What Is an Adverb of Manner?
An adverb of manner says how someone does something: slowly, carefully, well. Most are an adjective + -ly.
ADJECTIVEwhat is he like?
My father is a careful driver.
ADVERBhow does he do it?
careful + ly
My father drives carefully.
A person or thing → adjective. How someone does it → adverb.
TRY IT
- Question 1
"Can you speak blank, please? I don't understand."
The forms
VERB + ADVERB
SVadverb
The children played happily.
Right after the verb.
VERB + THING + ADVERB
SVobjectadverb
She opened the door slowly.
After the verb and the thing after it (the door).
-LY SPELLING
- slowslowly
- carefulcarefully
- happyhappily
- gentlegently
| Word ends in | What to do | Example |
|---|---|---|
| most words | add -ly | slow → slowly |
| -ful | add -ly (two l's) | careful → carefully |
| consonant + y | y → i, add -ly | happy → happily |
| -le | drop the e, add y | gentle → gently |
IRREGULAR
- goodwell
- fastfast
- hardhard
- latelate
- earlyearly
Good → well. Fast, hard, late and early don't change.
hardly = almost not: I hardly slept. To work a lot is work hard.
lately = recently, not "late": I've been busy lately.
friendly, lovely, lonely are adjectives: She's very friendly. Don't say He smiled friendly. Say He smiled in a friendly way.
She is a good swimmer and She swims well mean the same.
TRY IT
- Question 1
"The old man smiled blank at the children."
When to use them
Fast or slow
He fixed the bike quickly.
How fast the action is.
How someone speaks
The teacher explained the lesson clearly.
Loud, clear or kind?
A feeling behind the action
The man shouted angrily.
What the person felt.
Well or badly
Tuấn plays the guitar badly, but he loves it.
How good the result is.
Adjective or Adverb?
| ADJECTIVE | ADVERB | |
|---|---|---|
| Comes after | be, look, feel, sound, smell | action verbs: run, speak, drive |
| Example | The music sounds loud. | They played the music loudly. |
| Never say | You look beautifully. · I feel sadly. | She sings beautiful. · He answered polite. |
Look, feel, sound, smell say what something is like. Use an adjective after them.
TRY IT
- Question 1
"Mmm, the pizza smells blank!"
- Question 2
"The waiter answered us blank, so we left the restaurant."
Common mistakes
Incorrect:The bus moved slow in the rain.
Correct:The bus moved slowly in the rain.
Moved is an action. Use the adverb.
Incorrect:My mother cooks goodly.
Correct:My mother cooks well.
Good → well. There is no goodly.
Incorrect:He works hardly every day.
Correct:He works hard every day.
Hard doesn't change. Hardly means almost not.
Incorrect:She speaks very well English.
Correct:She speaks English very well.
Put very well after English, not before it.
Incorrect:You look beautifully in that dress.
Correct:You look beautiful in that dress.
Look says what you are like: adjective.
Incorrect:He drove fastly to the hospital.
Correct:He drove fast to the hospital.
Fast doesn't change. There is no fastly.
Incorrect:He smiled friendly at me.
Correct:He smiled at me in a friendly way.
Friendly is an adjective. Say in a friendly way.
Quick check · 5 questions
Choose the correct word:
Hùng answered the phone politely and wrote down the message.
- A. politely — Correct
- B. polite
- C. politer
Answer: A. politely
Polite describes a person: a polite boy.
Choose the correct spelling:
Please hold the baby carefully.
- A. carefully — Correct
- B. carefuly
- C. careful
Answer: A. carefully
-ful + ly: carefully, beautifully.
Choose the correct word:
Did you sleep well last night?
- A. well — Correct
- B. good
- C. goodly
Answer: A. well
Sleep is an action. The adverb from good is well.
Choose the correct word order:
He plays the piano beautifully.
- A. plays the piano beautifully — Correct
- B. plays beautifully the piano
Answer: A. plays the piano beautifully
Don't put it between plays and the piano.
Choose the correct words:
The waiter smiled at us in a friendly way.
- A. in a friendly way — Correct
- B. friendly
- C. friendlily
Answer: A. in a friendly way
It describes a person. Say in a friendly way.
See whether it really stuck.
Start the quiz · 12 questions
