Discover the world of adverbs in this comprehensive guide for Class 8 and ESL learners. This article explains the kinds of adverbs, their usage, and how to place them correctly with rules for position and order. It also explains the comparison of adverbs with clarity and confidence. Perfect for students and language enthusiasts!
“An adverb is a word that adds more information about place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, degree, etc to a verb, an adjective, a phrase, or another adverb: In ‘speak kindly‘, ‘incredibly deep‘, ‘just in time‘ and ‘too quickly‘, ‘kindly‘, ‘incredibly‘, ‘just‘ and ‘too‘ are all adverbs.” – OALD by A S Hornby
1. Kinds of adverbs
The different kinds of adverbs are
- Adverbs of Manner: well, slowly, fast, nicely, cleverly, etc.
- Adverbs of Time: now, then, soon, still, tomorrow, yet, etc.
- Adverbs of Place: here, there, near, up, off, by, down, etc.
- Adverbs of Frequency: often, sometimes, always, never, usually, occasionally, rarely, etc.
- Adverbs of Degree: very, so, too, rather, hardly, fairly, etc.
- Sentence Adverbs: surely, frankly, obviously, certainly, luckily, fortunately, definitely, etc.
- Interrogative Adverbs: when, why, where, how, etc.
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2. Use of Adverbs
Here are some examples that display the use of the different kinds of adverbs.
- I coached her very well for the Olympics. (manner)
- The police searched the building thoroughly. (manner)
- He cracked his whip and galloped away. (place)
- She crept up quietly. (place)
- He cut himself shaving today. (time)
- She dances daily. (frequency)
- It is too hot to go out. (degree)
- Where are you going? (interrogative)
- Fortunately, no one got injured in the accident. (sentence)
3. Same word used as an adjective and an adverb
a) Write on the back page. (adjective, describing the noun page).
b) Why are you looking back? (adverb, modifying the verb looking)
a) The river is deep. (adjective, describing the noun river)
b) He went deep into the subject. (adverb, modifying the verb went)
a) This is a direct bus to Ajmer. (adjective, describing the noun bus)
b) This train goes to Ajmer direct. (adverb, modifying the verb goes)
a) He started earning at an early age. (adjective, describing the noun age)
b) The train has come early. (adverb, modifying the verb come)
a) I don’t have enough food. (adjective, describing the noun food)
b) The room is big enough for us. (adverb, modifying the adjective big)
4. Position of Adverbs
Adverbs of manner
a) Adverbs of manner come after the verb or after the object if there is one.
For example,
- She walks slowly.
- I eat food quickly.
b) If the object has a preposition before it, we can use the adverb either after the object or before the preposition.
For example,
- I wish sincerely for your success.
- I wish for your success sincerely.
c) If the object is long, the adverb is placed before the verb.
For example,
- He carefully collected all the forms filled up by his students.
- I totally depend on my brother for helping me with my projects.
d) Note the difference in meaning.
For example,
- He immediately decided to go (the decision was immediate.)
- He decided to go immediately. (the departure was to be immediate)
Adverbs of place
a) Adverbs of place are used after the verb or after the object if there is one.
For example,
- The wheel came off.
- He went away.
- I called him in.
- He has gone upstairs.
- She is looking for the keys everywhere.
- The birds are sitting on the tree. (adverb phrase of place)
- I have seen you somewhere.
- Has he gone anywhere?”
- Just planning and doing nothing will get you nowhere.
- Come here.
b) We can start a sentence with prepositional phrases showing time.
- On Republic Day, the road in front of the Red Fort is completely jammed.
Adverbs of time
a) Adverbs of time can be placed at the beginning or at the end of a sentence.
For example,
- I’ll meet you tomorrow.
- Tomorrow I’ll meet you.
- You can go now.
- Now you can go.
b) early, last, before, yet, immediately are used at the end of a sentence.
For example,
- She arrived late.
- The train came early.
- Do it immediately.
- She has completed her task before.
c) still is placed after the verb ‘be’ and before other verbs.
For example,
- He is still wrong.
- She still doesn’t feel that her conduct is objectionable.
