Adverbs of Manner (-ly) in English
Adverbs of manner tell us how an action is done, and most are made by adding -ly to an adjective: slow becomes slowly, careful becomes carefully, so we say "She speaks slowly." A few are irregular and you simply have to learn them: good becomes well ("He plays well."), while fast and hard keep the same form with no -ly ("They worked hard."). These adverbs usually go after the verb, or after the verb and its object. The most common mistakes are using the adjective by itself, like "She speaks slow" or "He drives careful," and the classic mix-up "I speak English good" instead of "I speak English well."
Examples
- She speaks slowly. she speaks in a slow manner
- He plays well. he plays in a good way
- They worked hard. they put in a lot of effort
The full lesson
Everything in the video, in text.
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She speaks slow. To a native ear, that's off. The fix is three letters — and it changes how fluent you sound.
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Adjectives describe things. Adverbs of manner describe actions — they answer one question: how? And most of them are built the same easy way.
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The recipe is simple: take the adjective and add -ly. Slow becomes slowly. Quick becomes quickly. The adjective describes a thing; the adverb describes the action.
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Let's hear it. Slow plus -ly gives slowly, and it follows the verb. She speaks slowly.
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Same pattern with careful. Add -ly and you describe the way someone does something. He drives carefully.
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A small spelling note: when the adjective ends in -y, change it to -i, then add -ly. Happy becomes happily. The children played happily.
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Now the part that trips everyone up. A few common adverbs are irregular — they don't follow the -ly rule. The big one: good is the adjective, but well is the adverb.
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So when you describe how someone does something well, never say good. He plays well.
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Two more irregulars: fast and hard. These look like adjectives, but they're already adverbs — no -ly needed. They worked hard.
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Here's the classic mistake. She speaks slow uses the adjective where you need the adverb. Slow describes a thing; slowly describes the action. Always add the -ly.
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And the most famous one of all. I speak English good is a giveaway you're still learning. You did the action, so you need the adverb: well.
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One last thing — placement. The adverb of manner usually comes right after the verb, or after the object if there is one.
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So, to recap: add -ly to describe how. Watch the irregulars — well, fast, and hard. And put the adverb after the verb.