Chapter 36: Formation of Adverbs
Welcome to Chapter 36! Have you ever wondered where adverbs come from? Many adverbs are not original words on their own; instead, they are built or "formed" from other parts of speech like adjectives, nouns, or pronouns. In this chapter, we will learn the step-by-step rules for building adverbs and explore how combining words can create entirely new meanings.
Topic 1: Forming Adverbs from Adjectives
Explanation
The easiest and most common way to create an Adverb of Manner (which tells us how something is done) is by taking an adjective and adding letters to the end. Adverbs of Manner are mostly formed from Adjectives by adding ly (which is actually a corruption, or an old shortened form, of the word like).
Important Rules and Exceptions
- The Standard Rule: Add ly to the end of the adjective.
- Clever becomes cleverly.
- Wise becomes wisely.
- Kind becomes kindly.
- Foolish becomes foolishly.
- Quick becomes quickly.
- Beautiful becomes beautifully.
- Exception 1 (The 'Y' Rule): When the Adjective ends in y preceded by a consonant, change the y into i and add ly.
- Happy becomes happily.
- Ready becomes readily.
- Heavy becomes heavily.
- Exception 2 (The 'LE' Rule): When the Adjective ends in le, simply change the e into y.
- Single becomes singly.
- Double becomes doubly.
Solved Examples from the Text
- Sentence 1: Akbar was a wise king. (Here, 'wise' is an adjective describing the noun 'king'.)
- Sentence 2: He ruled wisely for many years. (Here, 'wisely' is the adverb formed by adding -ly to 'wise', describing the verb 'ruled'.)
Additional Practice Exercises
Turn the following adjectives into adverbs:
- Slow
- Angry
- Gentle
Solutions and Explanations
- 1. Slowly: "Slow" follows the standard rule, so we just add "-ly".
- 2. Angrily: "Angry" ends in a 'y' preceded by a consonant ('r'). We change the 'y' to 'i' and add "-ly".
- 3. Gently: "Gentle" ends in 'le'. Following Exception 2, we drop the 'e' and replace it with 'y'.
Common Mistakes and Tips
- Mistake: Spelling words like "happyly" or "gentlely."
- Tip: Always check the last letter of the adjective! If it's a 'y', it probably needs to become an 'i'. If it's 'le', it usually turns into 'ly'.
Quick Summary
Most adverbs of manner are formed by adding "-ly" to adjectives. Watch out for words ending in 'y' (change to 'i') and 'le' (change 'e' to 'y').
Topic 2: Compound Adverbs
Explanation
A "compound" is something made up of two or more parts. Many adverbs are actually combinations of two different words squeezed together! These can be combinations of nouns, adjectives, prepositions, or even other adverbs.
Rules and Categories
1. Noun + Qualifying Adjective
Some Adverbs are made up of a Noun and a qualifying Adjective.
- Sometimes
- Meantime
- Meanwhile
- Yesterday
- Midway
- Otherwise
2. The Prefix 'a-' (Meaning 'on') + Noun
Some Adverbs are compounds of on (weakened to a) and a Noun. For example, afoot actually means on foot.
- Afoot
- Abed
- Asleep
- Ahead
- Aboard
- Away
3. Preposition + Noun
Similarly, there are other Adverbs which are also compounds of some Preposition and a Noun.
- Betimes
- Besides
- To-day
- To-morrow
- Overboard
Interesting Note: The word be in words like "besides" is an old form of the Preposition by.
4. Preposition + Adjective
Some Adverbs are compounds of a Preposition and an Adjective.
- Abroad
- Along
- Aloud
- Anew
- Behind
- Below
- Beyond
5. Preposition + Adverb
Some Adverbs are compounds of a Preposition and an Adverb.
- Within
- Without
- Before
- Beneath
Additional Practice Exercises
Identify the two words that make up the following compound adverbs and state their word types (e.g., Noun, Preposition, etc.):
- Midway
- Ahead
- Without
Solutions and Explanations
- 1. Midway: Mid (Adjective) + way (Noun). This fits the Noun + Qualifying Adjective rule.
- 2. Ahead: A (weakened form of preposition 'on') + head (Noun).
- 3. Without: With (Preposition) + out (Adverb).
Common Mistakes and Tips
- Mistake: Thinking words like "asleep" are just adjectives.
