Grammar for Everyone - Barbara Dykes 2007

5 Adverbs - Adverbs of time
Introduction
Part II The parts of speech

The way it’s done!

Definition: Remembering that the word ’verb’ is derived from Latin verbum meaning ’word’ we see that adverb must mean some­thing added to a word.

Before learning about adverbs, students should:

• understand the term ’verb’

• be able to describe the function of a verb - What is a verb?

• be able to form simple sentences using a noun or pronoun together with a verb

An adverb is a word that adds meaning to any other word, except a noun or pronoun (that being the job of an adjective).

Adverbs are best understood as being of two kinds, those that add to the meaning of a verb and those that add to the meaning of other parts of speech and other adverbs.

The English language includes an immense range of adverbs, and while flowery writing can result from an over-lavish use of either adjectives and adverbs, they do enable us to be wonderfully imaginative and subtly descriptive. Henry James remarked in one of his letters, ’I’m glad you like adverbs - I adore them; they are the only qualifications I really much respect.’³

³ Crystal, David & Crystal, Hilary 2000, Words on words: Quotations about language and languages, Penguin Books, Middlesex, UK.

Adverbs are best taught first, as their function is readily under­stood by young children. In order to establish a clear distinction between the functions of adverbs and adjectives it is preferable to use a term other than ’qualify’ for adverbs. The term ’limit’ can confuse young students by implying diminished meaning, although that, of course, it does in fact do. For instance, if you attribute one quality to a verb such as ’He ran quickly’, you have denied it an opposing or conflicting quality - he did not run slowly. However, to avoid any confusion for learners we have chosen the term ’modify’ for the function of adverbs.

While acknowledging that students may come up against kinds of adverbs not mentioned here, the following are those commonly used and easy to comprehend. Adverbs add meaning in a number of different ways.

Adverbs of time (’when’ adverbs)

These adverbs tell us when the action of the verb does or does not occur.

For example:

tomorrow, never

The show is on tomorrow. I have never been to the show.