Which adverb is much. The semantic importance of adverbs in English speech

Adverbs are words that describe verbs, adjectives, other adverbs or phrases. Often they answer the question "How?" (How?). For example:

She sings beautifully.
She sings beautifully. (How does she sing? Beautiful.)
He runs very fast.
He runs very fast. (How fast does he run? Very fast.)
I occasionally practice speaking English.
From time to time I practice conversational English. (How often do I practice? From time to time.)

The place an adverb occupies in an English sentence depends on the type of adverb. It is in this aspect that we will understand in today's lesson.

1. Do not put an adverb between the verb and the object of its action

In the next sentence painted is a verb and the house- an object. Carefully, as you might have guessed, is an adverb.

I carefully painted the house. = Right
I painted the house carefully. = Right
I painted carefully the house. = Wrong

Here is another example. In this offer read is a verb, a book is the object of the action, and sometimes- adverb.

I sometimes read a book before bed. = Right
Sometimes I read a book before bed. = Right
I read a book before bed sometimes. = Acceptable, but only in informal situations
I read sometimes a book before bed. = Wrong

There are three standard adverb locations

Front position: at the beginning of a sentence

suddenly the phone rank.
Suddenly the phone rang.

fortunately, no one was injured.
Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Maybe I'll go for a walk.
Maybe I'll go for a walk.

Middle position: next to the main verb

I always exercise before work.
I always exercise before work.

They have completely forgotten about our appointment.
They completely forgot about our meeting.

He was probably late for the interview.
He was probably late for the interview.

She slowly began to recover from her illness.
She slowly began to recover from her illness.

Final position: at the end of a sentence

You speak English well.
You speak English well.

Please sit there.
Please sit here.

They ate dinner quietly.
They ate quietly.

The place of an adverb in a sentence depends on its type. Some adverbs can take different positions.

Adverbs of manner

quickly, slowly, easily, happily, well,* badly, seriously

The position in the middle of the sentence makes the adverb less expressive:

He quickly corrected his mistake.
He quickly corrected his mistake.
She easily passed the test.
She easily passed the test.
We happily accepted the invitation.
We gladly accepted the invitation.

The position at the end of the sentence, on the contrary, gives the adverb more expressiveness:

He corrected his mistake quickly.
He corrected his mistakes quickly.
She passed the test easily.
She passed the test easily.
We accepted the invitation happily.
We accepted the invitation with joy.

Adverbs of manner that do not end in -ly(such as well, hard and fast ) can only take place at the end of a sentence:

They dance well.
They dance well.
He's working hard.
He works tirelessly.
She runs fast.
She runs fast.

Adverbs of time and frequency

Certain frequency: daily,* weekly,* every year, last week

Place: at the beginning of a sentence or at the end of a sentence (most common).

I study English every day.
I study English every day.
every day, I study English.
Every day I study English.
We went to Australia last year.
We went to Australia last year.
last year we went to Australia.
Last year we went to Australia.

Adverbs of frequency expressed in one word cannot take the front position in a sentence:

I speak with my mother daily.
I talk to my mom every day (daily)
Let's meet weekly to share updates on the project.
Let's meet every week to share breaking news about the project.

undefined frequency: often, usually, occasionally, frequently, rarely, sometimes, always, finally, eventually, soon, never

Always And never stand in the middle of a sentence - before the verb:

I always wake up early.
I always get up early.
We never imagined this would be so hard.
We never imagined that it would be so difficult.

The rest can occupy various positions:

Usually I take the bus to work.
I usually go to work by bus.
I usually take the bus to work.
I usually go to work by bus.
Soon you'll be finished with school.
You will finish school soon.
You'll soon be finished with school.
You will finish school soon.
You'll be finished with school soon.
You will finish school soon.
We occasionally drink wine.
We drink wine sometimes.
Occasionally we drink wine.
Sometimes we drink wine.
We drink wine occasionally.
We drink wine sometimes.We drink occasionally wine. = Wrong!

