.
ADVERBS THAT MODIFY ADJECTIVES: PART 3
1. The afternoon sun was unusually pleasant.
2. We heard a very loud knock on the back door.
3. He was too short for the role.
4. The author was extremely upset by the poor sales of her book.
5. The owner of the store has been seriously ill for some time.
ADVERBS THAT MODIFY ADJECTIVES: PART 4
6. This fruit salad is quite tart.
7. The defendant was absolutely still as the foreman of the jury
rose.
8. She is thoroughly adept at walking the high wire.
9. In his prediction my father was almost right.
10.In spite of her defeat, she was not sad at all.
ADVERBS THAT MODIFY OTHER ADVERBS
•
Sometimes adverbs describe other adverbs more.
•
An adverb that modifies another adverb answer the question: To what extent?
To what extent?
moved very quickly
not completely wrong
climbed almost over
only just recognizable
ADVERBS THAT MODIFY OTHER ADVERBS
1. Time passed too slowly for the eager contestants.
2. Almost happily, the owner handed us the car keys.
3. The visitors were unusually well received by the mayor.
4. He was quite easily talked into changing his mind.
5. Debbie argued less loudly once she realized her error.
6. The movie ended rather suddenly.
7. The guest of honor arrived slightly late for dinner.
8. This ring is entirely too expensive.
9. After receiving a ticket, my brother drove more slowly.
10. Do you promise to visit us relatively soon?
The sentences came from the following textbooks and workbooks.
Houghton Mifflin: English: Copyright 1990
Prentice Hall: Writing and Grammar Handbook Edition: 2004