Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
What is an adverb?
An adverb gives information about the action or state conveyed by the verb. Usually adverbs can be
recognised by the way they answer questions (How? When? Where? Why?) asked of the verb.
e.g.
They ate quickly. (How did they eat? --> quickly)
We saw them often. (When did we see them? --> often)
I went there. (Where did I go? --> there)
The great majoriy of adverbs in English are formed by simply adding -ly or -ally to the corresponding
adjective.
e.g.: slow --> slowly; extreme --> extremely; musical --> musically
Similarly, the great majority of French adverbs are formed by adding -ment to the feminine singular
form of the adjective.
e.g.: agrable (-) --> agrablement; brutal (-e) --> brutalement; artificiel (-lle) --> artificiellement; craintif
(-ive) --> craintivement; curieux (-se) --> curieusement; grossier (-re) --> grossirement; fou (folle) -->
follement
With a few exceptions, adjectives ending in a vowel form their adverb from the masculine rather than
the feminine singular form.
e.g.:dcid (-e) --> dcidment; hardi (-e) --> hardiment; vrai (-e) --> vraiment
Exceptions
The exceptions to the above rules fall into five categories
Adverbs ending in -ment arising from adjective forms not ending in
e.g.: confus (-e) --> confusment, prcis (-e) --> prcisment
NOTE: the following -u adjectives follow the basic rule that adjectives ending in a vowel form their
adverb from the masculine singular form
Adjectives ending in -ent form adverbs ending in -emment (NB this is pronounced the same as "-
amment")
e.g. conscient (-e) --> consciemment