Remember: never put an adverb between the verb and the object of its action!

Adverbs of place

everywhere, nearby, downstairs, outside, south/southward, towards, backwards

Usually they are placed at the end of a sentence or in the middle - immediately after the verb:

The children are playing outside.
Children play in the yard.
The glass shattered and the pieces flew everywhere.
The glass shattered and pieces scattered everywhere.
They drove south/southward on the highway.
They were driving south along the highway.
He walked towards the police station.
He walked towards the police station.

Linking adverbs and explanatory adverbs

Linking adverbs show connections between events and ideas: anyway, however, then, next, additionally, similarly, furthermore, otherwise

Explanatory adverbs show the position of the speaker or his opinion about the sentence: honestly, stupidly, personally, fortunately, surprisingly

Adverbs of both these groups are at the beginning of the sentence:

First I went to the bank. Then I went to the post office.
First I went to the bank. Then I went to the post office.
The test will be difficult. However, the students are well prepared.
The test will be difficult. However, the students are well prepared.
He doesn't have a job. Furthermore, he's not interested in finding one.
He doesn't have a job. Moreover, he is not even interested in finding her.
I dropped my wallet on the street. Surprisingly, an honest person found it and gave it back to me.
I dropped my wallet in the street. To my surprise, some honest person found it and returned it to me.
They showed me all the products available. Honestly, I didn't like any of them.
They showed all available products. To be honest, I didn't like any of them.

Although for some of them other positions in the sentence are possible:

They showed me all the products available. I didn't like any of them, frankly.
They showed me all the products available. I didn't like any of them, to be honest.
They showed me all the products available. I frankly didn't like any of them.
They showed me all the products available. To be honest, I didn't like any of them.

Adverbs characterizing the degree of confidence

maybe, perhaps, probably, obviously, definitely, certainly, clearly

Maybe and perhaps are usually placed at the beginning of a sentence:

Maybe we'll go out to eat tonight.
Maybe we'll go out for dinner tonight.
Perhaps I should explain further.
Maybe I should explain later.

Other adverbs of this type usually stand in the middle:

We'll probably go out to eat tonight.
We'll probably go out for dinner tonight.
I should definitely explain further.
I should definitely explain later.
He clearly made a mistake.
He clearly made a mistake.
That's certainly not the case.
This is definitely not relevant.

Emphasizing adverbs

very, really, terribly, extremely, almost, quite, pretty

These words usually take a middle position immediately before the word they emphasize.

We're very tired.
We are very tired.
Their new house is really impression .
Their new house quite impressive.
He plays the piano extreme badly.
He plays the piano extremely badly.
This lesson is pretty easy to understand.
This lesson is pretty easy to learn.
The employees are terribly underpaid.
The workers are paid extremely low wages.
It's quite generous of you to let me stay at your house.
It's quite generous of you to let me stay in your house.
We almost got lost in the city.
We are practically lost in this city.

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Words too And enough refer to adverbs of degree. They can be used with an adjective, adverb, noun, and also with a verb.

adverb t oo denotes an excessive, excessive amount and is translated - too, very, extremely; enough denotes a sufficient amount and is translated - enough, enough. Consider the use too And enough with the parts of speech mentioned above.

Using too with different parts of speech

Example sentences with too

The case was too complicated, so the police didn't know who was guilty. The case was too complex, so the police did not know who was responsible. It's too late to apologize. You should have thought before doing that. It's too late to apologize. Should have thought before doing it.

Example sentences with too much, too many and too little

Example sentences c too much, too little

I know too little about this problem and cannot be of any help to you. I know too little about the problem and can't help. I think they will divorce. They quarrel too much. I think they are getting divorced. They fight too much.

Example sentences enough with adjectives and adverbs

I'm leaving. I've been waiting long enough. I'm leaving. I've waited long enough. I can take part in the race. My car is fast enough. I can race. My car is fast enough. The meeting finished successfully enough. The meeting went pretty well. They wrote the letter quickly enough and gave it to a postman. She wrote the letter quickly enough and gave it to the postman.

