Adverb phrases: forms
An adverb phraseconsists of one or more words. The adverb is the head of the phrase and can appear alone or it can be modified by other words. Adverbs are one of the four major word classes, along with nouns, verbs and adjectives.
In the examples the adverb phrases are in bold. The other words that modify the adverb are underlined:
Weusuallygo on holiday in August.
Time goesveryquickly.
The day passedquicklyenough.
This worksreallywellfor its size.
Luckilyfor us, the cost was not so high.
We kept the new moneyquiteseparatelyfrom what we’d already collected.
In general, these patterns are similar to adjective phrases.
See also:
Adjective phrases
Adverb phrases: types and meanings
An adverb phrase can consist of one adverb or an adverb plus other words before it (premodification) or after it (postmodification). Adverb phrases have many different meanings.
In the examples the adverb phrases are in bold. The other words that modify the adverb are underlined.
example | type | used to give information about |
| manner | how something happens |
| place | where something happens |
| time | when something happens |
| duration | how long something happens |
| frequency | how often something happens |
| focusing | something specific |
| degree | how much or to what degree something happens |
| certainty or necessity | how certain or necessary something is |
| evaluative | the speaker’s opinion of something |
| viewpoint | the speaker’s perspective or reaction |
| linking | relationships between clauses and sentences |
See also:
Adverbs: types
Adverb phrases: functions
Adverb phrases + verbs
We use adverb phrasesmost commonly to modify verbs. In the examples the adverb phrases are in bold. The verbs that they modify are underlined:
Childrengrow upreally quickly.
Iexercisevery regularlyand Ieatquite healthily.
Adverb phrases +be
We use adverb phrases withbe. This is especially typical of adverbs of place:
I’mupstairs. I’ll only be a minute.
A:Have you seen my gloves?
B:They’reright there,on the table.
Adverb phrases + adjectives/adverbs
We use adverb phrases (adv) to modify adjectives and other adverbs:
I found it[ADV]extremely[adjective]difficultto talk to her.
He drives[ADV]really[ADV]carefully.
Adverb phrases + other phrases
We use adverb phrases (adv) to modify noun phrases (np) and prepositional phrases:
That’s[ADV]quite[NP]a tree.(it’s a tree that is special in some way, e.g. it’s very big)
There was[ADV]hardly[pronoun]anyoneat the concert.
We climbed[ADV]right[prepositional phrase]over the top of the hilland down again.
Adverb phrases + determiners
We use adverb phrases to modify determiners, especially words likeall, some, half, many(quantifiers):
Only halfof my friends could come to my party.
Very fewpeople have heard of my city. It’s very small.