Adverbs of frequency
a) Adverbs of frequency are normally placed after the verb ‘be’ and ‘before other verbs in the simple tenses.
For example,
- He is never late.
- They always speak the truth.
- He sometimes behaves abnormally.
b) In the continuous and perfect tenses or with modals, these adverbs are used after the auxiliary.
For example,
- He can never deceive you.
- I have always helped her.
- She is frequently meeting me these days.
Adverbs of degree
a) Adverbs of degree are placed before the adjectives and the adverbs they modify.
For example,
- The situation is entirely different now.
- He is only five.
- The question is rather difficult.
- I am much better now.
- They are quite comfortable.
Enough follows its adjective or adverb.
For example,
- The room is big enough.
- She spoke clearly enough.
b) When an adverb of degree modifies a verb, it is placed before the main verb.
For example,
- He almost slipped.
- She has just left.
- They hardly know me.
c) Only is placed next to the word it is related to.
For example,
- I have only ten rupees. (not more than ten)
- He only smiled. (He didn’t say anything or do anything else.)
- He smiled at me only. (not at anyone else)
- She is only a bit shy. (otherwise, she is quite smart)
5. Order of Adverbs
The usual order of placing adverbs is – adverb of manner, adverb of place, and adverb of time.
- He walked slowly along the road in the morning. (Manner, Place, Time)
- They played well in the stadium today. (Manner, Place, Time)
6. Degrees of Comparison of Adverbs
Look at some examples of the degrees of comparison of adverbs.
Positive Degree: He ran as fast as I (did).
Comparative Degree: He ran faster than I (did).
Superlative Degree: He ran (the) fastest of all. (‘the’ is optional with superlative adverbs]
Positive: She doesn’t walk so/as quickly as I can.
Comparative: I walk more quickly than she does/than her.
Superlative: Mala walks (the) most quickly of all of us.
Positive: He didn’t sing as well as I expected.
Comparative: He sang better than I expected.
Superlative: He plays (the) best of all his friends.
Some adverbs, just like adjectives, also have comparative and superlative forms. These are generally adverbs of manner, degree, and time. Fortunately, their degrees of comparison are much easier to construct.
By using the adverbs more/less and most/least
Upward Comparative | more intelligently | more beautifully | more curiously | more swiftly |
Downward Comparative | less intelligently | less beautifully | less curiously | less swiftly |
Upward Superlative | most intelligently | most beautifully | most curiously | most swiftly |
Downward Superlative | least intelligently | least beautifully | least curiously | least swiftly |
By adding the suffixes er and est to the positive
This method is used for monosyllabic adverbs only. These adverbs are invariably adjectives which are being used as adverbs in a sentence.
Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
near | nearer | nearest |
loud | louder | loudest |
long | longer | longest |
early | earlier | earliest |
late | later | latest |
Note: Do not confuse the adverbs near and hard with the similar-looking adverbs nearly and hardly.
For example,
He drove too/quite near.
is very different from
He nearly drove.
Similarly,
He exercised hard.
conveys exactly the opposite of
He hardly exercised.
Note: Far is a one-syllable adverb which is an exception to this rule. It forms its comparative and superlative in exactly the same way as the adjective far.
From these examples, you can see that nearly means almost, while hardly means seldom or almost never.
By irregular construction
Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
well | better | best |
badly | worse | worst |
little | less | least |
much/many | more | most |
far | further | furthest |
Note: The adjectives good and bad and their corresponding adverbs, well and badly, have exactly the same comparatives and superlatives.
Adverbs for Class 8 Worksheets
These worksheets cover kinds of adverbs (manner, time, place, frequency, degree), their usage in sentences, positions (front, mid, end), order (manner > place > time), and comparison (positive, comparative, superlative forms). Activities include identifying adverbs, filling blanks, reordering sentences, and comparative exercises to enhance understanding.
