Adverb Form
We make many adverbs by adding -ly to an adjective, for example:
- quick (adjective) > quickly (adverb)
- careful (adjective) > carefully (adverb)
- beautiful (adjective) > beautifully (adverb)
There are some basic rules about spelling for -ly adverbs. See the table below:
| adjective ending | do this | adjective | adverb |
|---|---|---|---|
| most adjectives | add -ly | quick nice sole careful |
quickly nicely solely carefully |
| -able or -ible | change -e to -y | regrettable horrible |
regrettably horribly |
| -y | change -y to -ily | happy | happily |
| -ic | change -ic to -ically | economic | economically |
But not all words that end in -ly are adverbs. The following -ly words, for example, are all adjectives:
- friendly, lovely, lonely, neighbourly
And some adverbs have no particular form. Look at these examples:
- well, fast, very, never, always, often, still
Note that the form of an adverb can also change to make it comparative or superlative.