Example sentences enough with nouns

I got enough room in my wardrobe. I have enough space in my closet. Have you got enough money? Or shall I lend you? Do you have enough money? I can borrow. We don't need to stop for petrol. We've got enough (petrol) We don't have to stop to fill up. Enough (petrol).

Sentence examples

Common and distinctive features of too and enough

Adverbs too And enough in most cases obey the same rules use in a sentence. But there are also differences.
Combination rules must be observed too and enough with additions and remember two constructions: with a preposition and an infinitive

Sentence examples

The mountain is too dangerous to climb it. The mountain is too dangerous to climb. The letter of reminder is sent frequently enough for them to pay on time. The reminder letter is sent often enough for them to pay on time. The pause was too long for a detective to suspect something. The pause was too long for the detective to suspect something. The ambulance arrived quickly enough to give first aid. The ambulance arrived quickly enough to provide first aid.

Pretext of use after enough or too(in combination with much, many) ONLY if the noun behind it is not used on its own, but with a preceding determinant.

How often do we have to compare certain things, or people, or phenomena of the reality around us? It seems that we rarely resort to comparisons. In fact, it turns out that people constantly compare something with something, sometimes without noticing it. For example, a neighboring street may be wider, longer, and the house where friends live is larger, more comfortable, taller, more modern. The series of such comparisons can be continued indefinitely.

Everything is comparable

Everything that surrounds us has certain qualities, which means that it can be compared according to different criteria. The qualities of objects are denoted by adjectives, and the qualities of actions by adverbs. These parts of speech can be used in the form You can run fast and even faster, a dress can be expensive and even more expensive. IN English language this grammatical phenomenon regulates the descriptive use of the more/most rule.

How to say in English that one car is expensive, the second is more expensive, and the third is the most expensive in the cabin? In this situation, the words more/most come in handy. They are necessary to form the comparative and superlative forms for polysyllabic English adjectives, that is, those where there are two or more syllables: expensive, more expensive, the most expensive (expensive - more expensive - the most expensive).

When are comparative suffixes needed?

To understand the meaning of the words more, most, it is better to break the rule of their use into two parts. First, let's look at how a comparative degree is formed in English grammar, or, as linguists call it, a comparative.

Short, often monosyllabic, adjectives and adverbs form a comparative degree with the suffix -er: cheap/cheaper, hard/harder, large/larger, thin/thinner.

Some two-syllable adjectives, especially those ending in -y, also form a comparative with this suffix, for example: lucky/luckier, funny/funnier, easy/easier, and clever/clevere, simple/simpler.

Much or many for polysyllabic adjectives?

For longer adjectives and adverbs, the rules for using more come into play. The English use more (but not the suffix -er) when comparisons involve polysyllabic adjectives, for example: more modern, more expensive, more comfortable. The same applies to an adverb if it ends in -ly: more slowly, more seriously, more carefully. But every rule has exceptions that need to be learned by heart. English is spoken more often (but not oftener) and earlier (but not more early).

In general, the regulatory use of more/most rule for adjectives and adverbs in English grammar is not a difficult topic, it can be clearly illustrated by the example of the Russian language. For example, we say “faster/faster/more quickly/less quickly” or “expensive/more expensive/more expensive/less expensive”. In our language, the comparative degree can also be formed using suffixes or special words “more/less”.

The best or the best: how to say in English?

To form the superlative form more/most, the rule prescribes the use of the most with the obligatory definite article. As in the formation of a comparative degree, the word most is necessary for the formation of forms of polysyllabic adjectives: the most famous, the most difficult, the most boring. Short forms of adjectives and adverbs require the -est suffix: long/the longest, hot/the hottest, hard/the hardest.

The Russian language similarly forms superlatives with the help of suffixes or the words “most / most / least”, for example: dear / most expensive, great / greatest / greatest, difficult / most difficult.

