CBSE Class 8 English Chapter 12 Adverbs
1. You already know that Adverbs add something to the meaning of a verb, an adjective or another adverb.
Examples:
He can run fast, (adds to the meaning of a verb)
He is a very fast runner, (adds to the meaning of an adjective)
He can run quite fast, (adds to the meaning of an adverb)
2. Kinds of Adverbs :
Adverbs of Manner: carefully, gladly, merrily, etc.
Adverbs of Place: here, there, yonder, etc.
Adverbs of Time: today, yesterday, now, then, 6 P.M., etc.
Adverbs of Degree: only, extremely, very, etc.
Adverbs of Frequency: seldom, rarely, frequently, etc.
3. How some Adverbs are formed
4. Remember all words ending in ly are not Adverbs of Manner. They are Adjectives also.
Examples:
- The manager was wearing a very ugly tie.
- The elderly soldier gave sound advice to the new recruit.
Some other words : lively, lonely, lovely, silly.
5. There are some words which can be either adjectives or adverbs. It depends how they are used in a sentence.
- Ramu got up early and went for a walk. (Adverb)
- My mother is an early riser. (Adjective)
He is a fast runner. (Adjective)
He can run very fast. (Adverb)
Some other words: best, better, free hand, last, weekly, wide, wrong, etc.
6. Look at the following pairs of words :
- last-lastly
- wrong-wrongly
- wide-widely
- late-lately
- near-nearly
- hard-hardly
They are two forms of Adverbs but have different meanings.
Examples:
- I was breathing hard after I finished the race. (with difficulty)
- I hardly visit them. (scarcely)
- He stood last in the class. (after all the others)
- Lastly, I recommend this book because of its beautiful illustrations. (finally)
Exercise 1
Form Adverbs from the following Adjectives:
Question 1. Dreadful ______________
Answer: Dreadfully
Question 2. Wonderful___________
Answer: Wonderfully
Question 3. Coward____________
Answer: Cowardly
Question 4. Free______________
Answer: Freely
Question 5. Lone_____________
Answer: Lonely
Question 6. Happy___________
Answer: Happily
Question 7. Scarce_________
Answer: Scarcely
Question 8. Logical___________
Answer: Logically
Question 9. Dramatic_________
Answer: Dramatically
Question 10. Casual____________
Answer: Casually
Exercise 2
Write the opposites of the following Adverbs
Question 1. Legally______________
Answer: Illegally
Question 2. Gratefully__________
Answer: Ungratefully
Question 3. Successfully___________
Answer: Unsuccessfully
Question 4. Regularly__________
Answer: Irregularly
Question 5. Politely____________
Answer: Impolitely
Question 6. Agreeably___________
Answer: Disagreeably
Question 7. Possibly________
Answer: Impossibly
Question 8. Honestly_________
Answer: Dishonestly
Exercise 3
Choose the right wordfrom the brackets to complete the sentences given below:
Question 1. He has not___________(full/fully) recovered from his illness yet.
Answer: He has not fully ecovered from his illness yet.
Question 2. The tensions are running very ___________ (high/highly) in the district and may lead to violence.
Answer: The tensions are running very high in the district and may lead to violence.
Question 3. It was not quite__________ (easy/easily) to walk through the jungle. But they __________found their target.
Answer: It was not quite easy to walk through the jungle. But they found their target.
Question 4. I had ____________ (hardly/hard) talked to them before and found it very to start a conversation.
Answer: I had hardly talked to them before and found it very to start a conversation.
Question 5. We began our journey_________ (short/shortly) and reached Mysore on time.
Answer: We began our journey shortly and reached Mysore on time.
Question 6. He was______(nearly/near) blinded by his tears.
Answer: He was nearly blinded by his tears.
Question 7. The child cried________ (bitter/bitterly) when he was not taken to the circus.
Answer: The child cried bitterly when he was not taken to the circus.
Question 8. He shouted______(angry/angrily) at his subordinates for not completing the work on time.
Answer: He shouted angrily at his subordinates for not completing the work on time.
Question 9. You can meet the Chairman and speak to him ________ (directly/direct) about your complaints.
Answer: You can meet the Chairman and speak to him directly about your complaints.
Question 10. His friend’s behaviour_________ (terrible/terribly) upsets him.
Answer: His friend’s behaviour terribly upsets him.
7. How to use certain Adverbs.
So — Such
Examples:
The book was so amusing.
Her talk was so interesting.
This is such an amusing book.
She is such an interesting talker.
Remember
1. With so we use an Adjective.
so amusing, so interesting, so gladly, so loudly, so politely.
2. With such we use a noun.
Such an amusing book.
Such an interesting talker.
3. We can also use so – that and such – that
She was so angry that she hit him hard.
It was such an interesting book that I couldn’t put it down.
