After many attempts to understand the clues and rudiments how to form adverbs and how each formation is used in the sentences to distinguish them from other word classes such as adjectives, prepositions, etc.
I met a teacher who made each step easier for me. He attempted the formation step by step with illuminating examples. There are things to note in forming adverbs. Consider them one after the other.
Formation 1
Contents
- Some adverbs are realized if the suffix ‘-ly’ is added to adjectives. For example
| Adjectives | Suffix ‘-ly’ | Adverbs[adj+ ly = adv] | |
| Courageous
Meticulous Daring Fluent Greedy Scrupulous Deliberate Amazing Astounding Regular Sagacious Legible High Authentic Attentive Notable Beautiful Calm |
+
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + |
-ly ®
-ly ® -ly ® -ly ® -ly ® -ly ® -ly ® -ly ® -ly ® -ly ® -ly ® -ly ® -ly ® -ly ® -ly ® -ly ® -ly ® |
Courageously
Meticulously Daringly Fluently Greedily Scrupulously Deliberately Amazingly Astoundingly Regularly Sagaciously Legibly Highly Authentically Attentively Notably Beautifully Calmly |
Examples
You should note that we can realise adverbs from the only adjectives to which the suffix- ‘ly’ is added. Consider the sentences below.
(i) That teacher writes legibly on the board.
(ii) The student listened attentively.
(iii) She spoke eloquently in the meeting.
(iv) They deliberately picked the baskets.
(v) Daringly, the hunter killed the lion.
Important Things to Note
If, however, the suffix ‘-ly’ is added to a noun, it becomes or changes to an adjective.
| Nouns | Suffix –ly | Adjectives | |
| Friend
World Cost Father |
+
+ + + |
-ly ®
-ly ® -ly ® -ly ® |
Friendly
Worldly Costly Fatherly |
Examples
Therefore, if the suffix –ly is added to an adjective, it becomes an adverb but if the suffix –ly is added to a noun, it becomes an adjective.
Consider the sentences below.
(i) Toyin is very friendly.
(ii) The Plasma Television is costly.
(iii) The motherly advice is good.
(iv) The worldly slangs have affected many youths.
Formation 2
- The words that can serve as the pre-modifiers of adjectives and adverbs are said to be adverbs. For example:
| too | quite |
| so | rather |
| very | more |
| much | most |
Examples
Consider the sentences below.
(i) God is so nice.
(ii) I am very interested in that position.
(iii) The passage is quite understood.
(iv) The food is too hot.
Formation 3
- If certain words do not have the suffix ‘-ly’ and they express time, place, and frequency, such words are adverbs. For example:
| Time | Place | Frequency |
| Today
Yesterday Last week Soon Since Time Last night At 2:00 pm Tomorrow Now Tonight Day before yesterday Week after next At dawn |
Everywhere
Outside Inside At Backyard In front Place At home Upstairs Downstairs Whereabouts Backwards Somewhere Outwards Indoors |
Seldom
Always Often Never Twice Everyday Sometimes Ever Once Every time All the time
|
Examples
Consider the sentences below.
(i) I will see you next week.
(ii) She stood upstairs.
(iii) He will be there soon.
(iv) They stay inside.
(v) Every day, I will be visiting you.
Important Things to Note
Some of the examples above are forms of prepositional phrases but they function as adverbs.
The word seldom is not an adjective but an adverb. But don’t say:
She seldomly comes to school.
The word seldomly does not exist as an adverb. Instead, say:
She seldom comes to school.
Formation 4
- Certain adverbs are called adverbial linkers. They are used to connect the sentences or paragraphs. For example:
| Furthermore
However More so Moreover Altogether Out of luck Nevertheless To my surprise In all honesty |
Almost
On the other hand In addition In conclusion Therefore So Yet Also In contrast |
Examples
Most of the time, the adverbs above occur at the beginning of the sentences or within the sentences. They rarely appear at the end of the sentences. For example:
(i) Out of luck, he loses the prize.
(ii) The man almost finishes his work.
(iii) To my surprise, that protagonist died at the end of the story.
(iv) Adjectives modify nouns; adverbs on the other hand modify verbs.
Formation 5
- Some words can both be used as adjectives and adverbs. The way they are used in the sentences will determine whether they are adjectives or adverbs. For example:
| Adjectives | Adverbs |
| Late
Long First Great Early |
Late
Long First Great Early |
Examples
Consider the illustrations below.
(A) Late
(i) Bola is late to school today. (Adjective)
(ii) Bola comes late to school today. (Adverb)
The word late is used in the sentence above to determine both adjectives and adverbs. ‘Late’ in sentence (i) serves as a predicative adjective, occurring after a verb but ‘late’ in the sentence (ii) serves as an adverb, modifying the verb comes.
(B) Long
(i) The assignment will take me a long time before I finish it. (Adjective)
(ii) The poor are long suffering from penury. (Adverb)
The ‘long’ ina sentence (i) serves as a distributive adjective, qualifying the noun time. However, the ‘long’ in sentence (ii) serves as an adverb, modifying the verb are or are suffering.
(C) First
(i) I don’t like the first orange. (Adjective)
(ii) I will do this first. (Adverb)
The ‘first’ in sentence (i) serves as a distributive adjective, qualifying the noun orange while the ‘first’ a in a sentence (ii), serves as an adverb, modifying the verb ‘will do’.
(D) Great
(i) It is great. (Adjective)
(ii) You perform great. (Adverb)
In sentence (i), the ‘great’ serves as a predicative adjective, occurring after the verb is but in sentence (ii), the ‘great’ serves as an adverb, modifying the verb perform.
Evaluation
- Explain the concept of adverbs with illustrations.
- Construct four sentences relevant to each of the following:
(a) Adverbs modifying verbs
(b) Adverbs modifying adjectives
(c) Adverbs modifying adverbs
(d) Adverbs modifying prepositional phrases.
- Use the following in the sentences as adverbs:
(a) late (b) first (c) long (d) great
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