Verb vs Adverb
Verb and Adverb show multiple differences between them as they are two different parts of speech. In the English language, all the words in the language are divided into eight different categories as noun, verb, pronoun, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. Verb and adverb, as parts of speech, should be understood with the difference between them. Verb and adverb, each does two different tasks in the language. A verb speaks about an action. In the meantime, adverb modifies the verb. As you can see, the task of each category is different, which makes it necessary for us to understand each term clearly, if we are to understand the difference between verb and adverb without any doubt.
What is a Verb?
A verb is a part of speech that denotes action. In a sentence, usually a verb talks about the action the subject performs. A verb can express a physical action, a mental action, as well as a state of being. Let us understand these uses with some examples.
She ran to the store.
They ate some bread with cheese.
Maria thought about the pros and cons of the situation.
They consider your arrival a disgrace to the family.
She was happy.
Rover is the best dog in the whole county.
The above sentences are a mix of physical actions, mental actions, and state of being. The verbs in the first two sentences ran and ate are examples for physical action. These are actions that we do using our physical body. These verbs are the easiest to spot. Then, in the third and fourth sentences, we have the verbs thought and consider. Thought and consider are examples for mental action. These are actions that we perform using our mind. If is not visible as running to the store. Then, we have the verbs was and is in the fifth and sixth sentences. Was and is are examples for state of being. These words describe the status of a person at the time of speaking. These state of being verbs are the hardest to spot though they are the ones that are used the most.
‘They ate some bread with cheese’
What is an Adverb?
On the other hand, adverb is a part of speech that describes the verb. It is very important to know about the position of adverb in English grammar. Look at the two sentences given below.
Anthony comes fast.
Angela sings beautifully.
In both the sentences, you can see that the words ‘fast’ and ‘beautifully’ are used as adverbs describing the verbs, namely, ‘comes’ and ‘sings’ respectively. In both the cases, you can find that the adverbs describe the verbs. This is the primary duty of adverbs. It is interesting to note that adverbs primarily end with the letter ‘y.’ Of course, it is a general rule. However, there are a number of adverbs in the English language that do not end with the letter ‘y.’
The adverbs that end with the letter ‘y’ are faithfully, beautifully, swiftly, carefully, and the like. Adverbs like fast, good, slow, now and the like of course do not end with the letter ‘y.’ This is an important observation to make in the study of an adverb.
‘Angela sings beautifully’
There is another interesting fact about adverbs. Though adverbs primarily modify verbs, adverbs also modify adjectives and other adverbs in sentences. Look at the following examples.
Her stepsister Samantha is horridly ugly.
She completed the test remarkably well for a new comer.
In the first sentence, the word ugly is the adjective that describes the noun Samantha. The word horridly that modifies this adjective by intensifying its meaning is an adverb. So, here, the adverb horridly modifies an adjective. In the second sentence, the world well is the adverb that modifies the verb complete. The word remarkably intensifies the meaning of the adverb well. Remarkably is an adverb. So, in this example, the adverb remarkably modifies another adverb, which is well.
There are types of adverbs too. They are adverbs of time, adverbs of place, adverbs of degree and adverbs of manner. Adverbs of time talk about the time factor related to the verb. Some examples for adverbs of time are now, never, often, etc. Adverbs of place speak about the venue related to the verb. Some examples are here, there, everywhere, etc. Adverbs of degree speak about the extent to which some action was done. Partly, almost and fully are some such examples. Adverbs of manner tell in what way an action was performed. Slowly, fast, deliberately are some examples for that.
What is the difference between Verb and Adverb?
• Definition of Verb and Adverb:
• Verb is a word that speaks about an action.
• Adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, and another adverb.
• Types:
• There are verbs that talk about physical actions, mental actions and state of being.
• There are adverbs of time, adverbs of place, adverbs of manner and adverbs of degree.
• Identifying:
• Identifying a verb is easy as the subject always refer to the verb.
• Identifying an adverb when it modifies an adjective or another adverb can be hard.
These are the important differences between the two important parts of speech called the verb and the adverb.
Images Courtesy:
- Bacon, scrambled eggs and swiss cheese on rye by John Verive (CC BY-SA 2.0)
- “1047531” (CC0) via Pixabay