Basic English Grammar:ADVERBS OF MANNER - English Mania

Basic English Grammar:ADVERBS OF MANNER

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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).

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

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