A Crash Course in Grammar: Mastering Adverbs

If you can master the parts of speech, you’re in the clear. These are foundational skills we should have learned in elementary school. Don’t worry if you haven’t. It’s not your fault, but you can still fix it if you choose.

Photo by Clarissa Watson on Unsplash

In the U.S. education system, many get passed through the system even if they shouldn’t be. It’s common knowledge and I’m tired of people being hush hush about it. So, here is my attempt to fix one of those problems.

Today’s grammar lesson is about adverbs. So far, we have covered nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and verbs. Eventually, I will release this as a free book download on Gumroad, but for now, this will have to do.

Adverbs

Adverbs are words that describe verbs. They answer possible questions about action(s) in a sentence.

The questions:

How?

Where?

When?

How much?

How often?

Examples

He always wears a gold chain necklace.

In the above sentence, the word “always” is the adverb, and the word “wears” is the verb. The adverb answers the question “how often?”

Yesterday, I went to Barnes & Noble.

In the above sentence, the word “yesterday,” is the adverb and the word “went” is the verb. The adverb answers the question, “when?”

We carefully lifted the bucket.

In the above sentence, the word “carefully” is the adverb, and the word “lifted” is the verb.

Relative Adverbs

Relative adverbs introduce a group of words called a relative clause, which gives more information about a noun.

Examples

Do you know of a used bookstore where we can find rare books?

In the above question, the word “where” is the relative adverb. It introduces the relative clause “we can find rare books,” which gives more information about the bookstore.

There are three main relative adverbs:

Where?

When?

Why?

Comparative Adverbs

Comparative adverbs are adverbs that compare actions.

Adverbs can describe by making comparisons, similar to adverbs.

The -er form of an adverb is used to compare two actions.

The -est form of an adverb is used to compare three or more actions.

Examples

Ryan wakes up early.

Mariel wakes up earlier than Ryan.

Erin wakes up the earliest of all.

Adverbs can also be used with the words “more” and “most” but be careful. Do not use more or most with the -er or the -est form of adverbs.

Examples

Ryan runs quickly.

Josh runs more quickly than Ryan.

James runs the most quickly of all the runner.

Now, here is both an incorrect and correct version of a sentence using adverbs.

Incorrect: That tree is the most tallest in the forest.

Correct: That tree is the tallest in the forest.

Quick Note:

Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns. Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

Does this make sense to you? Please let me know in the comments.

References

[embed]The English Grammar Workbook for Grades 3, 4, and 5: 140+ Simple Exercises to Improve Grammar… Give 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders a grammar boost_no tutor required. This three-grades-in-one grammar workbook helps…www.christianbook.com

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[embed]Adverbs: A Definitive Guide Learn what adverbs are and how to use them correctly with these rules and examples. Explore how to identify adverbs and…www.grammarly.com

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