How to express the concept of "a lot" in English?

Some difficulty causes beginners to learn English defining the use of much / many rule. After all, if in Russian they say “a lot of pencils” and “a lot of bread”, then when translating these phrases into English, one has to make a difficult choice. Both much and many are translated into Russian in the same way: “many”. Which one to choose for translation?

In order not to make a mistake, it is necessary to remember the division of nouns into countable and uncountable. What word to use - much, many - the rule dictates unequivocally: the first, if we are talking about objects that can be counted, and the second, if it is impossible to count by the piece. So, you can count pencils and loaves of bread, but bread combined with “a lot” cannot be counted. The same can be said about water, flour, oil, earth and other similar concepts in the collective sense: a lot of water - much, a lot of bottles of water - many. Moreover, after many, the noun must be in the plural form. The same nouns that follow much are used only in the singular.

Another important condition limits the use of much / many in speech in the meaning of “many”. These words are mainly used in interrogative and negative sentences:

• Have you spent a lot of money?
• Do you have a lot of friends?
• We didn't drink much water.
• They didn't eat many apples.

When translating these sentences into English, it is appropriate to use much or many.

Another thing is if you need to make an assertion:

• We've spent a lot of money.
• They drank a lot of water.

In this case, the English language expresses the concept of “a lot” in other words, and it is the same for countable and uncountable nouns: a lot (of), lots (of), plenty (of).

A table of examples will help to learn the use of much / many (rule).

What to say if there are too many ... rules?

Grammar rules are not created by people, they are created by the language itself. Grammar is not a set of instructions for negligent students, but the natural basis of the language. Therefore, if an English learner claims that there are too many rules, how can this be conveyed in English? This is where you need to look into a textbook or a grammar guide, where there will definitely be too many / too much expressions suitable for the situation.

The rule clarifies that you can use much / many in affirmative sentences, but only in this combination with the word too in the meaning of “too”. If the speaker emphasizes that there is too much of something, then this is a sufficient condition for choosing these words:

• There are too many rules in the English language.
• There was too much sugar in the tea.

When translating these sentences into English, we must remember that in the first noun “rules” is countable and stands in So, only the combination too many is possible. In the second, the noun “sugar”, uncountable, requires too much.

For beginners to learn English rules English grammar seem very difficult and even insurmountable. It will take enough time for the laws and traditions of another language to no longer raise the question “Why are they so?”. Usually teachers respond to this with the phrase: “So they (native speakers) speak.” You just need to get used to speaking and thinking according to the laws of another linguistic world.

English learners often have difficulty using many/much/more/alotof. The rule nevertheless clearly separates these expressions. Remember a few key points - and you will never get confused.

depending on the noun

All three expressions can be translated as "a lot, a large number." The difference lies in the grammatical meaning. Consider when to bet much/many/a lot of. The rule (table below) is:

• Many is used before countable nouns (things can be counted).

A large number of pens -manypens, a large number of plates -manyplates, many apples -manyapples.

• Much is used before uncountable nouns (anything that cannot be counted - liquids, gases, materials, abstract concepts, etc.)

Plenty of breadmuchbread, many tips -muchadvice, a lot of time -muchtime.

Do not confuse: manycupsofcoffee-muchcoffee (many cups of coffee - a lot of coffee),manyloavesofbread-muchbread (many loaves of bread - lots of bread). Here many refers to the portion, not the substance.

• A lot of is used before countable and uncountable nouns.

A lot ofsalt- a lot of saltpencils- a lot of pencils.

You can often hear the expression lots of. It is equivalent to a lot of but is used colloquially.

She has got a lot of books/She has got lots of books. - UherThere isa lot of(lots, weight) books.

The rules for using much/many/a lot of don't end there. The type of sentence in which these words are used also plays an important role.

Depending on the type of offer

• put in affirmative sentences;

There are a lot of oranges on the table. - Ontableliesa lot oforanges.

