Look at these two sentences:
She is a slow driver.
She drives slowly. The meaning is
similar, but the form changes. When you describe a noun (the
driver), you use an adjective. When you describe a
verb (how she drives), you use an adverb of manner.
An adverb of manner answers the question How? Most adverbs of manner
are made by adding -ly to an adjective.
The basic rule is simple. Take the adjective and add
-ly.
adjective
+
-ly
=
adverb of manner
| Adjective |
Adverb |
Example |
| slow |
slowly |
The bus moves slowly. |
| quick |
quickly |
Tom answered quickly. |
| quiet |
quietly |
Please speak quietly. |
| careful |
carefully |
She drives carefully. |
| bad |
badly |
I sing badly. |
Pronunciation note: the -ly ending is
unstressed. Say SLOW-ly, QUICK-ly, CARE-ful-ly;
the stress stays on the first part of the word. With -ically adverbs,
the stress moves: au-to-MA-tic-ally, BA-sic-ally,
spe-CI-fic-ally.
Spelling changes
Some adjectives change their spelling before -ly.
| Ending |
Change |
Example |
| most adjectives ending in -e |
just add -ly (keep the e) |
nice → nicely, polite →
politely, safe →
safely
|
| consonant + -y |
y → i + ly |
happy → happily, easy →
easily
|
| -le (exception to the -e rule) |
e → y |
simple → simply, gentle →
gently
|
| -ic |
add -ally |
automatic → automatically, basic →
basically
|
Adjectives that already end in -ly, such as
friendly, lovely, silly, lonely, and
ugly, do not take another -ly. There is no word
friendlily. Use in a … way instead:
She smiled in a friendly way.
When to use adjectives
Use an adjective to describe a noun or after the verb
be.
Before a noun
The adjective comes before the noun it describes.
- Anna is a good singer.
- That was a quick answer.
After be, look, feel, seem, sound, taste, smell
These verbs link the subject to a description. The word after them is an
adjective, not an adverb.
- The soup is hot.
- You look tired.
- This cake tastes good.
Don't say
You look tiredly or
The soup is hotly. After
be,
look,
feel,
seem,
sound,
taste,
and
smell, use an adjective. To review these verbs, see the page on
the
verb to be.
When to use adverbs of manner
Use an adverb of manner to describe a verb, to say
how something happens.
After the main verb
- The children sing beautifully.
- He speaks English clearly.
After the verb + object
In English, the adverb of manner does not go between the verb and its object.
Put it after the object, or at the end of the sentence.
- She opened the door quietly.
- She opened quietly the door. ← wrong
Irregular adverbs
A few common words don't follow the -ly rule. Learn them as a small
set.
The irregular set:
good → well |
fast → fast |
hard → hard |
early → early |
late → late
| Adjective |
Adverb |
Example |
| good |
well |
She plays the piano well. |
| fast |
fast (no change) |
Cheetahs run fast. |
| hard |
hard (no change) |
My dad works hard. |
| early |
early (no change) |
The train arrived early. |
| late |
late (no change) |
I went to bed late. |
Hardly is a real word, but it does not mean "in a hard way". It means
almost not: I can hardly hear you = I almost cannot
hear you. So He works hardly is wrong. Say
He works hard. The same trap exists with
late and lately: lately means
recently, not "in a late way".
good vs well
This pair causes the most trouble. Good is the adjective.
Well is the adverb.
| good (adjective) |
well (adverb) |
| Maria is a good dancer. |
Maria dances well. |
| This is a good book. |
The team played well. |
Well can also be an adjective meaning
in good health. This is the one place where
well describes a person, not an action.
- "How are you?" - "I'm well, thanks."
- I don't feel well today.
- She isn't well enough to come.
I'm good is a casual all-purpose reply;
I'm well is more
careful and specifically refers to health.
