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.
