5 Types of Adverbs in English Grammar With Examples

The 5 types of adverbs in English grammar with examples include time, manner, place, degree and frequency.

By way of qualification, this post will only examine the 5 types of simple adverbs. The three distinct classes or categories of adverbs are: simple, interrogative and conjunctive. Below are the 5 types of simple adverbs in English grammar with examples!

5 Types of Simple Adverbs

Adverbs of Time
Adverbs of Manner
Adverbs of Place
Adverbs of Degree
Adverbs of Frequency

5 Types of Simple Adverbs With Examples

I must go to work now. (time)
Rachel passed her text easily. (manner)
Jonathan found his watch outside. (place)
The children were very hungry after the game. (degree)
I will always love my mother. (frequency)
I will call you from the airport later. (time)
The choir sang cheerfully in the Christmas presentation. (manner)
My dog goes everywhere with me. (place)
The building was completely destroyed by the fire. (degree)
The postman usually delivers the mail in the afternoon. (frequency)

NOTE: Simple adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives or another adverbs.

1. Adverbs of Time

Definition of Adverbs of Time: Adverbs of time are words that tell us when something is happening. Adverbs tells us when the verb happens, happened or will happen.

Here are some common adverbs of time: (now, then, before, since, ago, already, soon, presently, immediately, instantly, early, late)

Examples of Adverbs of Time:

The children will leave immediately for school.
Bradley goes to work early.
Rachel will eventually finish her college course.
David will go to the doctors now.
He stole money before.
My parents recently relocated to France.
My brother presently lives in Australia.
He has already taken the rubbish to the tip.
I have been going to training lately.
Jonathan will be building his new house soon.

NOTE: Adverbs of frequency (see below) seem similar to adverbs of time except adverbs of frequency express how often something happens whereas adverbs of time express a specific time something happens.

2. Adverbs of Manner

Definition of Adverbs of Manner: Adverbs of manner are words that express how something happens. They tell us the way we do something or how to do something.

Adverbs of manner usually end with “ly” (slowly, carefully, badly, sadly) but not always (well, fast).

Examples of Adverbs of Manner:

Rebekah plays the guitar well.
We don’t know our neighbor very well.
My children were playing happily with the toys.
The children walked slowly along the narrow path.
Bradley drives very carefully during the rain.
The boys walk quickly to catch the bus.
The football game went badly after the rain.
Jenny studied diligently to pass her exams.
They are living happily together as husband and wife.
He was behaving angrily toward his sister.

NOTE: “Well” and “good” have similar meanings and it is not unusual to confuse the two. You can end the confusion by remembering that “well” modifies actions and “good” modifies nouns.

Examples of “Well” and “Good” in Sentences:

Emma is a good singer. (correct – adjective)
Jennifer speaks English well. (correct – adverb)
He did the job good. (incorrect)
She did the job well. (correct – adverb)
He did a good job. (correct – adjective)
John did well on the exam. (correct – adverb)

3. Adverbs of Place

Definition of Adverbs of Place: Adverbs of place are words that express where something happens or where something is. Some adverbs of place are: (here, there, above, below).

Examples of Adverbs of Place:

I looked underneath the bed for my shoes.
He looked for the lost keys outside.
When I was injured, I sat down.
When the fire was burning throughout the countryside, there was smoke everywhere.
There isn’t any treasure here.
Jonathan went downstairs to meet his boss.
There was someone standing nearby.
Is that your car there?
The teacher walked around during the exams.
The children couldn’t be found anywhere.

NOTE: Adverbs of place can be divided into several categories: (direction, distance or position).

Examples of Different Categories of Adverbs of Place:

He traveled down the mountainside. (direction)
The police officer was standing nearby. (distance)
The gold lies below. (position)
David is moving away. (distance)
The lost child was walking around by herself. (direction)

4. Adverbs of Degree

Definition of Adverbs of Degree: Adverbs of degree are words that express how much of something is done or to what degree. Adverbs of degree explain the level of intensity of verbs, adjectives or other adverbs.

Here are some common adverbs of degree: (very, much, too, almost, hardly, so, quite)

Examples of Adverbs of Degree:

Jonathan is so excited about the purchase of his new house.
The song was extremely difficult to sing.
She almost collapsed from the extreme heat.
The building was completely demolished by the storm.
He nearly purchased the jet but decided not to in the end.
Emma hardly noticed what Jonathan was saying.
He was just leaving to take the car to the garage.
David works too hard at times.
The painting was very beautiful.
Jonathan worked very quickly to finish the job.

NOTE: Adverbs of degree are usually place before verbs, adjectives or adverbs they are modifying.

Examples of Adverbs of Degree Modifying Verbs, Adjectives and Other Adverbs:

My coffee is too hot. (modifying an adjective)
He works too hard at times. (modifying an adverb)
She has almost finished her college degree. (modifying the main verb)
You are very beautiful. (modifying an adjective)
They worked very quickly to finish the job. (modifying an adverb)
David was just leaving the building complex. (modifying the main verb)

5. Adverbs of Frequency

Definition of Adverbs of Frequency: Adverbs of frequency are words that express how often something happens or who how often we do things.

Here are some common adverbs of frequency: (never, seldom, often, sometimes, occasionally)

Examples of Adverbs of Frequency:

Rachel never takes sick days.
David occasionally eats the wrong foods.
Candice seldom wakes up at 6:00am.
The teacher always wears a shirt and tie.
She usually shops at the large mall in the city.
David always reads a book before bed.
Rebekah rarely walks her dog in the rain.
Rachel usually feeds her dog after work.
David never eats fast food these days.
I seldom drive the van to work these days.

NOTE: Here is a quick summary of how to identify the five types of adverbs.

Adverbs of time stress when something is going to happen.
Adverbs of manner stress how something is going to happen.
Adverbs of place stress where something is going to happen.
Adverbs of degree stress how much something is going to take place.
Adverbs of frequency stress how often something is going to take place.

An adverb is one of eight parts of speech and is often one of the most misunderstood of the eight. Parts of speech are the fundamental building blocks of the English language. It’s important that you recognize these parts of speech. Once you understand how adverbs work in sentences, you will find writing and speaking much more enjoyable. Above are the 5 types of simple adverbs in English grammar with examples!