ADVERBS.

279. The word adverb means joined to a verb. The adverb is the only word that can join to a verb to modify it.

When action is expressed, an adverb is usually added to define the action in some way,—time, place, or manner: as, "He began already to be proud of being a Rugby boy [time];" "One of the young heroes scrambled up behind [place];" "He was absolute, but wisely and bravely ruling [manner]."
But this does not mean that adverbs modify verbs only: many of them express degree, and limit adjectives or adverbs; as, "William's private life was severely pure;" "Principles of English law are put down a little confusedly."
Sometimes a noun or pronoun.

Sometimes an adverb may modify a noun or pronoun; for example,—

The young man reveres men of genius, because, to speak truly, they are more himself than he is.—Emerson.

Is it only poets, and men of leisure and cultivation, who live with nature?—Id.

To the almost terror of the persons present, Macaulay began with the senior wrangler of 1801-2-3-4, and so on.—Thackeray.

Nor was it altogether nothing.—Carlyle.

Sounds overflow the listener's brain So sweet that joy is almost pain.—Shelley.

The condition of Kate is exactly that of Coleridge's "Ancient Mariner."—De Quincey.

He was incidentally news dealer.—T. B. Aldrich.

NOTE.—These last differ from the words in Sec. 169, being adverbs naturally and fitly, while those in Sec. 169 are felt to be elliptical, and rather forced into the service of adjectives.

Also these adverbs modifying nouns are to be distinguished from those standing after a noun by ellipsis, but really modifying, not the noun, but some verb understood; thus,—

The gentle winds and waters [that are] near, Make music to the lonely ear.—Byron.

With bowering leaves [that grow] o'erhead, to which the eye Looked up half sweetly, and half awfully.—Leigh Hunt.
A phrase.

An adverb may modify a phrase which is equivalent to an adjective or an adverb, as shown in the sentences,—

They had begun to make their effort much at the same time.—Trollope.

I draw forth the fruit, all wet and glossy, maybe nibbled by rabbits and hollowed out by crickets, and perhaps with a leaf or two cemented to it, but still with a rich bloom to it.—Thoreau.
A clause or sentence.

It may also modify a sentence, emphasizing or qualifying the statement expressed; as, for example,—

And certainly no one ever entered upon office with so few resources of power in the past.—Lowell.

Surely happiness is reflective, like the light of heaven. —Irving.

We are offered six months' credit; and that, perhaps, has induced some of us to attend it.—Franklin.
Definition.

280. An adverb, then, is a modifying word, which may qualify an action word or a statement, and may add to the meaning of an adjective or adverb, or a word group used as such.

NOTE.—The expression action word is put instead of verb, because any verbal word may be limited by an adverb, not simply the forms used in predication.

281. Adverbs may be classified in two ways: (1) according to the meaning of the words; (2) according to their use in the sentence.
ADVERBS CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO MEANING.

282. Thus considered, there are six classes:—

(1) Time; as now, to-day, ever, lately, before, hitherto, etc.

(2) Place. These may be adverbs either of

*

(a) PLACE WHERE; as here,there,where,near,yonder, above, etc.
*

(b) PLACE TO WHICH; as hither,thither,whither, whithersoever, etc.
*

(c) PLACE FROM WHICH; as hence,thence,whence, whencesoever, etc.

(3) Manner, telling how anything is done; as well, slowly, better, bravely, beautifully. Action is conceived or performed in so many ways, that these adverbs form a very large class.

(4) Number, telling how many times: once, twice, singly, two by two, etc.

(5) Degree, telling how much; as little, slightly, too, partly, enough, greatly, much, very, just, etc. (see also Sec. 283).

(6) Assertion, telling the speaker's belief or disbelief in a statement, or how far he believes it to be true; as perhaps, maybe, surely, possibly, probably, not, etc.
Special remarks on adverbs of degree.

283. The is an adverb of degree when it limits an adjective or an adverb, especially the comparative of these words; thus,—

But not the less the blare of the tumultuous organ wrought its own separate creations.—De Quincey.

The more they multiply, the more friends you will have; the more evidently they love liberty, the more perfect will be their obedience.—Burke.

This and that are very common as adverbs in spoken English, and not infrequently are found in literary English; for example,—

The master...was for this once of her opinion.—R. LOUIS STEVENSON.

