Adverbs: An Amazingly Versatile Part of Speech

For this workout we return to chapter 5, on grammar—specifically, paragraphs 5.161–77, which cover adverbs. Adverbs are not only amazingly versatile; they’re also incredibly useful. Find out how useful by taking this quiz.

(Hint: The words specifically, amazingly, and incredibly in the previous paragraph are all adverbs, but they’re not the only ones.)

Subscribers to The Chicago Manual of Style Online may click through to the linked sections of the Manual (cited in the answers). (We also offer a 30-day free trial of CMOS Online.)

Note: Style guides and dictionaries sometimes disagree. This quiz is designed to test your knowledge of The Chicago Manual of Style.

Now updated to refer and link to the 18th edition.

Chicago Style Workout 51: Adverbs

1. An adverb can modify only an adjective, a verb, or another adverb.

True

False

2. “Hopefully, this will all be over soon.” In that sentence the word “hopefully” functions as

a sentence adverb

an adverb that modifies the verb “will”

3. Many adverbs are formed by adding ‑ly or ‑ally to

an adjective

another adverb

4. All words ending in ‑ly are adverbs.

True

False

5. The word “clockwise” is an example of an adverb formed by adding a suffix to

a noun

an adjective

6. Many adverbs do not end in ‑ly or any other suffix.

True

False

7. When the adjectives “fast” and “slow” are used adverbially (as in drive fast or go slow), they are called _____ adverbs.

false

flat

8. Adverbs don’t generally modify linking verbs. For example, to say that you are unwell or unhappy, you would write “I feel bad,” not “I feel badly.”

True

False

9. An adverb should never be placed between an auxiliary verb and the principal (or main) verb. For example, you should write “public opinion is divided sharply,” not “public opinion is sharply divided.”

True

False

10. A split infinitive should always be corrected by moving the adverb so that it precedes or follows the verb phrase.

True

False

 Loading...

 

Top image: Go Slow, by Peter O’Connor. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Modified for post.

Ready for another quiz? Click here for the full list.

Please see our commenting policy.