What is the difference between an adjective and an adverb?

An adjective describes a noun (a quick decision), while an adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb (She decided quickly ). On the TOEIC®, this distinction is frequently tested in Part 5.

Do all adverbs end in -ly?

No. Many adverbs end in -ly (quickly, carefully), but some common adverbs are irregular: fast , hard , well , late , early . Also, some -ly words are adjectives (friendly, lovely).

How to avoid confusing hard and hardly?

Hard (adverb) means "with effort, intensely" (She works hard). Hardly means "barely, almost not" (She hardly works = she almost doesn't work). The meaning is completely different!

Where to place a frequency adverb in a sentence?

Frequency adverbs (always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never) are generally placed before the main verb (She always arrives on time) but after the verb be (He is always late).

Are adverbs important on the TOEIC®?

Yes, adverbs are a major grammar point on the TOEIC®, especially in Part 5 where you must choose between an adjective and an adverb, and in Part 6 in text completion exercises.

Adverbios en inglés: guía completa para el TOEIC®

What Are Adverbs in English?

An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs provide information about the manner, place, time, frequency, or degree of an action. In English, many adverbs are formed by adding -ly to an adjective (slow → slowly), but there are many exceptions.

On the TOEIC®, the ability to distinguish an adjective from an adverb is one of the most frequently tested grammar points, especially in Part 5 (incomplete sentences).

Puzzle pieces illustration representing sentence construction with an adverb

Types of Adverbs

Adverbs of Manner (How?)

They describe how an action is performed. Most are formed with -ly:

Adverb	Example
carefully	Please handle the equipment carefully.
efficiently	The team works efficiently.
quickly	She quickly reviewed the document.
well (irregular)	He speaks English well.
hard (irregular)	They worked hard to meet the deadline.
fast (irregular)	The project is moving fast.

Adverbs of Place (Where?)

They indicate where the action takes place:

Adverb	Example
here	The meeting will be held here.
there	The files are stored there.
everywhere	The new policy applies everywhere.
abroad	She often travels abroad for work.
nearby	There is a conference room nearby.

Adverbs of Time (When?)

They specify when the action occurs:

Adverb	Example
now	The report is available now.
soon	The results will be published soon.
already	The order has already been shipped.
recently	She recently joined the team.
yet	Have you finished yet?

Adverbs of Frequency (How often?)

They indicate how often an action occurs:

Adverb	Frequency	Meaning
always	100%	at all times
usually	~80%	most of the time
often	~60%	frequently
sometimes	~40%	on some occasions
rarely / seldom	~10%	not very often
never	0%	at no time

Adverbs of Degree (How much?)

They modify the intensity of an adjective, verb, or another adverb:

Adverb	Example
very	The meeting was very productive.
extremely	The deadline is extremely tight.
quite	The presentation was quite impressive.
almost	The project is almost complete.
enough	Is the room large enough?

Adverb Formation Rules

Most adverbs of manner are formed from adjectives:

Rule	Pattern	Example
General rule	adjective + -ly	careful → carefully
Ending in -le	replace -le with -ly	possible → possibly
Ending in -y	replace -y with -ily	easy → easily
Ending in -ic	add -ally	automatic → automatically
Exceptions	same form as adjective	fast, hard, early, late, straight

Adverb Position in Sentences

Adverb position depends on its type:

Type	Position	Example
Manner	After the verb or object	She completed the task efficiently.
Frequency	Before the main verb, after be	He always checks his emails.
Time	Beginning or end of sentence	Yesterday, we received the shipment.
Degree	Before the adjective or adverb modified	The results were extremely positive.

Common TOEIC® Traps

Adverbs pose recurring traps on the TOEIC®. Here are the most common ones:

hard vs hardly: hard = with effort (He works hard), hardly = barely (He hardly works). Opposite meaning!
late vs lately: late = not on time (She arrived late), lately = recently (I haven't seen him lately)
near vs nearly: near = close by (The office is near), nearly = almost (The project is nearly finished)
Adjective vs adverb: in Part 5, you'll often choose between significant (adj.) and significantly (adv.) based on sentence function
-ly words that are adjectives: friendly, lovely, costly, likely are adjectives despite their -ly ending

TOEIC®-Specific Tips

Identify what is modified: if the blank modifies a verb → adverb; a noun → adjective
Spot the patterns: verb + adverb, adverb + adjective, adverb + adverb
Learn irregular adverbs: they are often used as traps
Practice Part 5: this is the part that most frequently tests the adjective/adverb distinction

Frequently Asked Questions

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