She accidentally shot herself in the foot.
how something is done: sing beautifully, walk briskly
6.37 Many adverbs of manner are used to describe the way in which something is done. For example, in the sentence He did it carefully, carefully means in a careful way.
They think, dress and live differently.
He acted very clumsily.
You must be able to speak fluently and correctly.
6.38 Here is a list of common -ly adverbs that describe the way in which something is done:
abruptly
accurately
awkwardly
badly
beautifully
brightly
brilliantly
briskly
carefully
carelessly
casually
cheaply
clearly
closely
clumsily
comfortably
consistently
conveniently
correctly
dangerously
delicately
differently
discreetly
distinctly
dramatically
easily
economically
effectively
efficiently
evenly
explicitly
faintly
faithfully
fiercely
finely
firmly
fluently
formally
frankly
freely
gently
gracefully
hastily
heavily
honestly
hurriedly
intently
meticulously
neatly
nicely
oddly
patiently
peacefully
peculiarly
perfectly
plainly
pleasantly
politely
poorly
professionally
properly
quietly
rapidly
readily
richly
rigidly
roughly
ruthlessly
securely
sensibly
sharply
silently
simply
smoothly
softly
solidly
specifically
splendidly
steadily
steeply
stiffly
strangely
subtly
superbly
swiftly
systematically
tenderly
thickly
thinly
thoroughly
thoughtfully
tightly
truthfully
uncomfortably
urgently
vaguely
vigorously
violently
vividly
voluntarily
warmly
widely
willingly
wonderfully
feelings and manner: smile happily, walk wearily
6.39 Adverbs formed from adjectives that describe people’s feelings, for example happily or nervously, indicate both the way in which something is done and the feelings of the person who does it.
For example, the sentence She laughed happily means both that she laughed in a happy way and that she was feeling happy.
We laughed and chatted happily together.
Gaskell got up wearily and headed for the stairs.
They looked anxiously at each other.
The children waited eagerly for their presents.
The children smiled shyly.
6.40 Here is a list of adverbs that describe the feelings of the person who does something as well as the way in which it is done:
angrily
anxiously
bitterly
boldly
calmly
cheerfully
confidently
desperately
eagerly
excitedly
furiously
gladly
gloomily
gratefully
happily
helplessly
hopefully
hopelessly
impatiently
miserably
nervously
passionately
proudly
reluctantly
sadly
shyly
sincerely
uncomfortably
uneasily
unhappily
wearily
circumstances: talk privately, work part-time
6.41 Adverbs of manner can also indicate the circumstances in which something is done, rather than how it is done. For example, in the sentence He spoke to me privately, privately means when no one else was present rather than in a private way.
I need to speak to you privately.
He had publicly called for an investigation of the entire school system.
Britain and France jointly suggested a plan in 1954.
I have undertaken all the enquiries personally.
6.42 Here is a list of adverbs that are used to show the circumstances in which an action takes place:
accidentally
alone
artificially
automatically
bodily
collectively
commercially
deliberately
directly
duly
first-class
full-time
illegally
independently
indirectly
individually
innocently
instinctively
involuntarily
jointly
legally
logically
mechanically
naturally
officially
openly
overtly
part-time
personally
politically
privately
publicly
regardless
retail
scientifically
secretly
solo
specially
symbolically
wholesale
forms
6.43 Most adverbs of manner are formed from qualitative adjectives, for example stupidly from stupid, and angrily from angry. For more information about the forms of adverbs, see paragraph 6.17.
6.44 Instead of using an adverb of manner, you can sometimes use prepositional phrases or noun phrases to give more information about the manner or circumstances of an action.
‘Come here’, he said in a low voice.
I know I have to do it this way.
In some cases you may have to do this, because there is no adverb. See paragraph 6.23.
Adverbs of degree
6.45 When you want to give more information about the extent of an action or the degree to which an action is performed, you often use an adverb of degree.
I enjoyed the course immensely.
I had almost forgotten about the trip.
A change of one word can radically alter the meaning of a statement.
6.46 Here is a list of adverbs of degree:
absolutely
adequately
almost
altogether
amazingly
awfully
badly
completely
considerably
dearly
deeply
drastically
dreadfully
enormously
entirely
exceedingly
excessively
extensively
extraordinarily
extremely
fairly
fantastically
fully
greatly
half
hard
hugely
immensely
incredibly
intensely
just
largely
moderately
nearly
noticeably
outright
partly
perfectly
poorly
positively
powerfully
practically
pretty
profoundly
purely