Adverbs tell us more about how, when, where, and to what extent something happens, and they often form by adding endings to adjectives. This guide focuses on the most common way to form adverbs from adjectives and notes some important exceptions and useful adverbs that don't follow the pattern.
Adverbs
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs and often end in -ly in English. They answer questions like how?, when?, where?, and to what extent?.
Formation
The most common way to form an adverb in English is to add -ly to an adjective, turning a word that describes a noun into one that describes an action or more.
Ella canta hermosamente en el coro.
Adjective
Adjectives describe nouns and sometimes change when you add -ly to make an adverb. Adjectives can also end in various endings that affect how you form the adverb.
Adjective Endings
Some adjectives end in -y, -e, or other letters that determine how you add -ly to form the adverb. Knowing these small changes helps make adverbs correctly.
| Adjective Ending | Adverb Formation | English Adjective | English Adverb | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -y | change y to i + ly | happy | happily | |
| -e | drop e + ly | late | lately | |
| consonant | add ly | quick | quickly |
Exceptions
Some common adverbs do not end in -ly and some adjectives ending in -ly are not turned into adverbs, so you have to learn them individually.
Common Adverbs
Adverbs like fast, well, hard, and early do not add -ly and are used as adverbs in their base form.
Summary
Adverbs usually form by adding -ly to adjectives, with small spelling changes for endings like -y and -e. Some common adverbs do not follow this pattern, so it's important to remember exceptions. Adverbs tell us more about how, when, where, and to what extent an action happens.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025