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ADVERBS OF DEGREE
Usage
Adverbs of degree tell us about the intensity or degree of
an action, an adjective or another adverb.
Common adverbs of degree:
Almost, nearly, quite, just, too, enough, hardly, scarcely, completely, very, extremely.
Adverbs of degree are usually placed:
- before the adjective or adverb they are modifying:
e.g. The water was extremely cold. - before the main verb:
e.g. He was just leaving. She has almost finished.
Examples
- She doesn't quite know what she'll do after university.
- They are completely exhausted from the trip.
- I am too tired to go out tonight.
- He hardly noticed what she was saying.
Enough, very, too
Enough as an adverb meaning 'to the necessary degree'
goes after adjectives and adverbs.
Examples
- Is your coffee hot enough? (adjective)
- He didn't work hard enough. (adverb)
It also goes before nouns, and means 'as much as is necessary'.
In this case it is not an adverb, but a 'determiner'.
Examples
- We have enough bread.
- They don't have enough food.
Too as an adverb meaning 'more than is necessary or useful' goes before adjectives and adverbs, e.g.
- This coffee is too hot. (adjective)
- He works too hard. (adverb)
Enough and too with adjectives can be followed by 'for someone/something'.
Examples
- The dress was big enough for me.
- She's not experienced enough for this job.
- The coffee was too hot for me.
- The dress was too small for her.
We can also use 'to + infinitive' after enough and too with adjectives/adverb.
Examples
- The coffee was too hot to drink.
- He didn't work hard enough to pass the exam.
- She's not old enough to get married.
- You're too young to have grandchildren!
Very goes before an adverb or adjective to make it stronger.
Examples
- The girl was very beautiful. (adjective)
- He worked very quickly. (adverb)
If we want to make a negative form of an adjective or adverb,
we can use a word of opposite meaning, or not very.
Examples
- The girl was ugly OR The girl was not very beautiful
- He worked slowly OR He didn't work very quickly.
BE CAREFUL! There is a big difference between too and very.
- Very expresses a fact:
He speaks very quickly. - Too suggests there is a problem:
He speaks too quickly (for me to understand).
Other adverbs like very
These common adverbs are used like very and not very,
and are listed in order of strength, from positive to negative:
extremely, especially, particularly, pretty, rather, quite,
fairly, rather, not especially, not particularly.
Note: rather can be positive or negative, depending on
the adjective or adverb that follows:
Positive: The teacher was rather nice.
Negative: The film was rather disappointing.
Inversion with negative adverbs
Normally the subject goes before the verb:
| SUBJECT | VERB |
|
I |
left |
Examples
- I have never seen such courage.
Never have I seen such courage. - She rarely left the house. Rarely did she leave the house.
Negative inversion is used in writing, not in speaking.
Other adverbs and adverbial expressions that can be used like this:
seldom, scarcely, hardly, not only .....
but also, no sooner .....
than, not until, under no circumstances.
Inversion with negative
adverbs
Normally the subject goes before the verb:
| SUBJECT | VERB |
|
I |
left |
Examples
- I have never seen such courage. Never have I seen such courage.
- She rarely left the house. Rarely did she leave the house.
Negative inversion is used in writing, not in speaking.
Other adverbs and adverbial expressions that can be used like this:
seldom, scarcely, hardly, not only .....
but also, no sooner .....
than, not until, under no circumstances.
ADVERBS OF
CERTAINTY
Adverbs of certainty express how certain or sure we feel about an action or event.
Usage
Common adverbs of certainty:
certainly, definitely, probably, undoubtedly, surely
1. Adverbs of certainty go before the main verb but after the verb 'to be':
- He definitely left the house this morning.
- He is probably in the park.
2. With other auxiliary verb, these adverbs go between the auxiliary and the main verb:
- He has certainly forgotten the meeting.
- He will probably remember tomorrow.
3. Sometimes these adverbs can be placed at the beginning of the sentence:
- Undoubtedly, Winston Churchill was a great politician.
BE CAREFUL! with surely. When
it is placed at the
beginning of the sentence, it means the speaker thinks
something is true, but is looking for confirmation:
- Surely you've got a bicycle?
COMMENTING
ADVERBS
There are some adverbs and adverbial expressions which
tell us about the speaker's viewpoint or opinion about
an action, or make some comment on the action.
Viewpoint
Frankly, I think he is a liar. (= this is my frank, honest opinion)
Theoretically, you should pay a fine. (= from a theoretical point of view but there may be another way of looking at the situation)
These adverbs are placed at the beginning of the sentence and are separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma.
Some common Viewpoint adverbs:
honestly, seriously, confidentially, personally, surprisingly, ideally, economically, officially, obviously, clearly, surely, undoubtedly.
Examples
- Personally, I'd rather go by train.
- Surprisingly, this car is cheaper than the smaller model.
- Geographically, Britain is rather cut off from the rest of Europe.
Commenting
These are very similar to viewpoint adverbs, and often the same words, but they go in a different position - after the verb to be and before the main verb.
Examples
- She is certainly the best person for the job.
- You obviously enjoyed your meal.
Some common Commenting adverbs:
definitely, certainly, obviously, simply.
RELATIVE ADVERBS
Rule
The following adverbs can be used to join sentences or clauses. They replace the more formal structure of preposition + which in a relative clause:
where, when, why
Examples:
- That's the restaurant where we met for the first time.
(where = at/in which) - I remember the day when we first met.
(when = on which) - There was a very hot summer the year when he was born.
(when = in which) - Tell me (the reason) why you were late home.
(why = for which, but could replace the whole phrase - 'the reason for which')