Death! To die! I owe that much To what, at least, I was.—Browning.

This long's the text.—Shakespeare.

[Sidenote The status of such.]

Such is frequently used as an equivalent of so: such precedes an adjective with its noun, while so precedes only the adjective usually.

Meekness,...which gained him such universal popularity.—Irving.

Such a glittering appearance that no ordinary man would have been able to close his eyes there.—Hawthorne.

An eye of such piercing brightness and such commanding power that it gave an air of inspiration.—Lecky.

So also in Grote, Emerson, Thackeray, Motley, White, and others.
Pretty.

Pretty has a wider adverbial use than it gets credit for.

I believe our astonishment is pretty equal.—Fielding.

Hard blows and hard money, the feel of both of which you know pretty well by now.—Kingsley.

The first of these generals is pretty generally recognized as the greatest military genius that ever lived.—Bayne.

A pretty large experience.—Thackeray.

Pretty is also used by Prescott, Franklin, De Quincey, Defoe, Dickens, Kingsley, Burke, Emerson, Aldrich, Holmes, and other writers.
Mighty.

The adverb mighty is very common in colloquial English; for example,—

"Mighty well, Deacon Gookin!" replied the solemn tones of the minister.—Hawthorne.

"Maybe you're wanting to get over?—anybody sick? Ye seem mighty anxious!"—H. B. Stowe.

It is only occasionally used in literary English; for example,—

You are mighty courteous.—Bulwer.

Beau Fielding, a mighty fine gentleman.—Thackeray.

"Peace, Neville," said the king, "thou think'st thyself mighty wise, and art but a fool."—Scott.

I perceived his sisters mighty busy.—Goldsmith.
Notice meanings.

284. Again, the meaning of words must be noticed rather than their form; for many words given above may be moved from one class to another at will: as these examples,—"He walked too far [place];" "That were far better [degree];" "He spoke positively [manner];" "That is positively untrue [assertion];" "I have seen you before [time];" "The house, and its lawn before [place]."
ADVERBS CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO USE.
Simple.

285. All adverbs which have no function in the sentence except to modify are called simple adverbs. Such are most of those given already in Sec. 282.
Interrogative.

286. Some adverbs, besides modifying, have the additional function of asking a question.
Direct questions.

These may introduce direct questions of—

(1) Time.

When did this humane custom begin?—H. Clay.

(2) Place.

Where will you have the scene?—Longfellow

(3) Manner.

And how looks it now?—Hawthorne.

(4) Degree.

"How long have you had this whip?" asked he.—Bulwer.

(5) Reason.

Why that wild stare and wilder cry?—Whittier

Now wherefore stopp'st thou me?—Coleridge
Indirect questions.

Or they may introduce indirect questions of—

(1) Time.

I do not remember when I was taught to read.—D. Webster.

(2) Place.

I will not ask where thou liest low.—Byron

(3) Manner.

Who set you to cast about what you should say to the select souls, or how to say anything to such?—Emerson.

(4) Degree.
Being too full of sleep to understand
How far the unknown transcends the what we know.
—Longfellow

(5) Reason.

I hearkened, I know not why.—Poe.

287. There is a class of words usually classed as conjunctive adverbs, as they are said to have the office of conjunctions in joining clauses, while having the office of adverbs in modifying; for example,—

When last I saw thy young blue eyes, they smiled.—Byron.

But in reality, when does not express time and modify, but the whole clause, when...eyes; and when has simply the use of a conjunction, not an adverb. For further discussion, see Sec. 299 under "Subordinate Conjunctions."

Exercise.—Bring up sentences containing twenty adverbs, representing four classes.
COMPARISON OF ADVERBS.

288. Many adverbs are compared, and, when compared, have the same inflection as adjectives.

The following, irregularly compared, are often used as adjectives:—
Positive. Comparative. Superlative.
well better best
ill or badly worse worst
much more most
little less least
nigh or near nearer nearest or next
far farther, further farthest, furthest
late later latest, last
(rathe, obs.) rather

289. Most monosyllabic adverbs add -er and -est to form the comparative and superlative, just as adjectives do; as, high, higher, highest; soon, sooner, soonest.

Adverbs in -ly usually have more and most instead of the inflected form, only occasionally having -er and -est.

