Understanding Adverbs of Manner

In English grammar, adverbs of manner describe how an action happens. They give more information about verbs by explaining the way someone does something. They are commonly used in everyday conversations and writing to make sentences more detailed and clear.

What Are Adverbs of Manner?

Adverbs of manner are words that describe the way or method of an action. They usually answer the question "How?"

Examples:

She sings beautifully.
He drives carefully.
They worked hard.
The baby slept quietly.

How to Form Adverbs of Manner

Most adverbs of manner are formed by adding -ly to adjectives.

Adjective	Adverb
quick	quickly
slow	slowly
careful	carefully
beautiful	beautifully
quiet	quietly

Spelling Rules for Forming Adverbs

1. Adjectives Ending in -y

Change -y to -i before adding -ly.

happy → happily
easy → easily
angry → angrily

2. Adjectives Ending in -le

Replace -le with -ly.

simple → simply
gentle → gently

3. Adjectives Ending in -ic

Add -ally.

basic → basically
dramatic → dramatically

Common Adverbs of Manner

Adverb	Meaning	Example
Carefully	With attention	She carefully opened the box.
Quickly	With speed	He quickly finished his work.
Slowly	Without speed	The car moved slowly.
Quietly	Without noise	The students worked quietly.
Politely	With good manners	She politely asked a question.

Position of Adverbs of Manner

Adverbs of manner usually come after the verb or after the object of the verb.

He speaks English fluently.
She completed the task carefully.
They played the game quietly.

Adverbs of Manner With Passive Voice

Adverbs of manner can also be used with passive sentences.

The car was repaired carefully.
The letter was written quickly.

Irregular Adverbs of Manner

Some adverbs of manner do not follow the normal -ly pattern.

Adjective	Adverb
good	well
fast	fast
hard	hard
late	late

Common Mistakes With Adverbs of Manner

Incorrect	Correct
She sings beautiful.	She sings beautifully.
He drives dangerous.	He drives dangerously.
They worked hardly on the project.	They worked hard on the project.

Exercises and Practice

Choose the correct adverb of manner:

She speaks English _____. (fluent / fluently)
He completed the task _____. (careful / carefully)
The child walked _____. (slow / slowly)
They answered the question _____. (correct / correctly)

Learning adverbs of manner helps learners describe actions more accurately and create clearer, more natural English sentences.