Forming adverbs

Forming adverbs

R136 The uses of adverbs are explained in Chapters 2, 5, 6, and  

R137 Most adverbs are related to adjectives in form, and often in meaning. They are formed by adding 'ly' to the adjective. For information on which adjectives you can add 'ly' to, see paragraphs 17 to 2

sad => sadly

cheerful => cheerfully

private => privately

accidental => accidentally

surprising => surprisingly

R138 Sometimes the formation is slightly different.

With adjectives ending in 'le', you replace the 'le' 'with 'ly'.

suitable => suitably

terrible => terribly

gentle => gently

Note that 'whole' has the related adverb 'wholly'.

R139 With adjectives ending in 'y', you replace the 'y' with 'ily'.

easy => easily

satisfactory => satisfactorily

Note that one-syllable adjectives ending in 'y' usually have 'ly' added, in the normal way.

wry => wryly

shy => shyly

Note that the adverb related to 'dry' can be spelled 'drily' or 'dryly'.

R140 With adjectives ending in 'ic', you add 'ally'.

automatic => automatically

tragic => tragically

Note that 'public' has the related adverb 'publicly'.

R141 With a few adjectives ending in 'e' (not 'le'), you replace the 'e' with 'ly'.

due => duly

true => truly

undue => unduly

eerie => eerily

R142 With 'full' and 'dull', you just add 'y'.

full => fully

dull => dully

R143 Note that 'ly' is not generally added to adjectives ending in 'ed' to form adverbs.

However, here is a list of adverbs which are formed in this way:

R144 A few adverbs which end in 'ly' are related to nouns.

These include some time adverbs.

day => daily

fortnight => fortnightly

hour => hourly

month => monthly

quarter => quarterly

week => weekly

year => yearly

Note the spelling of 'daily'. These words are also themselves used as adjectives. Other adverbs related to nouns are shown below.

name => namely

part => partly

purpose => purposely

body => bodily

R145 A few adverbs ending in 'ly' are not related to any adjective or noun.

R146 Here is a list of adverbs which have the same form as adjectives:

Note that the adverb is sometimes not related in meaning to the adjective whose form it shares. Check the meanings in a Cobuild dictionary.

With some of these words, there are also related forms ending in 'ly'.

Note that these 'ly' forms sometimes have the same meaning as the other adverb form, and sometimes not.

The adverbs of time ending in 'ly' which are mentioned in paragraph R144 also have the same form as adjectives.

R147 Note that ordinal numbers are used both as modifiers and as adverbs. They also have related adverbs ending in 'ly'.

R148 Here is a list of adverbs winch are not related to any adjective:

R149 Adverbs of time and many adverbs of place are also not related to adjectives. See Chapters 5 and 6 for lists of these adverbs.