Adverbs modify adjectives, verbs, other adverbs, and even entire sentences, describing how something is done or how something is the way it is. Previously, we have looked at adverbs of frequency, which denote how often something occurs. Today, we'll look at adverbs of manner, which help us express how an action occurs. Most adverbs of manner end in "-ly" or "-ily."

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The adjectives "quick," "desperate," and "accurate" may be familiar to you. But here, what is being described is not a person or thing, but instead the verbs "to clear," "to try," and "to represent."

And the skies above the canyon quickly clear again.

Caption 34, America's National Parks: Grand Canyon

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The royal couple tried desperately to wake her.

Caption 39, Fairy Tales: Sleeping Beauty

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Did you know that according to a survey, over sixty percent of employers don't think CVs represent applicants accurately?

Captions 47-49, Business Life: Curriculum Vitae

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You may have noticed that adjectives that end with an "-e" simply get the "-ly" tacked onto the end anyway. This is also the case with adjectives that end in "-ful" or "-less."

English speakers like to greet each other by cheerfully stating the time of day.

Captions 14-15, English with Annette O'Neil: Ways to Say Hello

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As you can see, it's very beautifully decorated.

Caption 8, Christmas in London: Places

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It can walk on almost every terrain effortlessly.

Caption 8, Evolution: On Land

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Seasons moving endlessly.

Caption 25, Justin James: A Beautiful Life

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When an adjective ends with a "-y," like "happy" or "easy," it's customary to replace it with "-ily" in the adverb form. Let's have a look: 

Rapunzel happily accepted this handsome prince's proposal.

Caption 34, Fairy Tales: Rapunzel

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This red deer is not red at all, and will be easily singled out by predators.

Caption 50, BBC Planet: Wild Alien Animals

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Further Learning
You can find many adverbs on Yabla English to see them used in a variety of different contexts. You can also write a list of ten adjectives and look up their related adverb.

You likely know the present continuous ("I am sitting at the table," "He is going to the grocery store"), but how familiar are you with the past continuous? 

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The past continuous is often used to set the scene and provide context when talking about the past:

I was working in the theatre in England.

Caption 13, Donald Sutherland - Talks Career and Hollywood

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A very typical structure with the past continuous and simple past tenses together occurs when one action or event in the past interrupts another action that is already in progress. 

There she encountered an old woman who was sitting at a spinning wheel.

Caption 32, Fairy Tales - Sleeping Beauty

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In this example, it is clear that the woman already began doing what she was doing ("sitting at a spinning wheel") before Sleeping Beauty entered the room. In each of the following examples, one action was already happening when the other occurred:

But when the Princess opened her eyes the next morning,

she was surprised that a good-looking prince was standing there.

Captions 26-27, Fairy Tales - The Frog King

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I'm sorry, I was eating chips. What did you say?

Caption 12, The Ellen Show - Ellen Inspired Adele's New Song

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Further Learning
To get more context for the phrases, watch the videos above on Yabla English. Make sure you understand which action came first. For a thorough description with more examples, you can also refer to this page.