Adverbs Spelling -LY
English Grammar Notes
Adjective vs. Adverb Review
Adjectives describe nouns (things).
- My dog is slow.
Slow is an adjective since it describes the subject (my dog).
How is my dog? Slow
Adverbs describe verbs (actions).
- My dog eats slowly.
Slowly is an adverb since it describes the way my dog eats.
How does my dog eat? Slowly.
Adverbs -LY
Adverbs are normally formed by adding -LY to the end of an adjective.
E.g. Quick - Quickly
For adjectives that end in -l or -e, we simply add -ly:
| special + ly | = specially |
| terminal + ly | = terminally |
| literal + ly | = literally |
| nice + ly | = nicely |
| polite + ly | = politely |
There are of course some expectations:
| true | truly |
| whole | wholly |
| due | duly |
| full | fully |
Adverbs ending in -Y
For adjectives that end in -y, we remove the -y and add -ily:
| crazy | crazily |
| happy | happily |
Adverbs ending in -LE
For adjectives that end in a consonant + le we remove the -e and add -y:
| terrible | terribly |
| horrible | horribly |
| noble | nobly |
| idle | idly |
Adverbs ending in -IC
If the adjective ends in -ic, we add -ally:
| ironic | ironically |
| enthusiastic | enthusiastically |
| realistic | realistically |
Except: public - publicly
Irregular Adverbs
Some adverbs, are irregular:
| Adjective | Adverb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| fast | fast | The man drives very fast (quickly). |
| good | well | You speak English very well. |
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