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Adverbs

Adjunct

Disjunct

Conjunct

Conjunctive adverbs

Ordering multiple adverbs

Using infinitive verbs to form adverbs

Degrees of an adverb

Where adverbs appear in a sentence

Where adverbs appear in a sentence

Adverbs aren’t as restrictive as adjectives regarding where you can place them in a sentence. Although often they are right next to the verb they’re describing, they can be just about anywhere in a sentence:

But you still have to be a bit careful with where you place adverbs, especially when there is more than one verb in a sentence. At the moment, the adverb ‘angrily’ is describing the verb ‘stomped’. If I moved ‘angrily’ to the second part of the sentence, it would describe the other verbs:

He stomped out of the room, angrily slamming the door behind him.

Now the adverb ‘angrily’ is describing the verb ‘slamming’, not the verb ‘stomped’. The whole meaning of the sentence has changed slightly. So when you’re positioning adverbs, make sure that:

• it’s clear which verb the adverb is describing, and

• the adverb is describing the verb that you want it to describe.

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