I have got a lot of relatives. - UmeThere isa lot ofrelatives.

• the construction is not typical for interrogative and negative sentences;

How many pens has she bought today? - How manypenssheTodaybought?

Thereisn'ttmuchmilkintherefrigerator. - There isn't much milk in the fridge.

• used in all types of offers;

There are many trees in the garden. - INgardengrowinga lot oftrees.

Are there many trees in the garden? - A lot ofwhetherVgardentrees?

There aren't many trees in the garden. - INgardenNotSoalreadyAnda lot of trees.

• the only acceptable option for formal style; in this case, a lot of is not used, for uncountable nouns it is also desirable to find synonymous constructions (for example, alargeamountof).

• used in interrogative and negative sentences;

Do you gain much knowledge at school? - Do you acquire a lot of knowledge at school?

• not typical for affirmative proposals- constructions are an exception toomuch,somuch(too much);

I usually drink a lot of lemonade. - UsuallyII drinka lot oflemonade.

Yesterday I drank too much lemonade. - I drank too much lemonade yesterday.

The question “How much…?” translates to "How much does it cost ...?" This is a stable expression, and after it, feel free to use countable and uncountable nouns.

How much are these gloves?- How much are these gloves?

Exercises

We've covered the main use cases for much/many/a lot of. The rule, the exercises for which you will now perform, is quite simple. It's time to consolidate the material covered. Insert the appropriate word in the sentence (options are possible).

1. Anna has got _ dresses. - Anna has many dresses.
2. It takes too -_ time. - It will take too long.
3. There is -_ apple juice in the fridge. You don't need to go to the supermarket. - There is a lot of apple juice in the fridge. You don't have to go to the store.
4. There isn't _ time left. - There is not much time left.
5. I have heard _ good news today. - I heard a lot of good news today.
6. I can't eat this dessert! You have put too _ sugar in it. - I can't eat this dessert! You put too much sugar in it.
7. There are too _ people here. Let's go to the garden! - There are too many people here. Let's go to the garden!
8. How _ are these scissors? - How much are these scissors?

1. many/a lot of;
2. much;
3. a lot of;
4. much;
5. a lot of;
6. much;
7. many;
8. much.

If you make a mistake, repeat the rule again. Now let's look at the usage of the word more.

More

Comparative degree of adverbs many/much conveyed by word more. It is used before countable and uncountable nouns.

There is much water in the saucepan. Youdon'tneedtoaddmorewater. - There is already a lot of water in the pan. You don't need to add water.

There aren't many pears on the table. You should have bought more pears. - OntableA littlepears. You should have bought more pears.

To emphasize the degree of comparison, pronouns many / much are added to more (for countable and uncountable nouns, respectively). This is no longer an adverb, but a pronoun! Is there a difference between many more/much more - a lot of expressions? The rule does not strictly separate them - from a grammatical point of view, they are interchangeable. But there is a slight shade in the lexical meaning. A lot of means "large quantity". Many more / much more translate as "much more", "much more".

Compare:

He managed to earn a lot of money. - He managed to earn a lot of money.

He earned much more money than he had planned. He made more money than he planned.

She waited many days for her letter to be delivered. She waited many days for her letter to be delivered.

They promised to deliver the letter in a week, but in fact she had to wait many more days. They promised to deliver the letter in a week, but in fact she had to wait much longer.

Substitute many more/much more/a lot of in the following sentences. The rule is simple - focus on countable and uncountable items. Context will help you choose the right shade of meaning.

1. There are _ CDs on the shelf. - There are a lot of CDs on the shelf.
2. She has got _ rings than her friend has. - She has a lot more rings than her friend.
3. He has bought _ milk than it was needed. He bought much more milk than required.
4. She had _ knowledge than we expected. Her knowledge far exceeded our expectations.

Now you know when to use many/much/more/a lot of. The rule can be reduced to two key points: consider the features of the noun and the type of sentence.