- Tip: Remember that "a-" often means "on" or "in a state of". Being "asleep" historically meant being "on sleep" or "in sleep", functioning as an adverb modifying your state of being.
Quick Summary
Compound adverbs are formed by combining nouns, adjectives, prepositions, and other adverbs. A very common pattern is the prefix "a-" attached to a noun, where "a-" is a weakened form of the word "on".
Topic 3: Adverbs Derived from Pronouns
Explanation
There is a class of Adverbs which are derived from the Pronouns the (= that), he, and who. By slightly changing these pronouns, we get a whole family of adverbs that point to places, directions, time, and manner!
The Pronoun-Adverb Table
| Pronouns | Place | Motion To | Motion From | Time | Manner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The (= that) | There | Thither | Thence | Then | Thus |
| He | Here | Hither | Hence | — | — |
| Who | Where | Whither | Whence | When | How |
Note: "Motion to" means going towards a place, while "Motion from" means coming away from a place.
Compounding with Prepositions
Many of the above Adverbs are compounded with Prepositions. This creates old-fashioned, formal-sounding words often used in legal documents or older literature.
- From "There": Thereby, therefrom, therein, thereof, thereon, thereto, therewith.
- From "Here": Hereafter, hereby, herein, hereupon, herewith; hitherto.
- From "Where": Wherefore, wherein, whereon, whereof.
- From "Thence": Thenceforth, thenceforward.
- From "Hence": Henceforth, henceforward.
Additional Practice Exercises
- If "hither" means motion towards "here", what does "thither" mean?
- Which pronoun is the adverb "whence" derived from?
Solutions and Explanations
- 1. Motion towards "there". ("Thither" is derived from "the/that" and indicates motion to that place).
- 2. Who. (According to the table, "whence" indicates motion from "who/where").
Common Mistakes and Tips
- Mistake: Confusing "thence" and "hence".
- Tip: Look at the first letter! "Thence" starts with 'T', like "There" (from that place). "Hence" starts with 'H', like "Here" (from this place).
Quick Summary
A specific group of adverbs comes from the pronouns the, he, and who. These can be further combined with prepositions to make words like thereby and herein.
Topic 4: Paired Adverbs Joined by 'And'
Explanation
Two Adverbs sometimes go together, joined by the Conjunction and. These pairings act like idioms—their combined meaning is sometimes different from the literal meaning of the individual words.
Important Pairings and Their Meanings
- again and again: more than once, repeatedly.
- by and by: before long, presently, after a time.
- far and near: in all directions.
- far and wide: comprehensively.
- far and away: by a great deal, decidedly, beyond all comparison.
- first and foremost: first of all.
- now and then: from time to time, occasionally.
- now and again: at intervals, sometimes, occasionally.
- off and on: not regularly, intermittently.
- once and again: on more than one occasion, repeatedly.
- out and away: beyond comparison, by far.
- out and out: decidedly, beyond all comparison.
- over and above: in addition to, besides, as well as.
- over and over: many times, frequently, repeatedly.
- through and through: thoroughly, completely.
- thus and thus: in such and such a way.
- to and fro: backwards and forwards, up and down.
Solved Examples from the Text
- Good books should be read again and again.
- I warned him again and again.
- By and by the tumult will subside.
- His fame has spread far and near.
- As a statesman he saw far and wide.
- This is far and away the best course.
- He is far and away the best bowler in our eleven.
- He now and then writes on fiscal questions.
- I write to him now and then.
- He worked ten years, off and on, on his Pali Dictionary.
- I have told you once and again that you must not read such trash.
- This is out and away the best work on Astronomy.
- He gained over and above this, the goodwill of all people.
- Over and above being hard-working he is thoroughly honest.
- He reads all the novels of Scott over and over.
- I believe Sachin is out and out the best Indian batsman.
- He has read Milton through and through.
- Thus and thus only we shall succeed.
- He walked to and fro, meditating.
Additional Practice Exercises
Replace the bold phrase with the correct paired adverb from the list above:
- The dog ran backwards and forwards across the yard.
- He is decidedly the greatest singer of our generation.
Solutions and Explanations
- 1. to and fro: "To and fro" means backwards and forwards.
- 2. out and out (or far and away): Both mean decidedly or beyond all comparison.
Common Mistakes and Tips
- Mistake: Taking the phrases literally (e.g., thinking "by and by" means physically standing next to something).
