Most adverbs are formed by adding -ly to an adjective. However, there are important exceptions you need to memorize.
The -ly Rule
Add -ly to the end of an adjective to form an adverb.
- quick ➔ quickly
- careful ➔ carefully
- quiet ➔ quietly
- bad ➔ badly
Spelling Changes
| Adjective Ending | Change | Examples | | ---------------- | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | | -y | Change y to i, add -ly | happy ➔ happily, easy ➔ easily | | -le | Change e to y | terrible ➔ terribly, gentle ➔ gently | | -ic | Add -ally | dramatic ➔ dramatically, basic ➔ basically |
Irregular Adverbs
Some adverbs do not follow the -ly rule. These must be memorized.
| Adjective | Adverb | | --------- | --------- | | good | well | | fast | fast | | hard | hard | | late | late | | early | early | | daily | daily |
Adjective or Adverb? The Same Form
Some words keep the same form as both adjective and adverb:
- a fast car (adjective) / He drives fast (adverb)
- a hard test (adjective) / She works hard (adverb)
- the early train (adjective) / She arrived early (adverb)