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Adverbs of Manner
Look at this sample situation:
A conversation between two friends:
Anna: I can’t believe you finished that puzzle so quickly!
Ben: Yeah, I worked really hard on it last night.
Anna: You always do everything carefully. I wish I could be as patient as you!
Ben: Thanks! But I’m not always careful; I drove quite badly this morning because I was in a hurry!
Anna: Oh no! You should drive more slowly next time.
You can see from these examples that:
Adverbs of manner describe how something happens or how someone does something. They usually answer the question How?
Ben finished the puzzle quickly.
How did he finish the puzzle? Quickly.
Ben worked really hard.
How did Ben work? Hard.
Meaning
Adverbs of manner can do more than describe verbs; they can also modify adjectives and other adverbs to give extra detail or emphasis.
Modifying a verb (how the action happens):
She drives carefully.
He answered politely.
Modifying an adjective (to show intensity or degree):
That’s a remarkably easy question.
The film was extremely good.
Modifying another adverb (to describe how strongly another adverb applies):
She speaks incredibly quickly.
He ran very fast.
Note: When adverbs modify adjectives or other adverbs, they are often degree adverbs like very, extremely, really, quite, too, enough, fairly or surprisingly.
Form
Most adverbs of manner are formed by adding ly to an adjective:
Quick → quickly
Careful → carefully
Happy → happily
Quiet → quietly
Note: Adjectives ending in y change y to i before ly:
Easy → easily
Angry → angrily
Adjectives ending in le change le to ly:
Possible → possibly
Gentle → gently
Irregular Adverbs
Some adverbs do not end in ly. These are irregular forms that you need to remember:
Good → well
Fast → fast
Hard → hard
Late → late
Early → early
Straight → straight
Note: fast, hard, late, early and straight have the same form as adjectives. You must look at the context to know if they are being used as adjectives or adverbs.
Adjective:
She’s a fast runner.
Adverb:
She runs fast.
Adjective:
It was a hard exam.
Adverb:
He worked hard to pass it.
Adjectives Ending in ly
Be careful! Some adjectives already end in ly but are not adverbs. You can’t add ly again. Here are some examples:
friendly, lively, lovely, lonely, silly, ugly, deadly, elderly, cowardly
He’s a friendly person.
is ok, as friendly is used as an adjective describing person. But:
He smiled friendly.
is wrong. The adverb of these adjectives is formed with in a ... way/manner:
He smiled in a friendly way/manner.
Note: Some other words ending in Iy are both adjectives and adverbs: hourly, daily, early, weekly, monthly, yearly, etc.
This is a daily programme.
Daily here is an adjective but:
He brushes his teeth twice daily.
It is an adverb here.
Adverbs with Two Forms and Different Meanings
Some words can be both an adjective and an adverb or they have two adverb forms with different meanings.
Hard/Hardly
He works hard.
Hard = with effort.
He hardly works.
Hardly = almost never.
Late/Lately
I arrived late.
Late = not on time.
I’ve lately started going to the gym.
Lately = recently.
Near/Nearly
She came near.
Near = close in distance.
She nearly fell over.
Nearly = almost.
High/Highly
The plane flew high.
High = at a great height.
She’s highly intelligent.
Highly = very, to a great degree.
Deep/Deeply
The diver swam deep.
Deep = far down.
I deeply regret what I said.
Deeply = strongly, emotionally.
Right/Rightly
You guessed right!
Right = correctly/exactly.
She was rightly angry.
Rightly = for a good reason.
Wide/Widely
He opened his eyes wide.
Wide = with a large distance across.
The book is widely read.
Widely = by many people, in many places.
Clear/Clearly
Stand clear of the doors.
Clear = keep away.
Try to speak more clearly
Clearly = so we can understand.
Free/Freely
Children under twelve travel free.
Free = don't have to pay.
You can walk freely in the hotel grounds.
Freely = without restrictions.
Note: Wrongly and wrong have the same meaning but wrongly is used before the main verb (but after the auxiliary, if present):
She wrongly advised me to accept the money.
His name was wrongly spelt.
While wrong is used after the verb (and object, if present):
He went wrong at the turning.
He got the answer wrong.
Position of Adverbs in the Sentence
Adverbs of manner usually come after the main verb or after the object (if there is one):
She sings beautifully.
He drives the car carefully.
But if the verb has no object, the adverb directly follows it:
He speaks clearly.
You can also place the adverb before the verb for emphasis, especially in writing or formal speech:
He quickly realised his mistake.
She silently closed the door.
In the FCE exam
Reading and Use of English
In part 4 (Key Word Transformations) you may be tested on adjective to adverb changes:
She’s a very careful driver on the motorway.
DRIVES
She ____________________ on the motorway.
Answer: drives carefully
Jane gave us a warm welcome when we arrived.
FRIENDLY
Jane welcomed ____________________ when we arrived.
Answer: us in a friendly way/manner
Writing
In essays or reports adverbs of manner are extremely useful because they allow you to describe how actions happen, which makes your arguments more precise and formal. Using adverbs like clearly, effectively, objectively, efficiently, successfully and carefully helps to make your writings sound formal. They are especially helpful when you need to evaluate processes, actions, or behaviours:
The report was written clearly and objectively.
Students should work diligently to improve their language skills.
In reviews adverbs of manner are used to describe performances, events or experiences, making your opinion more vivid. They can describe how an actor performs, how an event unfolded or how you felt about something:
The actors performed brilliantly, and the story moved smoothly.
The singer sang passionately, and the audience listened attentively.
In articles adverbs of manner can make writing more conversational or engaging. They help you show how events or actions happen and add tone or nuance to your opinions:
He answered my question politely, but nervously.
The teacher explained the rules clearly so that everyone could understand.
Speaking
In part 2 when comparing the photos, you should use adverbs of manner to describe actions vividly. This shows the examiner you can give detailed observations and will impact well on the language marking criterion.
The children are playing happily in the park.
The man is running quickly to catch the bus.
She is speaking softly to the baby.
In part 3 (Collaborative Task) when expressing opinions, adverbs of manner can soften or strengthen your opinions, which is very useful in discussions. Using adverbs like completely, strongly, clearly, personally, honestly, frankly can help you to emphasise points:
I completely agree with that idea.
They explained it clearly so everyone could understand.
I personally feel strongly that the rules should change.
In part 4 when discussing issues, adding attitude and emotion adverbs of manner help you show emotional responses or attitudes in debates or discussions:
I spoke honestly about my experience.
People might react angrily to the decision.
We argued passionately about the proposal.