Worksheet 1
A. Sort the following adverbs according to their type and write them in the correct column in the table.
daily, here, never, yesterday, somewhere, upstairs, well, unabashedly, sloppily, so, grimly, finally, enough, suddenly, hard, near, very, hard, fairly, yearly, tomorrow, about, angrily, fully, downstairs, under, cheerfully
Adverbs of Time | Adverbs of Place | Adverbs of Frequency | Adverbs of Degree | Adverbs of Manner |
Worksheet 2
B. Place the adverbs in their usual position in the following sentences.
1. He was sorry, (extremely)
2. They are scared. (understandably)
3. I have not met him. (lately)
4. You have been punished. (justly)
3. You have written all the answers. (incorrectly)
6. Don’t go back. (any further)
7. She doesn’t sing nowadays. (much)
8. You are speaking. (too fast)
9. They are going. (abroad)
10. I have put the keys. (somewhere)
11. I haven’t seen them. (inside)
12. They’ll be here. (soon)
15. Leave this place. (at once)
14. The child is crying. (still)
15. They haven’t turned up. (yet)
16. We are on time. (usually)
17. Everybody makes a mistake. (sometimes)
18. The room was big. (quite)
Worksheet 3
C. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of the adverb in each bracket. Don’t forget to use articles where necessary.
1. These children are so _______ (bad) behaved!
2. You think they’re bad, the ones in my class behave _______(bad).
3. They hiked _______(long) than they’d expected to.
4. That doll is _______(prettily) dressed one in the whole store.
5. Ignorant people are always the ones who speak _______(load).
6. Today’s actors are _______(artistically) inclined than those of the yesteryears.
7. She swam _______(far) away from the shore than she should have.
8. Lost in thought, he went back _______(far) in time.
9. The police are enquiring _______(far) into the matter.
10. Let’s see who can throw the shot-put _______(far).
Worksheet 4
D. There is an error in each line in this paragraph. Underline the error and write the corrected adverb in each blank.
It was a cold night and the wind was blowing furious, i ____________
bending the trees whose leaves were rustling soft against ii. ____________
the windowpane in my room. Nervous I glanced towards iii. ____________
the window, half expecting to see a ghost out. Instead, there iv. ____________
was a tapping on the door, and I near jumped out of my skin v. ____________
at the sound. Usual, I’m not the kind to be scared easily. vi. ____________
But that night, I was strange frightened. vii. ____________
Worksheet 5
E. Fill in the blanks as instructed.
1. We meet __________ (adverb of frequency)
2. This bag is __________ heavy. (adverb of degree)
3. They set off for the picnic __________. (adverb of manner)
4. I have been asked to submit the project __________. (adverb of time)
5. I think there’s somebody standing __________. (adverb of place)
Worksheet 6
F. Identify the errors in the use of adverbs in these sentences.
1. She loudly shouted at him.
2. He admitted his fault never.
Adverbs for Class 8 Worksheets Answers
Answers include correct identification of adverbs, their types, proper usage, sentence reordering for positions, and solutions for comparison exercises to help students understand adverbs thoroughly.
Answers 1
Adverbs of Time | Adverbs of Place | Adverbs of Frequency | Adverbs of Degree | Adverbs of Manner |
daily | here | never | so | unabashedly |
yesterday | somewhere | yearly | very | sloppily |
tomorrow | upstairs | fairly | grimly | |
finally | downstairs | enough | suddenly | |
yearly | under | hard | ||
near | angrily | |||
fully | ||||
cheerfully |
Answers 2
Here are the sentences with the adverbs placed in their usual positions:
1. He was extremely sorry.
2. They are understandably scared.
3. I have not met him lately.
4. You have been punished justly.
5. You have written all the answers incorrectly.
6. Don’t go back any further.
7. She doesn’t sing much nowadays.
8. You are speaking too fast.
9. They are going abroad.
10. I have put the keys somewhere.
11. I haven’t seen them inside.
12. They’ll be here soon.
13. Leave this place at once.
14. The child is still crying.
15. They haven’t turned up yet.
16. We are usually on time.
17. Everybody sometimes makes a mistake.
18. The room was quite big.
Answers 3
Here are the completed sentences with the appropriate forms of the adverbs and necessary articles:
