Imagine a friend is telling you about a concert she attended. Did the performer sing beautifully or horribly? The answer changes everything! That’s why it’s important to be able to say not just what a person did but how they did it. Luckily, English has adverbs of manner for that!
In this post:
- What are adverbs of manner in English?
- How are adverbs of manner formed?
- Adverbs from most adjectives
- Adverbs from adjectives ending in -y
- Adverbs from adjectives ending in -le
- Adverbs from adjectives ending in -ic
- Adverbs that have the same form as adjectives
- Exception: the adverb well
- Sentence position for adverbs of manner in English
- List of common English adverbs of manner
What are adverbs of manner?
Adverbs of manner are a type of adverb that describes how an action is done. For example, in the sentence I always drive very carefully, the adverb carefully gives us information on how the speaker drives.
How are adverbs of manner formed?
Many adverbs of manner are formed by adding -ly to an adjective. However, for certain types of adjectives, there are other rules. Keep reading to learn about all of them.
Pattern for most adjectives
For example:
| ADJECTIVE | ADVERB ENDING | ADVERB |
|---|---|---|
| calm | -ly | calmly |
| loud | -ly | loudly |
| perfect | -ly | perfectly |
Adjectives ending in -y
If an adjective ends in -y, the -y gets changed to an -i- and -ly is added to form an adverb of manner. For example:
| ADJECTIVE | ADVERB ENDING | ADVERB |
|---|---|---|
| angry | -ly | angrily |
| easy | -ly | easily |
| happy | -ly | happily |
However, this does not apply to those adjectives ending in -y that are only one syllable! These keep the -y and add -ly for their adverb of manner forms:
| ADJECTIVE | ADVERB ENDING | ADVERB |
|---|---|---|
| dry | -ly | dryly |
| shy | -ly | shyly |
| sly | -ly | slyly |
Adjectives ending in -le
Adjectives ending in -le change the -e to -y for the adverb of manner form. For example:
| ADJECTIVE | ADVERB ENDING | ADVERB |
|---|---|---|
| gentle | -y | gently |
| incredible | -y | incredibly |
| simple | -y | simply |
Adjectives ending in -ic
If an adjective ends in -ic, it adds -ally to form an adverb of manner. For example:
| ADJECTIVE | ADVERB ENDING | ADVERB |
|---|---|---|
| enthusiastic | -ally | enthusiastically |
| fantastic | -ally | fantastically |
| historic | -ally | historically |
Adjectives that don’t change
In some cases, the adjective and the adverb form are the exact same! For example:
| ADJECTIVE | ADVERB ENDING | ADVERB |
|---|---|---|
| fast | 🚫 | fast |
| late | 🚫 | late |
| low | 🚫 | low |
The adjective good
The English adjective good doesn’t fit into any of the above categories. It is an irregular adjective, and its adverb form is well:
- Adjective good:This song is so good.
- Adverb well:You sing so well.
Where do adverbs of manner appear in a sentence?
In English, there are four possible positions in a sentence for adverbs of manner:
| POSITION | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| after the main verb (most common position when there’s no direct object) |
I ate quickly. |
| after the direct object (most common position when there is a direct object) |
He closed the door gently. |
| before the main verb (emphasizes the adverb) |
She bravely climbed the mountain. |
| at the start of the sentence (used for emphasis or stylistic reasons) |
Quietly, we left the room. |
List of 30 common English adverbs of manner
There are lots of adverbs of manner in English! Some of the most common ones are:
| ADVERB OF MANNER | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| angrily | She left angrily. |
| badly | I sing very badly. |
| beautifully | Oscar paints so beautifully. |
| bravely | They bravely told the truth. |
| calmly | The boat rocked calmly. |
| carefully | Carefully, he picked up the broken glass. |
| closely | We examined the letter closely. |
| correctly | Wow, you answered correctly! |
| deliberately | Did he deliberately leave his phone? |
| eagerly | She eagerly went to sleep. |
| easily | They solved the problem easily. |
| enthusiastically | They went to school enthusiastically. |
| generously | We generously tipped the server. |
| gently | He kissed the baby gently. |
| happily | He happily retired. |
| honestly | We didn’t answer honestly. |
| kindly | The teacher smiled kindly. |
| loudly | Please don’t talk so loudly. |
| neatly | My son always folds his clothes neatly. |
| patiently | It’s sometimes hard to wait patiently. |
| perfectly | You don’t need to do things perfectly. |
| politely | Vikram politely held the door for me. |
| poorly | We see very poorly. |
| quickly | Can you quickly go to the store? |
| quietly | Please speak quietly in the library. |
| shyly | Lily shyly raised her hand. |
| silently | He read silently. |
| slowly | They walk very slowly. |
| softly | She always speaks softly. |
| well | Your daughter reads really well! |
You’ve learned your adverbs of manner so well!
Now that you know all about adverbs of manner, you’re ready to go out in the world and use them! It might take a little bit of practice, but soon, you’ll be doing it perfectly 😉