Adverbs of manner and good or well
How we do things: slowly, carefully, fast, hard, well, and when to use good and when well.
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An adverb of manner says how someone does something: She drives carefully. An adjective describes a person or a thing: a careful driver. So the question is always: am I describing a noun, or a verb?
Adjective or adverb
An adjective goes before a noun or after be. An adverb of manner goes with a verb.
Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
He's a careful driver. | He drives carefully. |
She has a quiet voice. | She speaks quietly. |
The test was easy. | I passed the test easily. |
- The train was slow.
- The train moved slowly into the station.
- Incorrect: He drives very careful.
- Correct: He drives very carefully.To say how he drives, use the adverb.
Spelling: adjective + -ly
Most adverbs of manner are an adjective + -ly. A few spellings change.
Adjective ends in | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
most letters | add -ly | slow → slowly, bad → badly |
consonant + y | y → ily | easy → easily, happy → happily |
-le | e → y | gentle → gently, possible → possibly |
-ful | add -ly | careful → carefully |
- Please close the door gently.
- She answered politely.
- Incorrect: He smiled happyly.
- Correct: He smiled happily.After a consonant, y changes to i before -ly.
Where the adverb goes
An adverb of manner usually goes after the verb, or after the object if there is one. It doesn't go between a verb and its object.
- She sings beautifully.
- He closed the door quietly.
- They speak English very well.
- Incorrect: She speaks very well English.
- Correct: She speaks English very well.The object (English) stays next to the verb. The adverb comes after it.
Some adverbs, like quickly and slowly, can also go before the verb: He quickly closed the door.
Good and well
Good is an adjective. Well is its adverb. This is a very common mistake.
Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
She's a good cook. | She cooks well. |
He's a good swimmer. | He swims well. |
- You did the job well. Thank you.
- Do you sleep well at night?
- Incorrect: She speaks English good.
- Correct: She speaks English well.Speak is a verb, so it needs the adverb well.
- Incorrect: Our team played very good yesterday.
- Correct: Our team played very well yesterday.
Well can also be an adjective that means "healthy": I'm not well today. I think I've got a cold.
Fast, hard, late, early: no -ly
These words are the same as an adjective and as an adverb.
- a fast car / He drives too fast.
- a hard job / She works hard.
- an early train / I got up early.
- a late lunch / The bus arrived late.
- Incorrect: You're walking too fastly.
- Correct: You're walking too fast.Fastly is not a word.
- Incorrect: He works very hardly.
- Correct: He works very hard.Hardly is a different word. It means "almost not": I hardly know him.
Look, feel, sound, taste, smell + adjective
After these verbs we use an adjective, because it describes the subject, not an action.
- You look tired. Are you OK?
- This soup tastes good.
- That sounds great.
- Incorrect: The bread smells deliciously.
- Correct: The bread smells delicious.Smell here describes the bread, so use the adjective.
When look is an action (look at), use an adverb: She looked at me angrily.
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