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ADVERBS.
1.
An Adverb is a word which goes with a verb, with an adjective,
or with another adverb, to modify its meaning:—
(i) He writes badly. Here badly
modifies the verb writes.
(ii) The weather is very hot. Here very modifies the adjective
hot.
(iii) She writes very rapidly. Here
rapidly modifies writes, and very, rapidly.
THE CLASSIFICATION OF ADVERBS.
2. Adverbs—so far as their function
is concerned—are of two kinds: (i) Simple Adverbs and (ii)
Conjunctive Adverbs. (i) A Simple Adverb merely modifies the word it
goes with. A Conjunctive Adverb has two functions: (a) it
modifies, and (b) joins one sentence with another. Thus, if I
say “He came when he was ready,” the adverb when not only modifies
the verb came, and shows the time of his coming, but it joins together
the two sentences “He came” and “he was ready.”
3.
Adverbs—so far as their meaning
is concerned—are of several kinds. There are Adverbs: (i) of Time,
(ii) of Place, (iii) of Number, (iv) of Manner, (v) of
Degree, (vi) of Assertion, and (vii) of Reasoning:—
(i) Of Time: Now, then;
to-day, to-morrow; by-and-by, etc.
(ii) Of Place: Here, there;
hither, thither; hence, thence, etc.
(iii) Of Number: Once,
twice, thrice; singly, two by two, etc.
(iv) Of Manner: Well, ill;
slowly, quickly; better, worse, etc.
(v) Of Degree: Very,
little; almost, quite; all, half, etc.
(vi) Of Assertion: Nay,
yea; no, aye; yes, etc.
(vii) Of Reasoning: Therefore, wherefore; thus; consequently.
THE COMPARISON OF ADVERBS.
4.
Adverbs, like adjectives, admit of
degrees of comparison. Thus we can say, John works hard; Tom works
harder; but William works hardest of all.
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5.
The following are examples of
Irregular
Comparison
in Adverbs.
Positive.
|
Comparative.
|
Superlative.
|
|
Ill (or Badly) |
worse |
worst. |
|
Well |
better |
best. |
|
Much |
more |
most. |
|
Little |
less |
least. |
|
Nigh (or Near) |
nearer |
next. |
|
Forth |
further |
furthest. |
|
Far |
farther |
farthest. |
|
Late |
later |
last. |
|
|
latter |
latest. |
|
(Rathe) |
rather. |
——— |
(i) Worse comes from A.S. weors, bad. Shakespeare has
worser.
(ii) Much is an adverb in
the phrase much better.
(iii) Little is an adverb in
the phrase little inclined.
(iv) Next = nighest; and so we
had also hext = highest. Near is really the comparative of nigh.
(v) Farrer would be the
proper comparative. Chaucer has farrë, and this is still
found in Yorkshire. The th in farther comes from a false analogy
with forth, further, furthest.
(vi) Late is an adverb in the phrase
He arrived late.
(vii) “Till rathe she rose, half-cheated in the thought.”—Tennyson
(‘Lancelot and Elaine’).
