Hook

“She speaks English well” — not “good.” Small word, big difference. How an action happens is described by adverbs of manner, not adjectives.

Notice

“He works quickly.” — “She speaks English fluently.” — “They did the job carefully.” — “He drives dangerously.”

Rule

Most adverbs of manner are formed by adding -ly to an adjective: quick → quickly, careful → carefully, fluent → fluently. Irregular ones: good → well, fast → fast, hard → hard. Adverbs usually describe verbs (how something is done), while adjectives describe nouns.

Practice

  1. She is a good singer. She sings ______. Answer: well
  2. He is a careful driver. He drives ______. Answer: carefully
  3. They finished the project ______ (quick). Answer: quickly
  4. My colleague works very ______ (hard). Answer: hard
  5. She speaks three languages ______ (fluent). Answer: fluently

Connect

Match adverbs to their meanings with our Match The Definition tool.

Try our Match The Definition tool →

This lesson supports: I can use a series of phrases to describe my daily routine in simple terms.

Azizul Hakim