There are not so few adverbs in the English language: adverbs of place, time, measure and degree, mode of action. There are adverbs that give words additional semantic shades. And there are those that characterize the entire proposal as a whole. Let's not forget about adverbs that serve as interrogative words. We will not bypass adverbs that connect sentences. The classification is big. And think about the content of each group. It does not have one word, but several.

You can memorize many adverbs, it remains only to use them correctly. The question is: how to place them correctly within a sentence? Should we place it at the end of the sentence or at the very beginning? Or maybe its place after the verb? Which verb: main or auxiliary? In these subtleties of definition adverb places in an English sentence we will figure it out.

The place of the adverb in the English sentence: what and where do we put it?

Usually placed after verbs, but before , other adverbs or . For example:

I slept well this night. – I slept well at night.

The Spanish speak very fast. Spaniards speak very fast.

This task was incredibly difficult. This assignment was incredibly difficult.

This equipment is widely used. This equipment is used all over the place.

The place of adverbs in depends on the words that surround this adverb, and directly on its classification:

1. Adverbs of manner ( adverbs of manner) are placed before the main verb, after the auxiliary verb or at the end of the sentence.
   

   He opened the door quietly/He quietly opened the door. He quietly opened the door.

   She is greatly respected by other colleagues. She is highly respected by her colleagues.

2. Adverbs of degree ( adverbs of degree) will come before an adjective, adverb, or main verb, but after the auxiliary verb. These adverbs include - absolutely, completely, totally, very, quite, rather, etc.)
   

   She is e xtremely beautiful. - She is extremely beautiful.

   He came back rather late. He returned quite late.

   We almost finished this project. We are almost finished with this project.

   We didn't quite understand the way you behave. “We didn’t quite understand how you behaved.

3. Adverbs of frequency ( adverbs of frequency) is usually placed before the main verb, but after auxiliary ones, including to be. These are phrases like always, often, usually, rarely, seldom.
   

   I am always pleased to see you. - I'm always glad to see you.

   Megan often ask questions. Megan often asks questions.

   He has always been cruel to her. He has always been cruel to her.

4. If we are talking about adverbs of place and time ( adverbs of place and time), note that their usual location is at the end or beginning of a sentence. If adverbs of place and time occur simultaneously in a sentence, the adverb of place comes first. Some monosyllabic words soon, now, then) we put before the main verb or after the auxiliary (including to be).
   

   I will call you tomorrow. - I'll call you tomorrow.

   Yesterday she saw her children. She saw the children yesterday.

   There is a supermarket nearby.- There is a supermarket nearby.

   I will soon let you know whether I want to move or not. I will let you know soon if I want to move or not.

5. An adverb that defines the entire sentence as a whole is usually placed at the beginning or end of the sentence.
   

   unfortunately I failed to cope with this work. “Unfortunately, I didn't get the job done.

   I will be at work at 8 am, probably. I will probably be at work by eight in the morning.

6. If we want to emphasize the meaning of an adverb (make it emphatic, i.e. having an intensifying meaning), we place it at the beginning of the sentence.
   

   Tomorrow, I will be sixteen. Tomorrow I will be sixteen.

   Slowly, she began lowering my self-esteem. Slowly she began to lower my self-esteem.

7. Suppose there are two or more adverbs in a sentence. How do we proceed in this case? We arrange them according to the following scheme: adverb of action - adverb of place - adverb of time.
   

   She read carefully in her bed all day long. She lay in bed all day and read carefully.

   And if the sentence contains one of the verbs of motion ( go, come, leave, etc.)? In this case, we will arrange the adverbs as follows: adverb of place - adverb of manner of action - adverb of time.

   I was going there quickly yesterday. – I went quickly there yesterday.

As we can see, the positions of adverbs in English can be very different. At first it may seem that all these rules are insanely complex, and therefore it is difficult to remember them. But in practice, it turns out that by actively using the language, a person further determines the place of the adverb in the English sentence automatically.

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