Adverb facts for kids
An adverb is a word that tells you more about a verb. It often answers questions like how?, when?, where?, how often?, or in what way?. Words such as slowly, loudly, carefully, quickly, quietly, or sadly are all adverbs. Many adverbs end with -ly, but not all of them do.
Here are some examples of adverbs in sentences:
- How did the man walk? The man walked slowly.
- How did the dogs bark? The dogs barked loudly.
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What Adverbs Describe
Adverbs don't just describe verbs. They can also describe an adjective or even another adverb.
Adverbs Describing Verbs
An adverb can tell you how an action is done.
- He writes well. (Well describes how he writes.)
Adverbs Describing Other Adverbs
An adverb can make another adverb stronger or weaker.
- He writes very well. (Very describes well, which is already an adverb.)
Adverbs Describing Adjectives
An adverb can also describe an adjective.
- He is very well. (Very describes the adjective well, telling us the degree of his wellness.)
Words with Different Roles
Sometimes, the same word can be used as an adverb, an adjective, or even a verb! It depends on how the word is used in the sentence.
For example, let's look at the word "cool":
- In the sentence, "He walks cool", the word cool is an adverb. It describes how he walks. Here, cool means 'in a cool manner' or 'coolly'.
- In the sentence, "Cool the hot dish", the word cool is a verb. It tells you to do an action.
- In the sentence, "It is a cool evening", the word cool is an adjective. It describes the evening.
How Adverbs Are Formed
Most adverbs are made by adding -ly to the end of an adjective. For example, the adjective "quick" becomes the adverb "quickly". The adjective "careful" becomes the adverb "carefully".
See also
In Spanish: Adverbio para niños
