Adverbs of Manner: Useful Rules, List & Examples

 

Adverbs of Manner!!! Learn list of Adverbs of Manner in English with examples and useful rules to form manner adverbs to help you use them correctly and increase your English vocabulary.

What are Adverbs of Manner?

Adverbs of manner are the largest group of adverbs. Some of them can be used as either adjectives or adverbs. Adverbs of manner are formed by adding –ly to the corresponding adjectives.

Examples of adverbs of manner

• bad – badly
• clear – clearly
• rapid – rapidly
• complete – completely
• surprising – surprisingly

…

Rules for Forming Adverb of Manner

Adjectives Ending in -ic

When the adjective ends in –ic, the syllable al is usually added before the –ly ending.

For example:

drastic – drastically

frantic – frantically

specific – specifically

dramatic – dramatically

scientific – scientifically

enthusiastic – enthusiastically

Adjectives Ending in -le

• When the adjective ends in -le preceded by a consonant, the final –e is usually changed to -y.

For example:

simple – simply

preferable – preferably

gentle – gently

reasonable – reasonably

terrible – terribly

• When the adjective ends in –le preceded by a vowel, we simply add –ly to the adjective.

For example:

agile – agilely

sole – solely

Exception:

whole – wholly

Adjectives Ending in -ll

When the adjective ends in –ll, only –y is added.

For example:

dull – dully

full – fully

shrill – shrilly

Adjectives Ending in –ue

When the adjective ends in –ue, we omit the final –e and add –ly.

For example:

due – duly

true – truly

Forming Manner Adverbs – Image 1

Adjectives Ending in -y

• When the adjective ends in -y preceded by a consonant, the -y is usually changed to –i before –ly.

For example:

happy – happily

easy – easily

busy – busily

hungry – hungrily

lazy – lazily

Exception:

shy – shyly

sly – slyly

• When the adjective ends in -y preceded by a vowel, we simply add –ly to the adjective.

For example:

coy – coyly

grey – greyly

Exception:

gay – gaily

Some Special Cases In Forming Manner Adverbs

Other Types of Adverb May also End in –ly

For example:

consequently – Connecting adverb

subsequently – Connecting adverb

frequently – Frequency adverb

generally – Frequency adverb

usually – Frequency adverb

rarely – Frequency adverb

Adverbs of Manner which Do Not Use the Ending –ly

For example:

fast – fast

hard – hard

little – little

loud – loud or loudly

much – much

straight – straight

good – well

Forming Manner Adverbs – Image 2

Several Adjectives Ending in –ly Have No Corresponding Adverbs

For example:

friendly

likely

ugly

lively

silly

lonely

Pairs of Adverbs are Closely Related, but Have Different Meanings

The following pairs of adverbs are closely related, but have different meanings:

hard (with effort) – hardly (scarcely)

high (opposite of low) – highly (very)

late (opposite of early) – lately (recently)

near (opposite of far) – nearly (almost)

wide (opposite of narrow) – widely (commonly)