Its strings boldlier swept.—Coleridge.

None can deem harshlier of me than I deem.—Byron.

Only that we may wiselier see.—Emerson.

Then must she keep it safelier.—Tennyson.

I should freelier rejoice in that absence.—Shakespeare.
Form vs. use.

290. The fact that a word ends in -ly does not make it an adverb. Many adjectives have the same ending, and must be distinguished by their use in the sentence.
Exercise.

Tell what each word in ly modifies, then whether it is an adjective or an adverb.

1. It seems certain that the Normans were more cleanly in their habits, more courtly in their manners.

2. It is true he was rarely heard to speak.

3. He would inhale the smoke slowly and tranquilly.

4. The perfectly heavenly law might be made law on earth.

5. The king winced when he saw his homely little bride.

6.
With his proud, quick-flashing eye,
And his mien of kingly state.

7.
And all about, a lovely sky of blue
Clearly was felt, or down the leaves laughed through.

8. He is inexpressibly mean, curiously jolly, kindly and good-natured in secret.

291. Again, many words without -ly have the same form, whether adverbs or adjectives.

The reason is, that in Old and Middle English, adverbs derived from adjectives had the ending -e as a distinguishing mark; as,—

If men smoot it with a yerde smerte [If men smote it with a rod smartly].—Chaucer.

This e dropping off left both words having the same form.

Weeds were sure to grow quicker in his fields.—Irving.

O sweet and far from cliff and scar The horns of Elfland faintly blowing.—Tennyson.

But he must do his errand right.—Drake

Long she looked in his tiny face.—Id.

Not near so black as he was painted.—Thackeray.

In some cases adverbs with -ly are used side by side with those without -ly, but with a different meaning. Such are most, mostly; near, nearly; even, evenly; hard, hardly; etc.
Special use of there.

292. Frequently the word there, instead of being used adverbially, merely introduces a sentence, and inverts the usual order of subject and predicate.

This is such a fixed idiom that the sentence, if it has the verb be, seems awkward or affected without this "there introductory." Compare these:—

1. There are eyes, to be sure, that give no more admission into the man than blueberries.—Emerson.

2. Time was when field and watery cove With modulated echoes rang.—Wordsworth.
HOW TO PARSE ADVERBS.

293. In parsing adverbs, give—

(1) The class, according to meaning and also use.

(2) Degree of comparison, if the word is compared.

(3) What word or word group it modifies.
Exercise.

Parse all the adverbs in the following sentences:—

1. Now the earth is so full that a drop overfills it.

2. The higher we rise in the scale of being, the more certainly we quit the region of the brilliant eccentricities and dazzling contrasts which belong to a vulgar greatness.

3.
We sit in the warm shade and feel right well
How the sap creeps up and blossoms swell.

4. Meanwhile the Protestants believed somewhat doubtfully that he was theirs.

5. Whence else could arise the bruises which I had received, but from my fall?

6. We somehow greedily gobble down all stories in which the characters of our friends are chopped up.

7. How carefully that blessed day is marked in their little calendars!

8. But a few steps farther on, at the regular wine-shop, the Madonna is in great glory.

9. The foolish and the dead alone never change their opinion.

10. It is the Cross that is first seen, and always, burning in the center of the temple.

11. For the impracticable, however theoretically enticing, is always politically unwise.

12. Whence come you? and whither are you bound?

13. How comes it that the evil which men say spreads so widely and lasts so long, whilst our good kind words don't seem somehow to take root and blossom?

14. At these carousals Alexander drank deep.

15. Perhaps he has been getting up a little architecture on the road from Florence.

16. It is left you to find out why your ears are boxed.

17. Thither we went, and sate down on the steps of a house.

18. He could never fix which side of the garden walk would suit him best, but continually shifted.

19. But now the wind rose again, and the stern drifted in toward the bank.

20. He caught the scent of wild thyme in the air, and found room to wonder how it could have got there.

21. They were soon launched on the princely bosom of the Thames, upon which the sun now shone forth.

22. Why should we suppose that conscientious motives, feeble as they are constantly found to be in a good cause, should be omnipotent for evil?

24. It was pretty bad after that, and but for Polly's outdoor exercise, she would undoubtedly have succumbed.