English Grammar - Adverbs for Class 6

You must have read about the four main parts of speech in the English language. These include nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs. While you can create a sentence without an adverb, it is nearly impossible to avoid them altogether. They tell us more information about the action taking place in the sentence. Nouns and verbs are like the base of a pizza, while adjectives and adverbs are the toppings on your pizza. For a tasty meal, you would need both.

Parents and teachers looking for information on adverbs online for Class 6 students will find numerous resources. This can often be confusing for young students, who need to first learn the basics of the language. To simplify adverbs for Class 6 students, we have put together the information on definition, types and ways to use adverbs in sentences in the following sections. Happy learning!

What is an adverb?

An adverb is a word or a phrase that is used to modify or describe the meaning of a verb or an adjective. An adverb sometimes also modifies another adverb. Adverbs tell the reader or listener information about the manner, degree, reason, time, place, or frequency of the action being talked about. Any word that adds meaning to an adjective, adverb, or verb is an adverb.

Mira walked slowly on the beach.

Usually, adding ‘ly’ to a word will create an adverb. In the above-mentioned sentence, the adverb is ‘slowly’. It is used to describe the manner in which the subject, Mira, walked. It modifies the verb ‘walk’ in this sentence. How do you identify an adverb? An adverb will answer questions like ‘how’, ‘when’, ‘where’, and ‘how often’ about the action taking place in the sentence. English grammar for Class 6 students can be made interesting by these simple tricks that can help them remember the purpose served by the various parts of speech in a single sentence. Let’s have fun while you learn adverbs for Class 6.

Types of adverbs

The type of adverb you will use in a sentence depends on what you want them to do with a verb, adjective, or another adverb. When or where is the action taking place, how is it happening, and what is its frequency or degree – the answers to these will help select the adverb you should use in your writing or speech. Here is a list of adverbs that you need to know to master CBSE Class 6 English grammar.

Adverb of manner

Adverbs of manner will answer the question: how has something taken place?

Examples

Did your father speak to you angrily today?
Your mother lovingly cooked your favourite meal.

Whatever your answer is, the way either of these happened will help identify an adverb. The adverbs in the two sentences are ‘angrily’ and ‘lovingly’.

Adverb of place

Again, a simple way to identify an adverb of place is to ask: where has the action taken place? Words like in, out, where, here, there, below, above, etc., are adverbs of place.

Examples

You should wait for the teacher here.

My dog loves to play in the garden outside.

Adverb of time

These adverbs describe the time of an action. Put simply, adverbs of time answer the question ‘when’. When you tell a friend you would be meeting them today, you are using an adverb of time. Words like never, tomorrow, today, whenever, afterwards, immediately, etc., are examples of adverbs of time.

Examples

Anita will meet you tomorrow.

I will have ice cream whenever I go to the market.

Adverb of frequency

Ask yourself which word in a sentence answers the question ‘how often’ is something happening. That word or phrase is the adverb of frequency. These adverbs follow variants of the “to be” verb (is, are, am, were, was). Commonly used adverbs of frequency are often, never, always, etc.

Examples

I sometimes go to the beach.

Radhika never studies with us.

Adverb of degree

An adverb of degree will answer the question ‘how much’ for you. It will tell you the extent of an action taking place. How smart is your friend? He is extremely smart. How beautiful is the sky? It is very beautiful. The words extremely and very are adverbs of degree.

Examples

He sings quite well.

My younger brother is rather shy.

Adverb of reason

Words or phrases that show the reader/listener the cause or reason for action are adverbs of reason. As you would have guessed by now, these answer the question ‘why’. Words and phrases like because, so, therefore, thus, consequently, due to, since, that, such that, etc., are adverbs of reason.

Examples

I was quiet because my father was asleep.

Shilpa was hungry, so she ate the chocolate.

Interrogative adverb

This type of adverb denotes a sense of the question. It is always placed at the start of a sentence (with the exception of the dependent clause). These adverbs are words like when, why, how and where. In such sentences, the verb precedes the subject.

Examples

Where does Gita live?

