Adverb phrases: forms

An adverb phrase consists of one or more words. The adverb is the head of the phrase
and can appear alone or it can be modified by other words. Adverbs are one of the four
major word classes, along with nouns, verbs and adjectives.

In the examples the adverb phrases are in bold. The other words that modify the adverb
are underlined:

We usually go on holiday in August.

Time goes very quickly.

The day passed quickly enough.

This works really well for its size.

Luckily for us, the cost was not so high.

We kept the new money quite separately from what we’d already
collected.

In general, these patterns are similar to adjective phrases.

See also:

 Adjective phrases

Adverb phrases: types and meanings

An adverb phrase can consist of one adverb or an adverb plus other words before it
(premodification) or after it (postmodification). Adverb phrases have many different
meanings.

In the examples the adverb phrases are in bold. The other words that modify the adverb
are underlined.
 used to give
example type
information about

We walked very carefully across how something

manner
the floor. happens

Here is where I was born. where something

place
That’s it. Right there. happens

when something
Dad got home very late. time
happens

This pill will take away the pain how long something
duration
temporarily. happens

They almost never invite people to how often something

frequency
their house these days. happens

A:
Want some sugar in your coffee?
focusing something specific
B:
Only half a spoon, please.

That dog behaves incredibly how much or to what

degree
stupidly! degree something
 used to give
example type
information about

happens

The train will probably be late. how certain or

certainty or
necessary something
It doesn’t necessarily mean that. necessity
is

Unfortunately for me, I can’t the speaker’s opinion

evaluative
speak Italian. of something

Personally, I don’t see why the the speaker’s

viewpoint
party has to start so early. perspective or reaction

It rained very heavily this summer.

relationships between
Therefore, many of the vegetables linking
clauses and sentences
were very small.

See also:

 Adverbs: types

Adverb phrases: functions

Adverb phrases + verbs

We use adverb phrases most commonly to modify verbs. In the examples the adverb
phrases are in bold. The verbs that they modify are underlined:

Children grow up really quickly.

I exercise very regularly and I eat quite healthily.
Adverb phrases + be

We use adverb phrases with be. This is especially typical of adverbs of place:

I’m upstairs. I’ll only be a minute.

A:
Have you seen my gloves?
B:
They’re right there, on the table.
Adverb phrases + adjectives/adverbs

We use adverb phrases (adv) to modify adjectives and other adverbs:

I found it [ADV]extremely [adjective]difficult to talk to her.

He drives [ADV]really [ADV]carefully.

Adverb phrases + other phrases

We use adverb phrases (adv) to modify noun phrases (np) and prepositional phrases:

That’s [ADV]quite [NP]a tree. (it’s a tree that is special in some way, e.g.
it’s very big)

There was [ADV]hardly [pronoun]anyone at the concert.

We climbed [ADV]right [prepositional phrase]over the top of the hill and down
again.
Adverb phrases + determiners

We use adverb phrases to modify determiners, especially words like all, some, half, many
(quantifiers):

Only half of my friends could come to my party.

Very few people have heard of my city. It’s very small.

An adverb phrase (or adverbial phrase) is a word group with an adverb as its head. This
adverb may be accompanied by modifiers or qualifiers.

An adverb phrase can modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or even an entire
sentence or main clause. As show below, it can appear in a number of different positions in
a sentence.

Examples of Adverb Phrases and Observations

 The Cheshire Cat vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end of its tail.

 The players responded surprisingly well to all the pressures of the playoffs.
 The best way to preserve the flavor and texture of fresh vegetables is to cook them
as quickly as possible.
 As quickly as possible we cleaned the fish and placed them in coolers.
 The air was warm, stirred only occasionally by a breeze.
 Only occasionally is there a rumble in the sky or a hint of rain.
 "If youth be a defect, it is one that we outgrow only too soon." (James Russell
Lowell)
 Snow fell much earlier than usual.
 "Bernie watched Jim's face for a reaction. Surprisingly enough, he grinned."
(Beverly Barton, Close Enough to Kill. Kensington, 2011)
 My daughter's choice of driving music is, surprisingly enough, classic rock.

Adverbial Phrases Without Adverbs

Adverbial phrases are so-called because they can occur in the same range of positions as
single adverbs; but many such adverbial phrases, paradoxically, do not contain an adverb.

Such adverb-less adverbial phrases are typically prepositional phrases, as [italicized] in the

in the examples below:

- On Friday night, I'm playing squash.

- Their marriage broke up in the most painful way.
- May I, on behalf of the shareholders, congratulate you?

(Jame R. Hurford, Grammar: A Student's Guide.

Cambridge University Press, 1994)

Positioning Adverb Phrases

"Like adverbs, adverb phrases can cause confusion because there is some flexibility in
where they occur within sentences, and even in modifying the sentence structure. As well,
adverb phrases are sometimes embedded into other phrases.

"Examples are:

a. 'Laura, a better, gentler, more beautiful Laura, whom everybody, everybody loved dearly
and tenderly.' [Norris]
[ADVERB PHRASE]

b. 'He had taken her hand sympathizingly, forgivingly, but his silence made me curious.'
[Michelson]
[ADVERB PHRASE]

c. 'David, on the lowest step, was very evidently not hearing a word of what was being said.'
[Porter]
[ADVERB PHRASE EMBEDDED INTO VERB PHRASE]

Our first example identifies an adverb phrase following the verb loved; the next example
shows an adverb phrase following the noun hand and removed from the verb it modifies;
the third example has an adverb phrase embedded into a verb phrase was . . . hearing. Such
flexibility makes it more difficult to identify these phrases; therefore, noting the head
adverb can be of help." (Bernard O'Dwyer, Modern English Structures: Form, Function,
and Position. Broadview, 2006)