Adverbs of Manner

Adverbs of time tell us how an action happened. They are usually placed after the verb, or after the object of the verb.

Examples

He swims well.

He ran quickly.

She spoke softly.

James coughed loudly to attract her attention.

He plays the flute beautifully. (after the direct object)

He ate the chocolate cake greedily. (after the direct object)

An adverb of manner cannot be put between a verb and its direct object. The adverb must be placed either before the verb or at the end of the clause.

Examples

He ate greedily the chocolate cake. ❌

He ate the chocolate cake greedily. ✅

He greedily ate the chocolate cake. ✅

He gave us generously the money. ❌

He gave us the money generously. ✅

He generously gave us the money. ✅

If there is a preposition before the verb's object, you can place the adverb of manner either before the preposition or after the object.

Examples

The child ran happily towards his mother.

The child ran towards his mother happily.

Adverbs of manner should always come immediately after verbs which have no object (intransitive verbs).

Examples

The town grew quickly after 1997.

He waited patiently for his mother to arrive.

These common adverbs of manner are almost always placed directly after the verb: well, badly, hard, & fast

Examples

He swam well despite being tired.

The rain fell hard during the storm.

The position of the adverb is important when there is more than one verb in a sentence. If the adverb is placed before or after the main verb, it modifies only that verb. If the adverb is placed after a clause, then it modifies the whole action described by the clause. Notice the difference in meaning between the following sentences.

Examples

She quickly agreed to re-type the letter.

=> the agreement was quick

She agreed quickly to re-type the letter.

=> the agreement was quick

She agreed to re-type the letter quickly.

=> the re-typing was quick

He quietly asked me to leave the house.

=> the request was quiet

He asked me quietly to leave the house.

=> the request was quiet

He asked me to leave the house quietly.

=> the leaving was quiet

Note: Sometimes an adverb of manner is placed before a Verb + Object to add emphasis in some works of literature.

Examples

He gently woke the sleeping woman.

She angrily slammed the door.

Some writers put an adverb of manner at the beginning of the sentence to catch our attention and make us curious.

Examples

Slowly she picked up the knife.

Roughly he grabbed her arm.

Adverbs of Time Adverbs of Degree