How did you paint this mug?

Relative adverb

This type of adverb connects two separate clauses or sentences. These are similar to interrogative adverbs but don’t ask questions. Instead, they work as both an adverb and a conjunction. When, why and where are relative adverbs.

Examples

I was going home when you called me.

Saransh came over while I was studying.

Once students are clear about the various types of adverbs that can be used in a sentence, it will be easy for them to practise CBSE Class 6 English grammar. With Planet Spark’s online resources, you can study in detail adverbs, adjectives, nouns, verbs and other parts of speech.

How to use adverbs

After you learn adverbs for Class 6, you should also be aware of the general rules to use these in sentences. It is a fun activity to find out how you can form adverbs from words that you are already using in your writing and speech. The following sections will tell you how to place adverbs and how these are formed.

Placement of adverbs

The very first question children studying adverbs for Class 6 and parents who wish to brush up their knowledge of grammar may ask is where to place an adverb. As a thumb rule, place the adverb as close to the words it describes/modifies as possible. Changing the position of the adverb is not advised, as that might completely change the meaning of your sentence.

Examples

Only Shelly gave me an apple. (Nobody else but Shelly)

Shelly only gave me an apple. (Nothing else)

Shelly gave me only an apple. (No more than one apple)

Position of adverbs

If a sentence has more than one type of adverb, you should follow the MPT rule to place adverbs. They should appear in the following order:

M—Adverbs of Manner

P—Adverbs of Position

T—Adverbs of Time

Examples

You sang really well yesterday.

Mother was very tired, so she slept early.

Formation of adverbs

Usually, adverbs of manner can be formed by adding ‘ly’ to an adjective.

Adjective Adverb

Quick Quickly

Nice Nicely

If the adjective ends with ‘y’, it is replaced by ‘ily’.

Adjective Adverb

Easy Easily

Greedy Greedily

When the adjective has the letters ‘le’, ‘ible’, or ‘able’ at the end, the ‘e’ is replaced by ‘y’. If there’s ‘ic’ at the end of the word, you should add ‘ally’ to the word.

Adjective Adverb

Basic Basically

Tragic Tragically

Adjectives ending with ‘cal’ change into adverbs by adding ‘ly’.

Adjective Adverb

Medical Medically

Logical Logically

When to avoid adverbs

Educators and parents helping students prepare English grammar for Class 6 should advise them to avoid using adverbs unnecessarily. While writing, you can always try to replace a weak verb with a stronger one or even an adjective.

Examples

I want you to run very fast (weak verb + adverb)

I want you to sprint (strong verb)

The Mercedes was driving fast (weak verb + adverb)

The Mercedes was speeding (strong verb)

Also, remember that linking verbs do not go well with adverbs. Linking verbs or helping verbs like appear, seem, smell, sound, and feel work better with adjectives.

Examples

The milk appears sour.

The teachers seemed angry.

In the given examples, the adjectives have been used to modify the subject of the sentence (milk, teacher) that is a noun and not a verb.

Summary

Words that add meaning to a verb are called adverbs. Adverbs are words that answer questions like ‘how’, ‘when’, ‘where’, and ‘how often’ about the action taking place in the sentence. Based on the information they provide to the reader or listener, these adverbs are classified into adverbs of manner, degree, place, time, frequency, reason, relative adverbs and interrogative adverbs. PlanetSpark’s resources are an effective tool for parents and educators to help students learn adverbs for Class 6.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is an adverb?

An adverb is a word or a phrase that is used to modify or describe the meaning of a verb or an adjective.

What is an interrogative adverb?

An interrogative adverb puts forth questions. It is always at the beginning of the sentences. How, when and where are interrogative adverbs.

How is an adverb different from an adjective?

An adverb modifies a verb, adjective or another adverb, while an adjective modifies a noun or pronoun.

What are examples of an adverb?

Greedily, quickly, loudly, softly, beautifully, outside, sometimes, and quiet are examples of various kinds of adverbs. You can check our list of adverbs for Class 6 to know more about their usage.