2. Grammatical categories

Modern grammar follows traditional grammar in using meaning as a basis of adverb classification. But, since adverbs as a whole are so complicated there is no consensus as to the broad categories should be, beyond a general agreement that adverbs of time and frequency, adverbs of place, adverbs of manner, adverbs of degree, adverbs of probability and sentence adverbs form separate categories (6).

Adverbs of time tell when something happens. I immediately waved at you. She saw you yesterday. She often swims in the sea. She never comes to my parties. Note that you do NOT use prepositions at, in or on with the time expressions: last year, last night, next Saturday, next week, the other day, the day after tomorrow. So, you are coming back next week?

Common adverbs of time/frequency

Afterward	Eventually	Late	Once	Then	Weekly
Again	Finally	Never	Rarely	Today	Monthly
Always	First	Now	Seldom	Tomorrow	Yearly
Before	Forever	Often	Soon	Usually	Annually
Normally	Occasionally	Hardly ever	Frequently	Yesterday	The other day

You can use prepositional phrases as adverbials of time:

• At is used with:

Clock time: at five o’clock, at four fifteen;

Religious festivals: at Christmas, at Easter;

Mealtimes: at lunchtime, at breakfast;

Specific periods: at night, at the weekend, at weekends, at half-term.

• In is used with:

Seasons: in autumn, in the spring;

Years and centuries: in 1963, in the year 2006, in the nineteenth century;

Months: in January, in March;

Parts of the day: in the morning, in the evenings.

To say that something will happen during or after a period of time in the future: I think we’ll find out in the next few days.

• On is used with:

Days: on Sunday, on Friday morning;

Dates: on the sixth of January, on March 3^rd.

Special days: on Christmas day, on her birthday, on their wedding anniversary.

• You use for, NOT during to say how long something continues to happen. He is in Italy for a month. I remained silent for a long time. I will be in Brussels for three weeks.

Adverbs of probability are used to say how sure you are about something: certainly, definitely, maybe, obviously, perhaps, possibly, probably, really. The driver probably knows the quickest route. I definitely saw her yesterday. You usually put adverbs of frequency and possibility before the main verb and after an auxiliary or a modal. He sometimes works downstairs in the kitchen. You are definitely wasting your time. He is always careful with his money. ‘Perhaps’ usually comes at the beginning of the sentence. Perhaps the beaches are cleaner in the north. Perhaps you need a membership card to get it.

Adverbs of place tell where an action takes place. Some adverbs of place tell about position (locally), some tell about direction (left, upward), and most can tell about either direction or position (there, anywhere). A plane flew overhead. No birds or animals came near the body.

She turned left at the corner. It was hot everywhere yesterday.

Adverbs of degree tell to what degree or to what extent, you use them to modify verbs and adjectives. I totally disagree. I can nearly swim. Seaford is rather a pleasant town. My father gave me quite a large sum of money. When they are used with adjectives or other adverbs, they are sometimes called intensifiers. Rachel is running very fast. I definitely think she will win. She is really graceful. Mr Brooke strongly criticized the bank of England. That argument doesn’t convince me totally.

The words in bold type in the following expressions are other common adverbs of degree:

Absolutely lovely	Otherwise happy
Almost never	Partly done
Certainly charming	Rather silly
Greatly improved	Scarcely tired
Hardly ever	Simply ridiculous
However quickly	So ugly
Sad indeed	Somewhat thirsty
Only two	Too expensive

John is so interesting to talk to. Science is changing so rapidly. There was such a noise we couldn’t hear. They said such nasty things about you. I’ve been paying too much tax.

Adverbs of manner tell how an action is done (move unwillingly) or the means by which an action is done (heated electrically). Adverbs of manner can also give information about adjectives (tragically short career). He talked so politely and danced so beautifully. She wanted to sit quietly, to relax.

How	By what means
Treated badly	Treated surgically
Cooked professionally	Cooked automatically
Carefully polished	Mechanically polished

Some adverbs have the same form as adjectives and have similar meanings (fast, late, hard). I’ve always been interested in fast cars (adj). The man was driving too fast (adv). Note that hardly and lately have different meaning from the adjectives hard and late. It was a hard decision to make. I hardly had any time to talk to her. The train was late as usual. Have you seen John lately? Note that the adverb of manner related to the adjective good is well. He is a good dancer. He dances well. But well can be an adjective when it refers to someone’s health. 'How’re you?’ – ‘I’m very well, thank you.’

Sentence adverbs tell something about the entire sentence rather than about only a word in the sentence. Happily, the snow has melted. The roof leaks, unfortunately. Specifically, what is bothering him? Hopefully, everybody is ok. Unfortunatelly, he has missed his train.

Some adverbs come in three forms: positive, comparative and superlative.

A positive adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a clause, or an entire sentence but does not suggest comparison. Erica runs quickly.

A comparative adverb compares two actions or conditions. Erica runs more quickly than I do.

A superlative adverb compares three or more actions or conditions. Of all the members of the relay team, Erica runs the most quickly.