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A modifier is a word or phrase that explains or describes other words in a sentence.   There are two kinds of modifiers:  adjectives and adverbs.  Phrases and clauses can also be modifiers.  Modifiers make writing more colorful.

While nouns and verbs give the sentence their main structure by telling what the sentence is about and what is happening, modifiers add interest by describing the nouns and verbs.

Adverbs
An adverb is a word that modifies or describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.

modifying a verb		moved slowly
modifying an adjective		already gigantic
modifying an adverb		far away

Adverbs answer one of these questions:       

v    How?		drained quickly
v    Where?		land far away
v    When?		early yesterday
v    To what extent?		almost empty

Examples:
He walked slowly down the hall.  The word slowly is an adverb that describes the verb walked.  It tells how the man walked.
A man entered the building early yesterday.  The adverb yesterday tells when the man entered the building.
A man entered the building early yesterday.  The adverb early describes the adverb yesterday.  It tells when the man entered the building yesterday.
He went up to the last door in the hall.  The adverb up tells where the man went.
The man glanced quickly at the very surprised person inside.  The adverb very describes the adjective surprised.  It shows how surprised the person inside was.

Here’s a summary of adverbs:
Many adverbs are formed by adding ly to an adjective.  These adverbs usually answer the question how?
        She ran quickly.
        She sang beautifully.

Some adverbs that tell how do not end in ly.
        He looks ill.
        She looks better today.

Some words that end in ly can be either adjectives or adverbs.
        He is a friendly person.  (Adjective—answers the question what kind?  and describes the noun person)
        He acted friendly toward me.  (Adverb—answers the question How?  and describes the verb acted)

Some adverbs describe by answering the questions, To what extent? How much? How small? How big?  These adverbs usually modify adjectives or other adverbs.
        The new booths in the restaurant were rather small.
        We’re not quite sure how many customers they can hold.

Some other common adverbs that answer the questions What? and How? are:

enough	much	rather	very
less	partly	so	really
little	quite	too	somewhat

Some adverbs answer the question, Where? They usually modify verbs.
        Your party is seated over there.
        We would like a table near the window.

Other commonly used adverbs that answer the question Where? are:

here	backward	far	where
there	forward	near	everywhere

Some adverbs answer the question, When?  They usually modify verbs.
        Yesterday the chef ran out of the lunch special. (When did he run out?)
        He often has to make quick changes in the menu. (When does he have to make quick changes?)

Some other common adverbs that answer the question When?

again	finally	often	then
already	formerly	seldom	today
always	never	soon	tomorrow
before	now	still	yesterday

Remember this list of verbs from the adjective section?  You could tell if the word following one of these was an adjective if you substituted the word is for it and the sentence made sense.  If the sentence doesn’t make sense, you should use an adverb.

BOTH LINKING AND ACTION VERBS
appear	feel	look	smell	become	grow	seem	taste

EXAMPLE:   The new plants grew (quick or quickly). 
Substitute is for grew.  (The new plants is quick.)  Does the sentence make sense?  You’re right!  No, it doesn’t.  So you shouldn’t use the adjective form (quick); you should use the adverb quickly.

You try it:
Find the adverbs and type them in the box.
1. Jim politely asked the teacher for assistance. 
2. The cat entered the room quietly so as not to alert the dog. 
3. The children played outside yesterday because the weather was so nice.
4. Susan tried to calm the very frightened child.
5. Jack hit the ball hard into left field. 
6. The elderly man moved much more slowly after his knee surgery.
7. The fight began well for the boxer. 
8. The artist worked patiently for hours at a time. 
9. Eagerly we watched the game for which we had so impatiently waited. 
10. I suddenly realized that I was driving dangerously. 

Answers:  1. politely; 2. quietly; 3. outside, yesterday, so; 4. very; 5. hard; 6. much, more, slowly; 7. well; 8. patiently; 9. eagerly, impatiently; 10. suddenly, dangerously (back to top)

 

Resources:

Pre-GED Writing Skills, (1995), NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc., Lincolnwood, Illinois
GED Test 1: Writing Skills, (1994), Contemporary Books, Inc. Chicago, Illinois
Exercising Your English, Language Skills for Developing Writers, Book 1, (1991), Contemporary Books, Inc., Chicago, Illinois
Applied Communication Skills/Grammar Skills, (1996), Cambridge Adult Education, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
Language Exercises, Book F (1990) Steck-Vaughn Company, Austin, Texas
Cambridge GED Program Writing Skills, ( 1993), Cambridge Adult Education, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
Cambridge Exercise Books, Parts of Speech, English Skills Practice, (1998) Cambridge Adult Education, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey