ad-

to, toward; addition; sometimes emphasis

Forms

ad-
ac- — Used before c in Latin.
af- — Used before f in Latin.
ag- — Used before g in Latin.
al- — Used before l in Latin.
ap- — Used before p in Latin.
ar- — Used before r in Latin.
as- — Used before s in Latin.
at- — Used before t in Latin.

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *ad, ‘to; near.’

Note

Later Latin-based spellings sometimes restored consonants that had disappeared in French.

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noun

adverb

AD-vurb/ˈædvɜːrb/

A word that modifies a verb, adjective, another adverb, or a whole clause.

In “the rabbit runs swiftly,” the adverb describes its speed.

A rabbit dashes swiftly while a slow tortoise walks nearby, contrasting how actions occur; a small blank word tile beside the motion strokes.

Etymology

adLatinto, toward; addition; sometimes emphasis

+verbLatinword

Literally “that which is added to a verb,” the name describes a word that limits or extends a verb’s meaning. The grammatical category also includes words qualifying adjectives and other adverbs.

In context

The Nature of Writing0:50

Most of the time an adverb is going to modify a verb, so a verb is one of the things it modifies.

Introduction to Adverbs | Parts of Speech | The Nature of Writing

More examples

An adverb can modify an adjective as well as a verb.
She moves the adverb to change the sentence's emphasis.
Not all adverbs end in the letters “ly.”

Forms

adverb · adverbs

adverbial adjective — Serving the grammatical role of an adverb.

Similar words

modifier: Includes words and phrases with several different grammatical roles.
adjective: Usually modifies a noun rather than a verb or clause.