What is an adverb?

An adverb is a word that modifies (describes) a verb (he sings loudly), an adjective (very tall), another adverb (ended too quickly), or even a whole sentence (Fortunately, I had brought an umbrella). Adverbs often end in -ly, but some (such as fast) look exactly the same as their adjective counterparts.

 

Tom Longboat did not run badly.

 

Tom is very tall.

The race finished too quickly.

Fortunately, Lucy recorded Tom’s win.

 

It’s easy to identify adverbs in these sentences.