A2 Elementary Comparison and adverbs of manner
Adverbs of manner
Lesson goal. After this lesson you can tell adjectives from adverbs and describe how something is done.
When to use it
- Describing how something is done: She drives carefully.
- Commenting on a skill: He speaks English well.
- Comparing manner: Please speak more slowly.
Form
| Adjective | How to form | Adverb |
|---|---|---|
| slow, quick, careful | + ly | slowly, quickly, carefully |
| happy, easy, lucky | drop y, + ily | happily, easily, luckily |
| terrible, simple | drop e, + y | terribly, simply |
| good | irregular | well |
| fast, hard, late, early | no change | fast, hard, late, early |
Step by step
- Ask: does this word describe a noun or a verb?
- A noun (a … driver) → use an adjective.
- A verb (drives …) → use an adverb.
- Form the adverb from the table, watching the special cases.
After the verb to be it is different
| Sentence | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| He is careful. | adjective | After to be it describes the person, not the action. |
| He drives carefully. | adverb | It describes how someone drives. |
| She looks happy. | adjective | look, feel, seem, sound also take adjectives. |
| She smiled happily. | adverb | It describes how someone laughs. |
Examples
She speaks English fluently.
Please listen carefully.
He runs very fast.
The children played happily in the garden.
My father cooks really well.
She did the test badly.
Common mistakes
He speaks English very good. → He speaks English very well.
good is an adjective. Modifying the verb speak needs the adverb well. This is the most common slip here.
She runs quick. → She runs quickly.
Vietnamese uses one word for both roles, so learners are not used to changing the form.
He runs fastly. → He runs fast.
fast is both adjective and adverb; there is no fastly. Same for hard, late, early.
Memory tip
Just ask: does this describe a thing or an action? A thing → adjective. How an action happens → adverb, usually with -ly.
Summary
- Adjectives modify nouns; adverbs modify verbs.
- Usually add -ly; consonant + y → -ily.
- good → well; fast, hard, late, early do not change.
Practise this lesson
Do exercises with an explanation for every question, take mini tests and track your progress on GrammUp.