- Most adverbs are formed by adding -ly to the adjective.
e.g. quick - quickly
- If the adjective ends in -ic, the adverb is formed by adding -ally to the corresponding adjective.
E.g. dramatic - dramatically
- If the adjective ends in -le, the adverb is formed by dropping -le and adding -ly to the corresponding adjective.
E.g. incredible - incredibly
- If the adjective ends in -e, the adverb is formed by adding -ly to the corresponding adjective.
E.g. immediate - immediately
- If the adjective ends in -l, the adverb is formed by adding -ly to the corresponding adjective.
E.g. emotional - emotionally
- If the adjective ends in consonant and -y, the adverb is formed by dropping -y and adding -ily to the corresponding adjective. Exception: shy - shyly
E.g. happy - happily
Some adverbs are not formed according to the rules. They should be learnt by heart.
good - well (!)
fast - fasthard - hard
late - late
low - low
high - high
wide - wide
deep - deep
near - near
straight - straight
friendly - friendly
early - early
daily - daily
monthly - monthly
weekly - weekly
shy - shyly
- There are some adverbs that change their meaning adding "ly".
- If the adjective
- is not an exception (good, fast, late, etc.)
- does not end in -ic, -e, -le, -y,
then the adverb is formed by adding -ly to the corresponding adjective.
E.g. slow - slowly