Adjective vs adverb: side by side
The same idea, two different words. The choice depends on what you are
describing.
| Adjective + noun |
Verb + adverb |
| He is a slow reader. |
He reads slowly. |
| That was a careful answer. |
She answered carefully. |
| It's a loud noise. |
The baby cried loudly. |
| She is a good cook. |
She cooks well. |
| It was a quick meeting. |
We finished quickly. |
You will hear and see sentences like these in songs, advertisements,
and on road signs:
- Drive slow
- Go slow
- Come quick!
- Think different
A small group of adjectives (slow,
quick, loud, fair, cheap) is sometimes
used as adverbs in informal English, especially American English.
In writing, exams, and careful speech, use the -ly form:
Drive slowly. The short form (Drive slow) is informal and is mostly limited to short instructions, signs, and song
lyrics. If you're not sure, use -ly; it is always correct.
Common mistakes
| Wrong |
Correct |
Why |
| She drives slow. |
She drives slowly. |
The verb drives needs an adverb in standard English. |
| He speaks English good. |
He speaks English well. |
Use well with verbs, not good. |
| You look happily today. |
You look happy today. |
Look is a linking verb. Use an adjective. |
| She is a quickly runner. |
She is a quick runner. |
Before a noun, use an adjective. |
| My brother works hardly. |
My brother works hard. |
Hard is the adverb. Hardly means "almost not". |
| He runs very fastly. |
He runs very fast. |
Don't add -ly to fast. The adverb is the same as the
adjective.
|
| She sings beautiful. |
She sings beautifully. |
The verb sings needs an adverb. Add -ly to
beautiful.
|
Quick checklist
Before you choose:
-
Is it before a noun? → use an adjective (a
quick car).
-
Is it after be, look, feel, seem,
sound, taste, smell? → use an
adjective (it tastes good).
-
Is it after a normal verb (drive, speak, work, run)? → use an
adverb (drive quickly).
- Most adverbs of manner = adjective + -ly.
-
Watch out for irregular pairs: good → well, fast → fast,
hard → hard.
-
Beware false friends: hardly ≠ "in a hard way"; lately ≠
"in a late way".
Pairs to keep straight
| Pair |
The difference in one line |
| good vs well |
Adjective for nouns; adverb for verbs (and adjective for health). |
| hard vs hardly |
hard = with effort; hardly = almost not. |
| late vs lately |
late = not on time; lately = recently. |
| fast vs quickly |
Both adverbs; fast for speed of motion, quickly for
any rapid action.
|
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between slow and slowly?
Slow is an adjective and describes a noun: a slow train,
a slow morning. Slowly is an adverb of manner and describes
a verb, meaning how something happens: The train moves slowly. In standard
written English and exams, use slowly after a verb.
Is it correct to say "drive slow" or "drive slowly"?
"Drive slowly" is correct in standard English and is the safe choice for
writing, exams, and careful speech. "Drive slow" is informal and is common in
American English, on road signs, and in song lyrics. It is not wrong, but it
is not the standard form. If you are taking a test or writing formally, use
drive slowly.
When do you add -ly to an adjective?
You add -ly when you need an adverb of manner, a word that describes
how an action happens. Most adjectives form their adverb by adding
-ly: quick → quickly, careful → carefully,
nice → nicely. Adjectives ending in consonant + -y change
y to i first: happy → happily. Some adjectives are
irregular (good → well) or do not change at all (fast → fast, hard → hard).
What is an adverb of manner?
An adverb of manner is a word that tells you how an action happens.
It usually comes after the main verb or after the verb's object:
She speaks clearly, He closed the door gently. Most adverbs of manner end in -ly, but some (like well,
fast, and hard) do not.
Why is "well" the adverb of "good"?
Well is an irregular adverb, the adverb form of
good for historical reasons, similar to how better is the
comparative of good. You use good before a noun (a good cook) and well after an action verb (she cooks well).
Well can also work as an adjective when it means "in good health,"
for example, I'm well, thanks.
No. The adverb of hard is hard itself; it does not change.
He works hard means he works with a lot of effort. Hardly is
a different word that means "almost not": I can hardly hear you means
I almost cannot hear you. Saying he works hardly changes the meaning
completely and is wrong.
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