Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or entire clauses. They often answer the questions when? where? why? to what extent? Many adverbs have an -ly ending, though some do not (always, never, very, well), and some words that end in -ly are not adverbs but adjectives (scholarly, lovely). One of the most common adverbs is not.

Jabari recently visited his roommate’s family in Maine. [modifies the verb visited]

It was an unexpectedly exciting trip. [modifies the adjective exciting]

The visit ended too soon. [modifies the adverb soon]

Frankly, he would have liked to stay another month. [modifies the independent clause that makes up the rest of the sentence]

Many adverbs, like many adjectives, take other forms when making comparisons: forcefully, more forcefully, most forcefully, less forcefully, least forcefully (25b).

Conjunctive adverbs modify an entire clause and help connect the meaning between that clause and the preceding clause (or sentence). Examples of conjunctive adverbs include however, furthermore, therefore, and likewise (22h).