1. These children are so badly behaved!
2. You think they’re bad, the ones in my class behave worse.
3. They hiked longer than they’d expected to.
4. That doll is the prettiest dressed one in the whole store.
5. Ignorant people are always the ones who speak loudest.
6. Today’s actors are less artistically inclined than those of the yesteryears.
7. She swam farther away from the shore than she should have.
8. Lost in thought, he went back further in time.
9. The police are enquiring further into the matter.
10. Let’s see who can throw the shot-put farthest.
Answers 4
It was a cold night, and the wind was blowing furious. i furiously
bending the trees whose leaves were rustling soft against ii. softly
the windowpane in my room. Nervous I glanced towards iii. Nervously
the window, half expecting to see a ghost out. Instead, there iv. outside
was a tapping on the door, and I near jumped out of my skin v. nearly
at the sound. Usual, I’m not the kind to be scared easily. vi. Usually
But that night, I was strange frightened. vii. Strangely
Answers 5
1. We meet often. (adverb of frequency)
2. This bag is too heavy. (adverb of degree)
3. They set off for the picnic happily. (adverb of manner)
4. I have been asked to submit the project today. (adverb of time)
5. I think there’s somebody standing outside. (adverb of place)
Answers 6
Incorrect: She loudly shouted at him.
Corrected: She shouted at him loudly.
Incorrect: He admitted his fault never.
Corrected: He never admitted his fault.
FAQs on Adverbs for Class 8 and ESL:
1. What is the order of adverbs in ESL?
Ans: In English, when multiple adverbs are used in a sentence, they typically follow this order:
Manner (how?)
Place (where?)
Time (when?)
For example: She sings beautifully (manner) in the park (place) every evening (time).
This is often remembered with the acronym MPT.
2. What is the position of adverbs for Class 8?
Ans: For Class 8 students, the basic adverb positions are:
Front: At the beginning of a sentence (Quickly, she ran away.).
Mid: Before the main verb or after the auxiliary verb (She always studies hard.).
End: At the end of a sentence (She ran quickly.).
3. What is the order of adverbs in position?
Ans: The order depends on how many adverbs are used together. The rule of Manner > Place > Time generally applies:
Correct: He worked hard (manner) at home (place) yesterday (time).
Incorrect: He worked at home yesterday hard.
4. What is the adverb position in ESL?
Ans: Adverbs in ESL are positioned based on their type:
Adverbs of Frequency: Before the main verb (She always eats breakfast), but after “to be” (She is always happy).
Adverbs of Time/Place: Usually at the end of the sentence (She will meet me tomorrow).
Adverbs of Manner: Typically at the end (He speaks clearly).
5. How to use adverbs in ESL?
Ans: To teach ESL students:
Introduce the different types of adverbs: manner, place, time, frequency, degree, etc.
Provide clear rules for their position in a sentence.
Practice with sentences and emphasize MPT order.
Use visuals, games, and fill-in-the-blank activities to reinforce learning.
6. How do you teach adverb positions?
Ans: Steps for teaching adverb positions:
Explain the function of adverbs and categorize them.
Demonstrate adverb placement with examples on the board.
Use charts for adverb types and positions (front, mid, end).
Practice with interactive activities: rearrange sentences, gap-fill exercises, or storytelling.
Assess understanding through quizzes and worksheets.
7. What are the four positions of an adverb?
Ans: Adverbs can be placed in these four positions:
Front: Before the subject (Suddenly, the door opened.).
Mid: Near the main verb (She often reads novels.).
End: After the verb or object (He works efficiently.).
After a clause: For emphasis (I will do it, obviously.).
8. How do you teach position words?
Ans: To teach position words (e.g., in, on, under, next to):
Use visual aids like pictures or objects in the classroom.
Demonstrate the concept physically (Place a book on a desk, under a chair, etc.).
Use interactive games (Simon Says with position words).
Provide practice exercises with simple sentences and images.
9. What is the best way to teach adverbs?
Ans: The best way to teach adverbs is:
Start with a simple definition and examples for each type of adverb.
Introduce position rules and the MPT order.
Use real-life examples in speaking and writing.
Provide contextual exercises like describing daily routines.
Encourage students to practice using adverbs in storytelling or role-plays.