Exercise 4
Complete the following sentences by using so, such, that, or such…. that:
Question 1. His voice was_______powerful.
Answer: His voice was so powerful.
Question 2. Her lecture was________ dull that everyone left the hall quietly.
Answer: Her lecture was so dull that everyone left the hall quietly.
Question 3. It was_________ an interesting movie _______ it broke all box office records.
Answer: It was such an interesting movie that it broke all box office records.
Question 4. It was________terrible to watch the river rising.
Answer: It was so terrible to watch the river rising.
Question 5. _______was her plight ________everyone rushed to help her.
Answer: Such was her plight that everyone rushed to help her.
Question 6. Are you always________ emotional.
Answer: Are you always so emotional
Question 7. Why are you in_________ a hurry?
Answer: Why are you in such a hurry?
Question 8. The food was______ delicious, we kept asking for more.
Answer: The food was so delicious, we kept asking for more.
Question 9. It was__________ a shock to hear about Jasmit’s death.
Answer: It was such a shock to hear about Jasmit’s death.
Question 10. The whole village was__________ happy to hear about his success.
Answer: The whole village was so happy to hear about his success.
8. Quite – rather
This shop is quite crowded today.
This shop is very crowded today.
Very means there are more people than quite which has less. Quite also means completely, For Example.
This rumour is quite true.
Remember
Quite is used as a favourable comment.
Rather is used when you want to make an unfavourable comment.
Examples : He is rather silly in his behaviour.
Rather is also used with the Comparative Degree.
It is rather colder today than yesterday.
Quite is used before a/an and Rather used after a/an.
Examples:
- It was quite a dull book.
- It was a rather cold day.
Exercise 5
Fill in the blanks with quite or rather
Question 1. I know Harish is a_________dull person.
Answer: I know Harish is a rather dull person.
Question 2. I found it_______a curious situation.
Answer: I found it quite a curious situation.
Question 3. Didn’t you find the plot of ‘Singh is King’ a__________stupid one?
Answer: Didn’t you find the plot of ‘Singh is King’ a rather stupid one?
Question 4. No, people found it_________an amusing plot.
Answer: No, people found it quite an amusing plot.
Question 5. Those people seem to have a_________ peculiar taste.
Answer: Those people seem to have a rather peculiar taste.
9. Fairly – Too
Fairly is another adverb used like quite to express a favourable comment.
She is fairly good at singing.
She is a fairly good swimmer.
You have already learnt in previous class how to use too and enough.
Too means excess of some kind more than what is proper.
Examples: It is too good to be true.
He is too proud to be liked by his peers.
Enough is used in the positive sense and means sufficient.
Examples: He is strong enough to deal with any problem.
He has enough money to cope with any situation
Exercise 6
Fill in the blanks with quite, rather, fairly, too or enough :
Question 1. He was__________ short to be selected for the basketball team.
Answer: He was too short to be selected for the basketball team.
Question 2. It was__________ decent of him to help us at this time.
Answer: It was quite decent of him to help us at this time.
Question 3. I would______go to a circus than watch this stupid movie.
Answer: I would rather go to a circus than watch this stupid movie.
Question 4. This house is ___________ small for our family but __________ big for my bachelor friend.
Answer: This house is too small for our family but quite big for my bachelor friend.
Question 5. You do not eat ________to be healthy and strong.
Answer: You do not eat enough to be healthy and strong.
Question 6. It was __________ obvious that he was__________ weak to be selected as a member of the boxing team.
Answer: It was quite obvious that he was too weak to be selected as a member of the boxing team.
Question 7. Sushil Kumar proved ________ good for his opponent and defeated him.
Answer: Sushil Kumar proved too good for his opponent and defeated him.
Question 8. He is rich ________ but he is _________ stingy to part with his money.
Answer: He is rich enough but he is too stingy to part with his money.
Question 9. He was__________ upset at his rude behaviour.
Answer: He was rather upset at his rude behaviour.
Question 10. I find this boy _________ irresponsible and would___________ not make him a monitor.
Answer: I find this boy quite irresponsible and would rather not make him a monitor.
10. Comparison Of Adverbs
You have leamt already that Adverbs have also three Degrees of Comparison.
Examples:
Exercise 7
Fill in the blanks with correct form of Adverbs:
Question 1. The ______ (long) we had to wait for the tickets; _________(impatient) we became.
Answer: The longer we had to wait for the tickets; the more impatient we became.
Question 2. The _________(small) the house, the _________ (low) is the rent for it.
Answer: The smaller the house, the lower is the rent for it.
Question 3. He drove _______ and _______ (faster) and his ______ expensive car helped him to reach his destination on time.
Answer: He drove faster and faster and his more expensive car helped him to reach his destination on time.
