Adverbs of Manner Exercises (slowly, well, fast)
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Adverbs of manner
An adverb of manner tells us how someone does something: She speaks slowly. He drives carefully. We make most of them with adjective + ly.
- Use:
- Adverbs of manner say how. They go with action verbs like speak, drive, work, sing and run: He sings badly.
- Form: adjective + ly:
- Add ly to the adjective: slow → slowly, quick → quickly, careful → carefully, quiet → quietly.
- Spelling: y → ily:
- If the adjective ends in y, change y to ily: happy → happily, easy → easily.
- Irregular: good → well:
- The adverb of good is well: She is a good singer. She sings well. Fast, hard and early have the same form as adjective and adverb: a fast car, He runs fast.
- Word order:
- Put the adverb after the verb, or after the object: He speaks slowly. She speaks English well. Do not put it between the verb and the object.
- Adjective or adverb?:
- After be, use an adjective: The test is easy. After an action verb, use an adverb: She did the test easily. Hardly is not the adverb of hard. It means almost not.
Examples
She speaks slowly.
Slowly is an adverb. It tells us how she speaks.
My father drives carefully.
Careful + ly = carefully.
The children play happily in the garden.
Happy ends in y, so happy becomes happily.
You speak English well.
Well is the adverb of good. It goes after the object (English).
My brother runs fast.
Fast has the same form as an adjective and as an adverb.
He is a good singer. He sings well.
Good describes the noun singer. Well describes the verb sings.
Practice exercises
Choose the Correct Word
Choose the correct adjective or adverb.
1.He drives ___ in the rain.
2.Your English is ___.
3.My sister sings very ___.
4.The boy is very ___.
5.He works ___ at the shop. He is always tired.
6.Ana runs ___. She is first in every race.
Fill in the Blank
Write the adverb that goes with the word in brackets.
Put the Words in Order
Click the words in the correct order to build the sentence.
13. Build the sentence:
14. Build the sentence:
15. Build the sentence:
16. Build the sentence:
True or False
Decide if each statement is true or false.
17.'Carefully' is the adverb of 'careful'.
18.'He plays the guitar good' is correct English.
19.'She speaks quickly English' is correct English.
20.'He runs fast' is correct English.
21.In 'The test is easy', 'easy' is an adverb.
Adverbs of Manner: How Do You Do It?
Adverbs of manner tell us how we do something. She speaks slowly. He drives carefully. They play happily. We use them with action verbs, like speak, drive, work, sing and run.
To make an adverb, add ly to the adjective: slow becomes slowly, quick becomes quickly, careful becomes carefully. If the adjective ends in y, change y to ily: happy becomes happily and easy becomes easily.
Some adverbs are irregular. The adverb of good is well: he is a good singer, and he sings well. Fast, hard and early have the same form as adjective and as adverb: a fast car, he runs fast. Be careful with hard and hardly: hardly is a different word and means almost not.
Put the adverb after the verb: she speaks slowly. If there is an object, put the adverb after the object: she speaks English well. Do not put it between the verb and the object. This is a common mistake, because in some other languages, such as Spanish, the adverb can go between the verb and the object.
After be, use an adjective, not an adverb: the test is easy. The exercises above practice the form of adverbs, good and well, word order, and the difference between an adjective and an adverb.
Frequently asked questions
What is an adverb of manner?
It is a word that tells us how someone does something: slowly, carefully, well, fast. It usually goes after the verb: she drives carefully.
How do I make an adverb from an adjective?
Add ly to the adjective: slow → slowly, quick → quickly. If the adjective ends in y, change y to ily: happy → happily, easy → easily.
What is the difference between good and well?
Good is an adjective. It describes a noun: she is a good singer. Well is the adverb. It describes a verb: she sings well. After be, well is normally used only for health: I am well, thank you.
Where do I put an adverb of manner?
Put it after the verb: he speaks slowly. If the verb has an object, put it after the object: she speaks English well. Do not put it between the verb and the object.
Are hard and hardly the same?
No. Hard is both an adjective and an adverb: it is a hard test, he works hard. Hardly means almost not: I can hardly hear you means it is very difficult to hear you.
Answer key
1. He drives ___ in the rain.
Answer: carefully
Drives is an action verb, so we need an adverb: carefully.
2. Your English is ___.
Answer: good
After is we use an adjective. Good describes your English.
3. My sister sings very ___.
Answer: well
Sings is an action verb, so we need an adverb. The adverb of good is well.
4. The boy is very ___.
Answer: quiet
After is we use an adjective. Quiet describes the boy.
5. He works ___ at the shop. He is always tired.
Answer: hard
Hard is also the adverb: he works hard. Hardly is a different word. It means almost not.
6. Ana runs ___. She is first in every race.
Answer: fast
Fast has the same form as an adjective and as an adverb. There is no word fastly.
7. The baby sleeps ___.
Answer: quietly
Add ly to the adjective: quiet becomes quietly.
8. Please speak ___. I can't understand you.
Answer: slowly
Add ly to the adjective: slow becomes slowly.
9. I can do this exercise ___.
Answer: easily
Easy ends in y, so we change y to ily: easily.
10. The children are playing ___ in the park.
Answer: happily
Happy ends in y, so we change y to ily: happily.
11. My father speaks English very ___.
Answer: well
The adverb of good is well.
12. Jack gets up ___ every day. He is out of bed at five.
Answer: early
Early has the same form as an adjective and as an adverb.
13. English / well / she / speaks / .
Answer: She speaks English well.
The adverb goes after the object: she speaks English well.
14. runs / fast / brother / very / my / .
Answer: My brother runs very fast.
The adverb comes after the verb. Very goes before the adverb.
15. sing / well / very / she / doesn't / .
Answer: She doesn't sing very well.
In a negative sentence, the order is she + doesn't + sing, then the adverb.
16. he / hard / work / does / ?
Answer: Does he work hard?
In a question, does comes first. The adverb hard comes at the end.
17. 'Carefully' is the adverb of 'careful'.
Answer: True
Careful + ly = carefully.
18. 'He plays the guitar good' is correct English.
Answer: False
Plays is an action verb, so we need an adverb: he plays the guitar well.
19. 'She speaks quickly English' is correct English.
Answer: False
Do not put the adverb between the verb and the object. Say: she speaks English quickly.
20. 'He runs fast' is correct English.
Answer: True
Fast is also an adverb. We do not add ly to it.
21. In 'The test is easy', 'easy' is an adverb.
Answer: False
Easy is an adjective. It describes the test, and it comes after is.