Adverb

An adverb is a word that modifies (describes) a verb (he sings loudly), an adjective (very tall), another adverb (ended too quickly), or even a whole sentence (Fortunately, I had brought an umbrella). Adverbs often end in -ly, but some (such as fast) look exactly the same as their adjective counterparts.Tom Longboat did not run badly.

Tom is very tall.

The race finished too quickly.

Fortunately, Lucy recorded Tom’s win

Why to use adverbs in IELTS?

We use adverbs in IELTS to modify or give extra information about verbs, adjectives, other words or whole clauses. If you want to make your IELTS Writing/Speaking Tasks look more academic and professional then you should start to use various adverbs and expressions to introduce ideas in your sentences.

Adverbs add meaning and accuracy to what you say (and as a result of this, they make what you say more interesting.) Using adverbs at the beginning of a sentence can express a lot of meaning in one word and it is good cohesion (language that has linkages of meaning) because it helps the listener (or reader) to follow what you are going to say next.

Now, let’s see some examples.

Where to use adverbs?

We use adverbs in Task 1, Task 2, and Speaking module of  IELTS test.

Expressing Feeling(Speaking) :-

Amazingly,Sadly,  
Astonishingly,Seriously,
Curiously,Strangely,
Disappointingly,                   Surprisingly,
Fortunately,Thankfully,
Frankly,  (Be careful – overused and sometimes incorrectly used.)Tragically,
Happily,Unbelievably,
Hopefully,Unfortunately,
Luckily,Unluckily,
Regrettably, 

Expressing Personal Opinion or Judgment(Speaking, Writing)

Admittedly,Miraculously,
Allegedly,Mysteriously,
Apparently,Naturally,
Appropriately,Obviously,
Clearly,Paradoxically,
Conveniently,Personally,
Foolishly,Plainly,
Ideally,Presumably,
Importantly,Remarkably,
Incredibly,Superficially,
Inevitably,Undeniably,
Inexplicably,Undoubtedly,
Interestingly,Unjustly,
Ironically,Unnaturally,

Expressing a Logical Idea(Speaking, Writing)

Accordingly,Hypothetically,  
Actually,Immediately,  
Additionally,Incidentally,
Alternatively,Lastly,
Basically,Logically,
Certainly,Officially,
Characteristically,Possibly,
Coincidentally,Potentially,
Conceivably,Predictably,
Consequently,Previously,
Consistently,Probably,
Conversely,Realistically,
Correctly,Roughly (speaking),
Definitely,Secondly,
Equally,Significantly,
Essentially,Similarly,
Eventually,Specifically,
Evidently,Subsequently,
Finally,Supposedly,
Firstly,Technically (speaking),
Fundamentally,Theoretically,
Generally,Typically,

To show a dramatic turn of an effect/event(Speaking, Writing)

Arrogantly,Proudly,
Carelessly,Reluctantly,
Casually,Sensibly,
Childishly,Unexpectedly,
Courageously,Unwillingly,
Cunningly,Wisely,
Desperately,

To indicate the area where a situation exists(Speaking, Wrting)

Globally,Locally,
Internationally,Nationally,

Adverbs of manner(Speaking, Writing)

abruptlyprofessionally
carefullyrapidly
carelesslysimply
closelysoftly
dramaticallysteadily
distinctlysteeply
easilystrangely
explicitlysuperbly
formallythickly
franklythoroughly
patientlyurgently
plainlyvividly
politelyvoluntarily

TO show degree(Speaking, Writing)

 
absolutelypurely
approximatelyquite
completelyradically
considerablyreally
drasticallyreasonably
entirelyroughly
extensivelyscarcely
extremelyseemingly
fairlysimply
fullysimply
greatlysincerely
graduallyslightly
hardlysomewhat
largelystrongly
nearlythoroughly
noticeablytotally
outrighttremendously
partlytruly
poorlyutterly
positivelyvery
powerfullyvirtually
prettywell
profoundly 

To  Focus on the Most Relevant Thing, or Restrict(Speaking, Writing)

aloneparticularly
chieflypredominantly
especiallyprimarily
exclusivelyprincipally
justpurely
mainlysimply
mostlysolely
notablyspecially
onlyspecifically

To show frequency(Speaking, Writing)

alwaysoccasionally
constantlyoften
continuallyperiodically
continuouslyrarely
everregularly
frequentlyrepeatedly
from time to timeseldom
hardly eversometimes
infrequentlysporadically
neverusually
normally 

To show level of Certainty(Speaking, Writing)

certainly
definitely
surely
probably
possibly

It is suggested to use at least two to three adverbs in your answer of each task/ part of your writing and speaking exam.

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