Verb groups

Okay, we need to talk about adverbs. 

In some ways adverbs are simple words, and while they can appear in groups they usually act alone. So in that way they seem kind of harmless.

But they also have this shapeshifting chaos-agent energy that honestly makes them some of the slipperiest and sneakiest words in the English language. If you're ever really confused about what a word is doing in a sentence, there's a good chance it's an adverb.

Just remember, you don't need to remember everything we talk about here. We just want you to be aware that adverbs are often found hanging out around verb groups, and sometimes they even sneak inside and pretend they're part of the gang.

First, the basics:

Adverbs change the quality of a verb group, meaning they change the quality of the action: whether it is done slowly, quickly, kindly, or whatever. 

Here’s a straightforward example of adverbs at work:

Do you see how the adverb group tells you the quality of the verb group? It tells you how the action was performed—it was performed instinctively and casually.

You've probably already been told that adverbs are usually these kind of -ly words. This is true, but at the same time adverbs can be a lot more subtle than that, and sometimes it’s hard to even tell if a word is an adverb, an adjective, or some other word.

For example, the word maybe is an adverb, but like a modal or secondary verb it communicates something about likelihood:

Here the adverb maybe makes the word met less certain, and we know that certainty is a kind of modality (a facet of likelihood).

Now, to make things even more complicated

Adverb groups can be embedded in other groups, including verb groups.

Can you see the adverbs embedded in the verb groups below?

Both the word usually and the word group right now are adverbs. 😅

Applying the 'move it around and see' test

The funny thing with adverb groups is you can move them around without changing the meaning of the sentence much.

For example, read the snippet above, then read the worked examples below, without using the highlighters. Can you tell any difference? 

Then try showing the highlighters and look for how the adverb groups have moved around.

From a writing point of view, it can be helpful to recognise embedded adverb groups, that way it's easier to see how all the other pieces work together.

Here are some more examples. See if you can identify each verb group component, including any adverbs embedded inside the verb groups.

The adverb in that last snippet didn't just embed in the verb group—it embedded itself inside the main verb! So sneaky!

(Remember that to is part of the verb—the infinitive form, so embedding an adverb here splits the infinitive. The famous line in Star Trek, "to boldly go where no man has gone before", has a split infinitive.)