
Just like with prepositions, different sources list different categories. You’ll also see references to adverbs of purpose, adverbs of condition, adverbs of concession, and adverbs of reason. Here are the categories you'll most commonly find linked to adverbs that modify verbs:

See our Grammar Book to learn about the others.Īnother essential thing to know about adverbs is that they can be one word, a group of words, or even an entire phrase or clause (referred to as adverbial phrases and adverbial clauses - more on that later). An adverb can also tell you more about an adjective, another adverb, or an entire sentence.Īdverbs are one of the main parts of speech in English grammar, along with nouns, adjectives, and verbs. And they can modify a whole lot more than just verbs. In reality, while many adverbs end in -ly, many of them also don't.

Concluding Thoughts on Adverbs What Is an Adverb?Ī standard definition for an adverb is that they often end in -ly and that they modify verbs, but that’s a very simplistic explanation for these complex words.
