Page 141 - Perfect English Grammar: The Indispensable Guide to Excellent Writing and Speaking
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Adverbs are a diverse set of words that modify verbs, adjectives (see section
11.0), and other adverbs. They tell when, where, and how an action was
performed, or indicate the quality or degree. They are different from adjectives,
which modify only nouns (see section 8.0, Nouns) or noun phrases (see section
5.6.1).
Many adverbs end in -ly, but by no means all, and some words ending in -ly
(such as friendly) are not adverbs.
■ I was greatly impressed by her presentation.
■ Despite being grossly misinformed, he still managed to find his way.
■ She is almost always late to class.
■ I was not surprised by the ending of the movie.
Adverb clauses contain a subject and a verb and modify the verb of a
sentence.
■ He flew toward the sun until his wax wings melted.
Like single-word adverbs, adverb phrases modify a verb, adjective, or other
adverb.
■ He came pulling his little sister behind him.
■ We were afraid beyond reason.
■ We walked very willingly into the cold water.
■ In this house, cake is gone only too soon.
Some words are the same whether they are used as an adverb or an adjective.
■ We tried hard.
■ Our train ran late.
■ The speedboat zooms fast.
12.1 Conjunctive Adverbs
