Forming Adverbs from Adjectives
Here are some guidelines on forming adverbs from adjectives:
- In a large number of the cases, the adverb can be formed by simply adding ‘-ly’ to the adjective.
| ADJECTIVE |
ADVERB |
| Cheap |
Cheaply |
| Quick |
Quickly |
| Strong |
Strong |
- If the adjective ends in with ‘y’, replace the ‘y’ with an ‘i’ and add ‘-ly’.
| ADJECTIVE |
ADVERB |
| Ready |
Readily |
| Merry |
Merrily |
| Easy |
Easily |
- If the adjective ends with ‘-le’, replace the ‘e’ at the end with ‘y’.
| ADJECTIVE |
ADVERB |
| Understandable |
Understandably |
| Forcible |
Forcibly |
| Possible |
Possibly |
- If the adjective ends with ‘-ic’, add ‘-ally’.
| ADJECTIVE |
ADVERB |
| Idiotic |
Idiotically |
| Tragic |
Tragically |
| Basic |
Basically |
An exception to this rule is ‘public’, whose adverbial form is ‘publicly’.
- Some adjectives do not change form at all.
| ADJECTIVE |
ADVERB |
| Fast |
Fast |
| Straight |
Straight |
| Hard |
Hard |
- In the case of the adjective ‘good’, the corresponding adverb is ‘well’.