Question 4. The weather was getting _______ and we knew we hadn’t faced the ______ yet. (bed)
Answer: The weather was getting worse and we knew we hadn’t faced the worst yet.
Question 5. The ______ (rash) you drive, the _________ (great) is the risk of an accident.
Answer: The more rashly you drive, the greater is the risk of an accident.
Question 6. The kite flew ______ and ____ (high) in the sky and became invisible.
Answer: The kite flew higher and higher in the sky and became invisible.
Question 7. She is ________ than any other runner in the team (fast) and can beat ________ (strong) in any group.
Answer: She is faster than any other runner in the team and can beat the strongest in any group.
Question 8. The ______ you cry, the _______ notice will be taken of you. (much, little).
Answer: The more you cry, the less notice will be taken of you. (much, little).
Question 9. He lived in a house which was _______ from the market. (far)
Answer: He lived in a house which was far from the market.
Question 10. He drove _________ and completed the race without any mishap, (much/careful).
Answer: He drove carefully and completed the race without any mishap.
11. Position Of Adverb
It is important to know where adverbs should be placed in a sentence. Adverbs can be placed in the beginning, in the middle or in the end.
Example: Obviously she will never play again.
1. Adverbs of Manner (How)? : They can be used like the above sentence.
Examples: Easily, he is the best runner in the Indian Team.
He is easily the best runner in the Indian Team.
He can beat any runner in the Indian Team easily.
2. Adverbs of Place (Where)?: Usually they come after the verb.
Examples: He lives in a city.
He was mshed to the hospital.
3. Adverb of Time (When)?They come usually after Adverbs of Place.
Examples: I go to school every day.
I have been living in Mumbai since 1980.
4. Sometimes Adverbs of Time are placed in the beginning also.
Examples: Tomorrow he will leave for Dubai.
Every evening my brother rings me up.
5. If there are more than one adverb in a sentence, then the order is manner
6. If there are more than one time adverbs, then we place the more specific time before the more general one.
Example: I was bom at 7 a.m. on Monday, March 24, 1982.
7. Adverbs of Frequency (after, before, often, seldom, never, ever, usually, etc) are placed after the auxiliary verb but before the main verb.
Examples: He is often late.
She always comes late.
She was never late.
She never comes late.
8. Adverbs of Degree (completely, totally, extremely, very, etc.) go before the adjective or adverb they describe.
Examples: She is absolutely helpless in dealing with her son.
I have quite finished my maths.
She nearly lost her possessions.
9. If the verbs consist of more than one word, the adverbs are placed after the first verb.
Examples: She was absolutely thrilled with her brother’s performance.
The party has always supported him.
Exercise 8
Complete the sentences by putting the Adverbs (given in the brackets) in the right position. One is done for you:
Question 1. I have lived in Nainital _________ (among) the locals ________ (peacefully) all my life.
Answer:
I have lived peacefully all my life among the locals in Nainital.
Question 2. Pandit Jasraj holds concerts __________ (often, successfully, abroad).
Answer: Pandit Jasraj holds concerts successfully.
Question 3. I am certain you will be successful _________ (in life, absolutely, very).
Answer: I am certain you will be successful in life.
Question 4. The injured were taken to a safe place ________ (immediately/seriously/luckily).
Answer: The injured were taken to a safe place immediately.
Question 5. We saw _________ (suddenly/on the road/an accident/yesterday).
Answer: We saw an accident on the road suddenly yesterday.
Question 6. This bank ________ (strangely/on Rakshabandhan day/till one p.m.).
Answer: This bank is strangely open on Rakshabandhan day till one p.m.
Question 7. I met her __________ (last night/unexpectedly/at the party).
Answer: I met her unexpectedly at the partly last night.
Question 8. I take my dinner _________ (8 p.m./always/everyday).
Answer: I always take my dinner at 8 p.m every day.
Question 9. Traffic is ________ (usually/at this hour/very heavy).
Answer: Traffic is usually very heavy at this hour.
Question 10. Vanita __________ (hardly/strangely/lost her temper).
Answer: Vanita hardly lost her temper.
Exercise 9
Change the underlined phrases with single words chosen from the box:
Question 1. She looked in all places for her lost keys.
Answer: Everywhere
Question 2. You will hear from her in a short time.
Answer: Soon
Question 3. All of a sudden, the stranger took out his revolver and fired at him.
Answer: Suddenly
Question 4. Now and then I have letters from my sister.
Answer: Sometimes
Question 5. She shouted in an angrv manner.
Answer: Angrilly
Question 6. Please come here without delay.
Answer: Immediately
Question 7. Diwali is celebrated once a year.
Answer: Annually
Question 8. The train arrived at the fixed time.
Answer: Punctually
Question 9. Can you explain your plan in a few words?
Answer: Briefly?
Question 10. Where is your mother living at the present time?
Answer: Now?