College English Grammar:
Grammar and Writing
Unit 4
Modifiers：Adverb
• Grammar: Adverbs • Writing:
Correcting: Misplaced Modifiers and –ly Modifiers Rewriting: Relationship and completeness
• The prices are quite reasonable. • We are very much hoping you can attend our wedding.
When an adverb modifies a verb, it has three positions in a sentence: front (before the subject), middle (between the subject and the main verb) and end (after the verb or object).
• Adverbs of Place: abroad, anywhere, here, outside, somewhere, there, home etc.
• Adverbs of Manner: well, fast, slowly, carefully, quickly etc.
• Adverbs of Frequency: always, often, usually, frequently, never, seldom, sometimes, etc.
• She picked up slowly the gun. • She picked up the gun slowly.
• However, adverbs should always come after intransitive verbs (= verbs which have noany adverbs are formed by adding –ly to an adjective: • general --- generally, bad --- badly, • soft --- softly, definite --- definitely, • happy --- happily, frequent --- frequently
Like adjectives, some adverbs have three forms of comparison: positive, comparative, and superlative.
Positive
Comparative
Superlative
badly
worse
worst
far
farther/further
• Adverbs of Degree: almost, entirely, greatly, highly, partially, practically, totally, very, etc.
• Adverbs of Negation: no, not, neither, nor etc.
• Adverbs of Probability: certainly, definitely, maybe, perhaps, possibly, probably etc.
• Adverbs of Interrogative: when, where, how, why etc.
• Others: also, too, only etc.
1. Position of adverbs
When an adverb modifies an adjective or another adverb, the modifying adverb must immediately precede the word modified.
Adverbs
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or an entire clause by making its meaning more specific.
• We go shopping. • We often do that at weekend. • We often go shopping at weekend. [modifying verb “go”] • Bob is a student. • He is good. • His goodness is unusual. • Bob is an unusually good student. [modifying adjective “good”] • My child gets up. • He gets up at seven. • He almost always gets up at seven. • My child almost always gets up at seven. [modifying adverb
farthest/furthest
fore
former
foremost/first
late
later
latest/last
little
less
least
much
more
most
well
better
best
1) Kinds of Adverbs
• Adverbs of Time: afterwards, later, now, soon, yesterday, then, recently, still, finally etc.
• Sometimes I feel quite lonely. • “Mathematics” is sometimes abbreviated to “math”. • I can not sense your meaning sometimes.
The adverb should not be put between the verb and the object: