Basic English Grammar :ADVERBS OF MANNER

Basic English Grammar :ADVERBS OF MANNER

Adverbs of manner tell us how something happens. They are usually placed either after the main verb or after the object. 

EXAMPLES

• He swims well.
• He ran quickly.
• She spoke softly.
• James coughed loudly to attract her attention.

An adverb of manner cannot be put between a verb and its direct object. The adverb must be placed either before the verb or at the end of the clause.

EXAMPLES

• He ate greedily the chocolate cake. [incorrect]
• He ate the chocolate cake greedily. [correct]
• He greedily ate the chocolate cake. [correct]
• He gave us generously the money. [incorrect]
• He gave us the money generously. [correct]

If there is a preposition before the verb’s object, you can place the adverb of manner either before the preposition or after the object.

EXAMPLES

• The child ran happily towards his mother.
• The child ran towards his mother happily.

Adverbs of manner should always come immediately after verbs which have no object (intransitive verbs).

English Speaking Phrases

EXAMPLES

• The town grew quickly after 1997.
• He waited patiently for his mother to arrive.

These common adverbs of manner are almost always placed directly after the verb: well, badly, hard, & fast

EXAMPLES

• He swam well despite being tired.
• The rain fell hard during the storm.

The position of the adverb is important when there is more than one verb in a sentence. If the adverb is placed before or after the main verb, it modifies only that verb. If the adverb is placed after a clause, then it modifies the whole action described by the clause. Notice the difference in meaning between the following sentences

LITERARY USAGE

Sometimes an adverb of manner is placed before a verb + object to add emphasis.

EXAMPLES

• He gently woke the sleeping woman.
• She angrily slammed the door.

Some writers put an adverb of manner at the beginning of the sentence to catch our attention and make us curious.

EXAMPLES

• Slowly she picked up the knife.
• Roughly he grabbed her arm

We discuss “Basic English Grammar :ADVERBS OF MANNER”.

Idioms and Phrases with their meanings