1d. Adverbs -- Really! [Beyond Books

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A store that sells adverbs? Check out this father-son duet from "Grammar Rock."

You're not the only one who works for your grades! Adverbs are classifed according to their function. Test your knowledge of comparative, superlative, and gradable adverbs here.

Adverbs and conjunctions are so powerful together. They can even link Batman and Robin to the Joker. These grammatical hybrids are called conjunctive adverbs. They link clauses — and sometimes heroes and villains.

Basically Speaking: Language Arts Rudiments

1d. Adverbs -- Really!

James Brown is the creator of "I feel good" and other grammatically intriguing catch phrases.

"I feel good." -James Brown

What does James Brown mean? He has used a verb, "feel," but he has modified it with an adjective, "good." Don't adjectives modify nouns?

Brown means that he has a good feeling all over. Had he sung "I feel well," his lyrics would convey the idea that he isn't sick.

Confused yet? You need some adverb knowledge to bail you out of this one.

An adverb is a word used to modify or qualify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.

Adverbs usually answer one of these questions:

When?
Where?
How?
Why?
Under what conditions?
To what degree?

English Works! at Gallaudet University

"When," "how," and "where" are examples of interrogative adverbs.

Adverb Tips

Adverbs that modify a verb take two forms:

Words that can appear nearly anywhere in a sentence and are often movable

Examples: He sometimes does his homework. Sometimes he does his homework.
Words that are derived from adjectives and take an -ly ending

Examples: rudely, profoundly

Adverbs that modify adjectives or other adverbs usually intensify or limit the intensity of the word they modify.

Example: This is unbelievably fascinating.

So what about James Brown?

The word "feel" is a verb. Ordinarily, an adverb is needed to modify it. But "feel" is also a linking verb.

People commonly confuse adverbs and adjectives placed directly after linking verbs (any form of the verb "to be" or verbs such as "seem," "look," "feel," "smell," "become," and "had").

We are more accustomed to finding an adjective following a linking verb, as in "Bill is happy." Here, "happy" is an adjective describing Bill.

At other times, the word after the auxiliary verb modifies the verb and not the subject.

"Poorly" is an adverb modifying the verb "feels." If Bill believes he has less money than he needs, then we might say, "Bill feels poor." In this example, "poor" is an adjective modifying Bill.

"Bad" is an adjective modifying the word "feels" as a linking verb, and "bad" is an adjective modifying Bill. If Bill has problems with his sense of touch, then we might say "Bill feels badly." In this example, "badly" is an adverb modifying the verb "feels."

Phrases also act as adverbs to qualify verbs. In the sentence "He sings in the shower," the phrase "in the shower" acts as an adverb telling where the singing takes place. In "He sings every Sunday," "every Sunday" acts as an adverb telling when the singing takes place.

"His books had too many adverbs," Tom said literally. Author Edward Stratemeyer is famous for adverb puns.

Tom Swifties

Early in the 20th century, Edward Stratemeyer created a character called Tom Swift who appeared in a popular series of books for young readers. (If you don't know Tom Swift, you might know the Hardy Boys, the Bobbsey Twins, and Nancy Drew — Stratemeyer created those characters, too.) The writers of the series tended to use many adverbs. These constructions became the trademark of the Tom Swift style and were dubbed Tom Swifties.

Sometimes these Tom Swifties had a comic effect. Here's an example of one:

"The temperature on the surface of the planet could be below zero," said Tom Swift icily.

Create some Tom Swifties of your own. Think of an adverb that will create a humorous effect when placed in the blank.

Where Have All the Adverbs Gone?

Contemporary writers want to say as much as possible with as few words as possible. That is an admirable goal for most writing. Often a stronger verb can replace a verb modified by an adverb. Look:

He walked slowly down the road.
He lumbered down the road.
He trudged down the road.

All three sentences work, but the specific verbs replace the need for the adverb.

In 1998 Oxford University Press vindicated Star Trek when it declared that it was acceptable to "boldly" split an infinitive. But will English teachers and editors accept split infinitives in your work?
But don't toss out those adverbs. They play an important role in good writing. In " 'Indignation' Jones," Edgar Lee Masters uses an adverb to intensify the pain that Jones feels.

Sometimes a man's life turns into a cancer
From being bruised and continually bruised ...

The adverb "continually" modifies Masters's repetition of the word "bruised." The poet intensifies the reader's sense of the character's pain.

Adverbs can add information even to an active, specific verb. One person escaping a train wreck might scramble away. Someone else might scramble away painfully.

Some adverb-and-verb combinations simply cannot be replaced by a single verb. "Misbehaved," for example, does not carry quite the same meaning or tone as "behaved improperly."

Splitting Hairs about Splitting Infinitives

Nathaniel Hawthorne loved using adverbial phrases. Click on the picture for a selection from The Scarlet Letter. How many adverbial phrases can you find?

An infinitive is the word "to" plus the base form of the verb. (Examples include "to run," "to think," and "to bowl.") Placing an adverb between the word "to" and a verb can be awkward. But this splitting of infinitives, as it is called, is not the crime that some sticklers contend. Which seems less awkward?

She swore to discharge her duties faithfully and honorably.
She swore to faithfully and honorably discharge her duties.

The first sentence is cleaner and less confusing than the second.

But there is no acceptable substitute for a construction like "I prefer to actually decide for myself rather than follow his advice blindly." Putting "actually" anywhere else would change the intended meaning of the sentence.

Now that you have had some practice with nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, test your skill with a Mad Lib.

Create a poem filled with actions.

Prewriting

Think about how events occurred. Focus on what was happening for one character. Did she approach the plate "confidently," "awkwardly," or some other way?

List 10 adverbs that could apply to this situation. Write each one at the beginning of its own line.

Drafting

Now use each adverb as the first word in a complete sentence. One example might be "Awkwardly, she swings the bat in an uneven arc." Put the sentences in a logical order. Try to finish the piece with an unexpected last line — an ending with a twist.

Revising

Decide if you like the use of an adverb at the beginning of every line. Such a pattern can build tension. Does your last line release the tension in a satisfactory way? Feel free to maintain the pattern or to change it. Make sure that the verbs you used with the adverbs are active, specific, and all in the same tense.

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