What is an Adverb?
What is an Adverb? An adverb is a word that gives more information about a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs often answer the questions: How? When? How Often? Where? or To what extent? Adverbs modify verbs.
Adverbs modify adjectives.
Adverbs modify adverbs.
It moves slowly.
The bird is too loud.
They jump very smoothly.
Write and illustrate sentences using adverbs.
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21, NIV)
104 Adverbs
Adverb photography by Blaine Harrington III (USA)
Adverbs Telling “How”
The most common adverbs are “adverbs of manner” or those that answer the question How? Many of these adverbs are formed by adding -ly to the adjective. (If the adjective ends with a -y then change the -y to an i before adding the -ly.) They usually (but not always) go after the word they modify.
He gives freely.
They divide equally.
She talks softly.
The disease spreads easily.
He judges fairly.
The population grows quickly.
What word is being modified by the adverbs shown in the following examples? Adjective Adverb
Example
fair
fairly
Speak up and judge fairly. (Proverbs 31:9, NIV)
open
openly
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess His name. (Hebrews 13:15, NIV)
safe
safely
The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:18, NIV)
Word
Change the following adjectives to adverbs, and then write a sentence using each adverb. quick clear soft easy Adverbs Telling How images by Mike Ferrin (USA)
Adverbs 105
Adverbs Telling “When” and “How Often” Some adverbs tell when (or how often) something occurs. These are sometimes called adverbs of frequency or time. They often follow the to be verb. Here are common adverbs that tell you how often something happens (arranged on an increasing scale).
How often do you brush your teeth? _________________________________________________________________________
never
rarely
occasionally
sometimes
usually
often
always
I always brush my teeth.
I never brush my teeth. Here are other ways to express when something happened:
1. My last visit to the dentist was six months 2. We go to the dentist
once
ago .
every six months.
3. We will go to the dentist for a cleaning soon . 4. I
hardly ever
have a cavity.
5. If I have a cavity, I will have to see the dentist again . 6. My family already 7. We
still
went to the dentist this year.
go to the same dentist because he is so gentle.
Circle the adverbs of time/frequency in the following story of Joshua and Jericho:
Some time ago, a woman named Rahab helped two spies from Joshua’s army
escape from the city of Jericho. The spies promised to help her when Joshua’s army attacked the city. Soon, Joshua and his army came, and he told the priests and soldiers, “We will all march around the city once. The priests will blow the trumpets, but no one will speak!” They did this every morning for six days. The priests blew the trumpets, but they still did not say anything. The people in Jericho hardly knew what to think. On the seventh day, the priests and soldiers marched around the city seven times. After the seventh time, the priests and the army shouted and yelled, and the walls around Jericho fell down! The army destroyed Jericho. The spies already knew where to find Rahab and her family, and they helped bring them all out of the city safely. Joshua 6 paraphrase by Patricia Grenseman
106 Adverbs
Adverbs of Frequency illustrations by Ron Wheeler (USA) Dentist photo by Gary Moberg (USA)
Adverbs Telling “Where” These adverbs give information on where something is or where it took place. They are sometimes called adverbs of direction or location.
There was a man who owned one hundred sheep. One day, he noticed that one was missing. The lamb was everywhere
—
nowhere
here
and
to be found! So he left the ninety-nine and searched there ,
near and
away in the distance. It looked as if it had fallen lamb, he was so happy! He leaned
forward
off
far
. He finally saw the lamb far
a cliff. When he reached the
, picked it up, and placed it around his
shoulders. Then they both set off for home. As soon as he arrived, he called together all of his neighbors: “Come and be glad with me, for I found my sheep that was lost!” Write your own sentences using adverbs of direction or location:
Luke 15:1-7 paraphrase by Karen Anacker The Good Shepherd illustration (2003) by Sawai Chinnawong (Thailand) available through Overseas Ministries Study Center (OMSC), New Haven, CT omsc.org/art.shtml
Adverbs 107
Adverbs modify adjectives.
Adverbs modify adverbs.
It moves slowly.
The bird is too loud.
They jump very smoothly.
Write and illustrate sentences using adverbs.
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21, NIV)
104 Adverbs
Adverb photography by Blaine Harrington III (USA)
Adverbs Telling “How”
The most common adverbs are “adverbs of manner” or those that answer the question How? Many of these adverbs are formed by adding -ly to the adjective. (If the adjective ends with a -y then change the -y to an i before adding the -ly.) They usually (but not always) go after the word they modify.
He gives freely.
They divide equally.
She talks softly.
The disease spreads easily.
He judges fairly.
The population grows quickly.
What word is being modified by the adverbs shown in the following examples? Adjective Adverb
Example
fair
fairly
Speak up and judge fairly. (Proverbs 31:9, NIV)
open
openly
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess His name. (Hebrews 13:15, NIV)
safe
safely
The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:18, NIV)
Word
Change the following adjectives to adverbs, and then write a sentence using each adverb. quick clear soft easy Adverbs Telling How images by Mike Ferrin (USA)
Adverbs 105
Adverbs Telling “When” and “How Often” Some adverbs tell when (or how often) something occurs. These are sometimes called adverbs of frequency or time. They often follow the to be verb. Here are common adverbs that tell you how often something happens (arranged on an increasing scale).
How often do you brush your teeth? _________________________________________________________________________
never
rarely
occasionally
sometimes
usually
often
always
I always brush my teeth.
I never brush my teeth. Here are other ways to express when something happened:
1. My last visit to the dentist was six months 2. We go to the dentist
once
ago .
every six months.
3. We will go to the dentist for a cleaning soon . 4. I
hardly ever
have a cavity.
5. If I have a cavity, I will have to see the dentist again . 6. My family already 7. We
still
went to the dentist this year.
go to the same dentist because he is so gentle.
Circle the adverbs of time/frequency in the following story of Joshua and Jericho:
Some time ago, a woman named Rahab helped two spies from Joshua’s army
escape from the city of Jericho. The spies promised to help her when Joshua’s army attacked the city. Soon, Joshua and his army came, and he told the priests and soldiers, “We will all march around the city once. The priests will blow the trumpets, but no one will speak!” They did this every morning for six days. The priests blew the trumpets, but they still did not say anything. The people in Jericho hardly knew what to think. On the seventh day, the priests and soldiers marched around the city seven times. After the seventh time, the priests and the army shouted and yelled, and the walls around Jericho fell down! The army destroyed Jericho. The spies already knew where to find Rahab and her family, and they helped bring them all out of the city safely. Joshua 6 paraphrase by Patricia Grenseman
106 Adverbs
Adverbs of Frequency illustrations by Ron Wheeler (USA) Dentist photo by Gary Moberg (USA)
Adverbs Telling “Where” These adverbs give information on where something is or where it took place. They are sometimes called adverbs of direction or location.
There was a man who owned one hundred sheep. One day, he noticed that one was missing. The lamb was everywhere
—
nowhere
here
and
to be found! So he left the ninety-nine and searched there ,
near and
away in the distance. It looked as if it had fallen lamb, he was so happy! He leaned
forward
off
far
. He finally saw the lamb far
a cliff. When he reached the
, picked it up, and placed it around his
shoulders. Then they both set off for home. As soon as he arrived, he called together all of his neighbors: “Come and be glad with me, for I found my sheep that was lost!” Write your own sentences using adverbs of direction or location:
Luke 15:1-7 paraphrase by Karen Anacker The Good Shepherd illustration (2003) by Sawai Chinnawong (Thailand) available through Overseas Ministries Study Center (OMSC), New Haven, CT omsc.org/art.shtml
Adverbs 107
