Adverbs Of Manner

Adverbs of manner say how something happens or is done.

Examples are: happily, angrily, slowly, carefully, fast etc.

  • She walked slowly.
  • John drove carefully.
  • The soldiers fought bravely.

Position

Adverbs of manner normally go in end position (at the end of a clause).

  • She sang well.
  • He talked loudly.
  • She walked slowly.
  • He managed it skillfully.
  • She speaks English well.

An adverb of manner modifying an adjective or another adverb normally goes before it.

  • She is seriously ill.
  • I was terribly busy.

Points to be noted

1. Adverbs of manner can come in mid position if the adverb is not important to the meaning of the verb.

  • She angrily tore up the letter. (The manner in which she tore up the letter is not important.)
  • His health slowly began to improve.

2. If there is a preposition before the object, we can place the adverb either before the preposition or after the object.

  • The man walked happily towards his home.
  • The man walked towards his home happily.

3. To emphasize the point, sometimes, an adverb of manner is placed before the main verb.

  • He gently woke up the woman.

4. Some writers put adverbs of manner at the beginning of a sentence to catch our attention.

  • Happily Tom went home.
  • Slowly he walked away.

Manjusha Nambiar

Hi, I am Manjusha. This is my blog where I give English grammar lessons and worksheets.

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