- Tip: Memorize these as single vocabulary words. "By and by" always relates to time passing.
Quick Summary
English frequently pairs two adverbs with the conjunction "and" to create specific, often non-literal phrases like "to and fro" or "far and wide".
Chapter Assessment: Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)
Test your understanding of the formation of adverbs with these 20 questions!
- Adverbs of manner are mostly formed by adding what suffix to an adjective?
A) -ness
B) -ly
C) -ment
D) -ity
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Adverbs of Manner are mostly formed from Adjectives by adding ly. - The suffix "ly" is actually a corruption (shortened form) of what word?
A) line
B) love
C) like
D) lie
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The text states that "ly" is a corruption of "like". - How do you form an adverb from the adjective "heavy"?
A) heavyly
B) heavily
C) heavly
D) heavyle
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: When the Adjective ends in y preceded by a consonant, change y into i and add ly. - What is the adverb form of the adjective "single"?
A) singlely
B) singily
C) singly
D) single
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: When the Adjective ends in le, simply change e into y. - The compound adverb "meantime" is made up of:
A) Preposition + Noun
B) Pronoun + Adverb
C) Noun + Qualifying Adjective
D) Adjective + Adjective
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: "Meantime" is listed under adverbs made up of a Noun and a qualifying Adjective. - In the word "afoot", the prefix "a" is a weakened form of which word?
A) at
B) an
C) on
D) around
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Some Adverbs are compounds of on (weakened to a) and a Noun. - Which of the following adverbs means "on foot"?
A) Ahead
B) Afoot
C) Away
D) Abroad
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The text explicitly states "Afoot (= on foot)". - In the compound adverb "besides," the word "be" is an old form of the preposition:
A) below
B) by
C) beneath
D) before
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The word be is an old form of the Preposition by. - The adverb "without" is formed by compounding:
A) Preposition + Adjective
B) Preposition + Adverb
C) Noun + Adverb
D) Pronoun + Preposition
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: "Without" is a compound of a Preposition and an Adverb. - Which pronoun is the root for the adverbs "there," "thither," and "then"?
A) He
B) Who
C) The (meaning 'that')
D) They
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The table shows that "there", "thither", and "then" are derived from the pronoun "The". - The adverb "whence" indicates:
A) Motion to
B) Motion from
C) Time from
D) Place
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: In the pronoun table, "whence" is listed under the "Motion from" column for the pronoun "Who". - Which of the following adverbs indicates "Motion to" derived from the pronoun "He"?
A) Here
B) Hence
C) Hither
D) How
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: In the pronoun table, "hither" is listed under the "Motion to" column for the pronoun "He". - What does the paired adverb "by and by" mean?
A) Comprehensively
B) Repeatedly
C) Backwards and forwards
D) Before long, presently
Correct Answer: D
Explanation: The text defines "by and by" as "before long, presently, after a time". - If someone works "off and on," how are they working?
A) Thoroughly and completely
B) Not regularly, intermittently
C) Repeatedly
D) Beyond comparison
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: "Off and on" means not regularly, intermittently. - Which paired adverb means "thoroughly, completely"?
A) Out and out
B) Through and through
C) Far and wide
D) First and foremost
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The text defines "through and through" as "thoroughly, completely". - What is the meaning of "to and fro"?
A) In such and such a way
B) First of all
C) Backwards and forwards, up and down
D) From time to time
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The text defines "to and fro" as "backwards and forwards, up and down". - Which adverb is compounded from the pronoun root "where" and a preposition?
A) Hitherto
B) Therein
C) Wherefore
D) Thenceforth
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: "Wherefore" is compounded from "where" and the preposition "fore/for". - Which of the following is a compound of a Preposition and an Adjective?
A) Ahead
B) Aloud
C) Within
D) To-day
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: "Aloud" is listed as a compound of a Preposition and an Adjective. - "He reads all the novels of Scott ________." (Fill in the blank to mean 'many times, frequently')
A) out and away
B) to and fro
C) over and over
D) far and near
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The text provides the sentence "He reads all the novels of Scott over and over," and defines it as "many times, frequently, repeatedly". - Which of these is NOT an adverb formed by adding "ly" to an adjective?
A) Wisely
B) Foolishly
C) Herewith
D) Readily
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: "Herewith" is a compound of a pronoun-derived adverb (here) and a preposition (with). The others are formed from adjectives.
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