Adverbs

Adverbs

Most adverbs are formed by adding -ly to the adjective.

• He's a slow learner. He learns slowly.

Some, like well, are irregular.

• He's a good player. He plays well.

Some, like fast, don't change.

• She's a fast talker. She talks fast.

Others, like hard and hardly, have two forms with different meanings.

• She's a hard worker. She works hard.
• She's hardly ever late. (= almost never)

Adverbs

He drank enough / And lifted his head, dreamily...
And looked at me vaguely...
And slowly turned his head,...

There are three possible positions for adverbs:

1. Initial position:
   Slowly he drank the water.
   Suddenly he had disappeared.
   
   
2. Mid-position:
   He slowly drank the water.
   but not: He drank slowly the water.
   or He quite slowly drank the water.
   or He so slowly drank the water.
   or He didn’t slowly drink the water.
   
   He had suddenly disappeared.
   but not: He suddenly had disappeared.
   
   
3. End position:
   He drank the water slowly.
   He drank the water so slowly.
   He didn’t drink the water slowly.
   He had disappeared suddenly.