Useful List of Adverbs

Hi Smart Cookies,

Many of you have been looking for a useful list of adverbs and I am happy to be providing you exactly that.  Today I sat down with a bottle of water and my brain to create a list of the most useful adverbs in the English Alphabet (at least according to me).

Listen to this page using the audio below

Today you will learn:

1. What an adverb is.
2. How to use those adverbs in context.

So without further delay...let's get to work!

What is an adverb anyway?

Watch this great cartoon from Schoolhouse of Rock.  It is really catchy (can't stop singing the song) but it explains adverbs perfectly.

Are you still sitting there scratching your head and looking confused.  Adverb?  What exactly is an adverb and how do I use it?

Well.  

An Adverb adds more information to the verb of the sentence.  Not to be confused with an adjective, that adds more information to the noun of the sentence.

Diana carefully wrote the newsletter.

Carefully = Adverb

Diana wrote the interesting newsletter.

Interesting = Adjective

Here is a list of adverbs that are useful and common.  You can start using them today.

A

aggressively  -  The waiter spoke aggressively to my father.

annually  -  We need to pay annually or else we get a fine.

awkwardly  -  She awkwardly entered the room.

B

blatantly  -  He blatantly ignored his mother.

brashly  -  He brashly spoke to the salesmen.

bravely  -  He bravely protected his family from the gunman.

C

calmly  -  She calmly asked the question for the 3rd time.

creatively  -  We creatively decorated the cake.

cleverly  -  She cleverly exited the room without being noticed.

D

differently  -  He spoke differently after the operation.

daily  -  We should exercise daily to stay healthy.

desperately  -  My son looked for his keys desperately.

E

effortlessly  -  She translated the text effortlessly.

enthusiastically  -  He enthusiastically accepted the job.

energetically  -  She ran energetically out the door.

F

freely  -  She wanted to speak freely but felt unsafe.

fearlessly   -  She touched the lion fearlessly.

fantastically -  She performed fantastically on the exam.

G

greatly  -  I greatly appreciate your help.

greedily - I greedily drank the last cup of coffee.

gradually  -  I gradually stood up from my chair.

H

honestly -  I think she answered honestly.

happily  -  She happily accepted his proposal.

hungrily - The dog hungrily ate his supper.

I

impatiently  -  We waited impatiently in the waiting-room.

illegally  -  The man entered the home illegally.

inappropriately  -  He inappropriately asked her how old she was.

J

Jokingly  -  She jokingly asked him if he was old enough to drive.

Joyously  -  We joyously celebrated her graduation.

K

knowledgeably  -  He knowledgeably completed the quiz.

kindheartedly  -  She kindheartedly invited the boy inside.

kindly  -  We kindly declined his offer.

L

lazily  -  We lazily got out of bed.

loudly  -  He loudly emptied the dishwasher.

legally  -  We legally own that house.

M

modestly  -  She modestly stood on stage.

mindfully  -  She ate mindfully while on the diet.

magically  -  The book magically disappeared.

N

naturally  -  She gave birth naturally.

nervously  - They nervously entered the police station. 

noisily - She parked the car noisily.

O

openly  -  She openly admitted to the crime.

offensively  -  He offensively answered her question.

officially - The team has officially left the country.

P

politely  -  The secretary politely answered the phone.

particularly - She didn't seem particularly interested in the movie.

peacefully  -  Jack is peacefully sleeping.

R

really  -  I'm really tired and want to go home.

resentfully  -  She resentfully refused to answer the question.

rudely   -  She rudely declined the offer.

S

slowly  -  She moved slowly across the stage.

smoothly  -  He spoke smoothly during the interview.

T

temporarily  -  She moved here temporarily.

thoroughly  -  The landlord cleaned the house thoroughly.

thoughtlessly  -  I thoughtlessly threw away my husbands wallet.

U

unfairly - She was unfairly accused of the crime.

unexpectedly  -  My mother arrived unexpectedly.

unwisely  -  She unwisely booked her trip during a big storm.

V

vigorously  -  We washed her hair vigorously to remove the lice.

violently  -  The man was shot violently last weekend.

voluntarily  -  A witness voluntarily provided information.

W

wholeheartedly  -  I wholeheartedly agree with you.

wildly  -  She ran wildly in the garden.

willingly  -  She willingly admitted to the murder.

Just having a list of adverbs isn't enough to improve your fluency or speaking skills.  Check out Robby's advice for improving your oral fluency.

If this list of adverbs has helped you, I recommend visiting the grammar section for more useful explanations and help.

Still looking?  Search the site for exactly what you need using the site search box below.

Happy exploring!

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