Unit
86 quickly/badly/suddenly etc. (adverbs)
A
He ate his dinner very quickly. Suddenly the shelf fell down.
Quickly and suddenly are adverbs.
adjective + -ly → adverb:
adjective quick bad sudden careful heavy
adverb quickly badly suddenly carefully heavily etc.
Spelling (→ Appendix 5): easy → easily heavy → heavily
B Adverbs tell you how something happens or how somebody does something:
!e train stopped suddenly.
I opened the door slowly.
Please listen carefully.
I understand you perfectly.
Compare: It’s raining heavily.
adjective adverb
Sue is very quiet. Sue speaks very quietly. (not speaks very quiet)
Be careful! Listen carefully! (not listen careful)
It was a bad game. Our team played badly. (not played bad)
I felt nervous. I waited nervously.
(= I was nervous)
C hard fast late early
!ese words are adjectives and adverbs:
Sue’s job is very hard. Sue works very hard. (not hardly)
Ben is a fast runner. Ben can run fast.
!e bus was late/early. I went to bed late/early.
D good (adjective) → well (adverb)
Your English is very good. You speak English very well. (not very good)
It was a good game. Our team played well.
But well is also an adjective (= not ill, in good health):
‘How are you?’ ‘I’m very well, thank you. And you?’
adjectives ➜ Unit 85
Exercises Unit
Look at the pictures and complete the sentences with these adverbs:
86
angrily badly dangerously fast heavily quietly
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 It’s raining heavily . 4 She shouted at me .
2 He sings very . 5 She can run very .
3 !ey came in . 6 He was driving .
Complete the sentences. Choose from the boxes.
come know sleep win carefully clearly hard well
+
explain listen think work carefully easily quickly well
1 I’m going to tell you something very important, so please listen carefully .
2 !ey . At the end of the day they’re always tired.
3 I’m tired this morning. I didn’t last night.
4 You play tennis much better than me. When we play, you always
.
5 before you answer the question.
6 I’ve met Alice a few times, but I don’t her very .
7 Our teacher doesn’t things very . We never understand him.
8 Helen! I need your help. !
Which is right?
1 Don’t eat so quick /quickly. It’s not good for you. (quickly is right)
2 Why are you angry/angrily? I haven’t done anything.
3 Can you speak slow/slowly, please?
4 Come on, Dave! Why are you always so slow/slowly?
5 Sam is a very careful/carefully driver.
6 Amy is studying hard/hardly for her examinations.
7 ‘Where’s Anna?’ ‘She was here, but she left sudden/suddenly.’
8 Please be quiet/quietly. I’m studying.
9 Some companies pay their workers very bad/badly.
10 !ose oranges look nice/nicely. Can I have one?
11 I don’t remember much about the accident. Everything happened quick/quickly.
Write good or well.
1 Your English is very good . You speak it very well .
2 Jackie did very in her exams.
3 !e party was very . I enjoyed it very much.
4 Mark has a difficult job, but he does it .
5 How are your parents? Are they ?
6 Did you have a holiday? Was the weather ?
