8.1. What Are Adverbs?
An adverb is a word that modifies verbs, adjectives and other adverbs. A simple example is a word ending in "-ly", like in the word "quickly". All words ending in "-ly" are adverbs.
There are also other examples of adverbs modifying other parts of speech:
| Type | Example | Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| Verb + Adverb | He walks fast. | "Fast" modifies "walks". |
| Adverb + Adjective | I am not particularly interested in books. | "Particularly" modifies "interested". |
| Adverb + Adverb | She plays piano quite well. | "Quite" (adverb of degree) modifies "well" (adverb of manner). |
| Adverb + Phrase | He arrived home late. | "Late" modifies "he arrived home". |
Note that adverbs are invariable. They do not change to agree in quantity and gender with a subject. Adverbs exist in their forms by themselves.
Furthermore, adverbs can have various forms, even besides words ending in the suffix "-ly":
- Irregular: Adverbs whose forms are completely separate. They have little to no relation to adjectives and cannot be modified to have a suffix (ex: bène, male).
- "Semi-irregular": Adverbs that resemble adjectives, except that they function as adverbs (ex: tanto, tròppo, ràpido, sèrio).
- Compound Adverbs: All adverbs formed by an adjective and the suffix "-ly" (or in Neolatin "-mente") (ex: ràpidamente, seriamente). In practice, the "semi-irregular" forms of adverbs may be more common in daily speech (ex: ràpido) for adverbs that have both forms.
- Adverbial Expressions: Adverbs that are composed of a set of words that function as an adverb altogether (ex: en silèntio).
This chapter will demonstrate adverbs and how to use them.