Adverbs describe how, when, where, or in what way something happens. To study more about Adverbs, click here. Many adverbs are formed by adding specific suffixes to adjectives or nouns. The most common adverb suffixes are -ly, -ward, -wise, -fold. Hardly ever there will be the same root with different adverb suffix, so either you know which suffix to use, or you learn. Test yourself with the exercise below:
Was this too hard? Study the article below and do the exercises at the bottom of the page.
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Main Adverb Suffixes
Many adverbs in English are created by adding suffixes to adjectives or nouns. These suffixes help express manner, direction, topic, or multiplication. Some adverbs, however, are irregular and don’t follow these patterns. Let’s explore each group.
1. -ly (Manner)
The -ly suffix is the most common way to form adverbs. It describes how something is done.
| Adjective | Adverb | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| quick | quickly | She ran quickly to catch the bus. |
| happy | happily | He happily agreed to help us. |
| slow | slowly | Please speak slowly. |
| easy | easily | I can easily lift this box. |
| lucky | luckily | Luckily, it didn’t rain today. |
| simple | simply | She explained it simply. |
| gentle | gently | The nurse spoke gently to the child. |
2. -ward / -wards (Direction)
The -ward or -wards suffix shows movement or direction.
| Base Word | Adverb | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| back | backward | He stepped backward by mistake. |
| up | upward | The balloon floated upward. |
| home | homeward | They walked homeward in silence. |
| out | outward | The doors opened outward. |
3. -wise (Relation / Topic)
The -wise suffix expresses direction, orientation, or relation to a topic.
| Base Word | Adverb | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| clock | clockwise | The hands moved clockwise. |
| other | otherwise | I wanted to help, but I was told otherwise. |
| length | lengthwise | Cut the paper lengthwise. |
| budget | budget-wise | Budget-wise, we need to be careful. |
4. -fold (Multiplication / Parts)
The -fold suffix indicates multiplication or parts.
| Base Word | Adverb | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| two | twofold | Our efforts increased twofold. |
| three | threefold | Sales grew threefold last year. |
| many | manifold | The solution has manifold advantages. |
5. When Adverb suffixes are not necessary
These adverbs don’t follow standard suffix rules. Some are identical to adjectives; others change completely.
| Adjective | Adverb | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| good | well | She speaks English very well. |
| fast | fast | The car goes fast on the highway. |
| hard | hard | He worked hard all day. |
| late | late | They arrived late to the party. |
| early | early | She got up early this morning. |
| straight | straight | He went straight home after work. |
Note: Be careful with hard vs hardly and late vs lately. They have different meanings:
- He worked hard. (with effort)
- He hardly worked. (almost didn’t work)
- They arrived late. (not on time)
- I’ve seen her lately. (recently)
Adverb Suffixes Exercises
Feel like diving into more? Verb suffixes | Noun Suffixes | Adjective Suffixes | Prefixes