Grammar basics
Adverbs
An adverb gives more information about a verb, an adjective or another adverb. It tells you how, when, where or how often.
What does an adverb do?
| Question | Examples | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| How? | quickly, carefully, well | He speaks English fluently. |
| When? | now, today, already | I already finished my work. |
| Where? | here, there, outside | Please sit here. |
| How often? | always, often, never | I always drink coffee in the morning. |
| How much? | very, really, too | This code is very clean. |
Many adverbs end in -ly
You can make many adverbs by adding -ly to an adjective:
| Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
| quick | quickly |
| careful | carefully |
| soft | softly |
| easy | easily |
Good or well?
Good is an adjective. It describes a noun: a good developer. Well is an adverb. It describes a verb: She codes well. Don't say She codes good.
Types of adverbs
Each question in the table above is a type of adverb. Each type has its own page with more words.
| Type | What it shows | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Adverbs of manner | How? | quickly, well, fluently |
| Adverbs of time | When? | today, yesterday, soon |
| Adverbs of place | Where? | here, there, outside |
| Adverbs of frequency | How often? | always, sometimes, never |
| Adverbs of degree | How much? | very, extremely, quite |
Quickly
In a fast way.
He quickly answered my email.
Carefully
In a way that tries to avoid mistakes.
Read the error message carefully.
Well
In a good way.
You speak English very well.
Very
Used to make an adjective or adverb stronger.
This coffee is very hot.
Always
Every time.
I always test my code before I push it.
Already
Before now, or sooner than expected.
I already read this book.