Intermediate adverbs. 45 questions on adverb position, degree adverbs, and adverb vs adjective errors.
What this test covers
- Adverb Position
- Degree Adverbs
- Adverb vs Adjective
Answer the 45 questions below. Each answer is checked straight away, with an explanation. Press Submit at the end to get your score and save it to your dashboard. Answers are not kept if you leave before submitting.
All 45 questions with answers
Pick an answer for each question to see if you are right, with the explanation. Submit when you are done; you can submit before answering them all.
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Q1She ___ late for work.
Answer: C. is usually
In English, adverbs of frequency like 'usually' are placed after the verb 'to be' but before other main verbs. Therefore, 'is usually' is the correct word order. The option 'usually is' would only be used for special emphasis, which isn't required here.
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Q2They ___ in the library.
Answer: A. did their homework quickly
Adverbs of manner like 'quickly' follow the direct object ('their homework'). You should avoid placing the adverb between the verb and its object, as in 'did quickly their homework.' Note that 'quick' is an adjective and cannot modify the verb 'did' in standard grammar, and 'quickly done their homework' uses the wrong verb form 'done' instead of the simple past 'did'.
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Q3___, he decided to leave the party early.
Answer: B. Suddenly
'Suddenly' is a sentence adverb used to modify the entire clause, often appearing at the beginning to set the tone. Adjectives like 'Quick,' 'Fast,' or 'Sudden' cannot be used this way because they modify nouns, not whole actions or sentences.
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Q4We ___ to the cinema on Fridays.
Answer: C. often go
Adverbs of frequency are typically placed before the main verb in the simple present tense. The phrase 'on Fridays' indicates a habitual action, making 'often go' the most natural choice. 'Go often' is less common in modern English unless followed by more information.
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Q5He speaks English ___.
Answer: A. very well
The adverb 'well' is used to describe how an action is performed ('speaks'). 'Good' is an adjective and should only modify nouns. 'Very' is a degree adverb that correctly precedes 'well.' Note that 'goodly' is not a standard adverb in modern English.
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Q6I have ___ finished the report.
Answer: C. already
In the present perfect tense, 'already' is usually placed in the mid-position between the auxiliary ('have') and the past participle ('finished') to show an action was completed sooner than expected. 'Yet' usually appears at the end of negative sentences or questions.
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Q7He drives his car ___.
Answer: A. carefully
To describe how someone drives, we need an adverb of manner. 'Carefully' is the adverbial form of the adjective 'careful.' Adverbs of manner typically follow the direct object ('his car'). Using the adjective 'careful' here is a common error; adjectives modify nouns, not verbs.
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Q8She ___ plays the piano.
Answer: D. beautifully
The verb 'plays' requires an adverb to describe the quality of the action. 'Beautifully' is the correct adverbial form. 'Beautiful,' 'nice,' and 'good' are adjectives used to describe nouns; the adverbial equivalent for 'good' would be 'well'.
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Q9They ___ arrived at the station.
Answer: D. have just
Mid-position adverbs like 'just' are placed between the auxiliary verb ('have') and the main verb ('arrived') in the present perfect tense. This indicates the action happened a very short time ago. 'Ever' is used in questions and negative sentences, not in affirmative statements like this one.
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Q10___, I think we should go home.
Answer: C. Honestly
'Honestly' acts as a sentence adverb here, expressing the speaker's sincere attitude toward the entire statement. 'Honest' is an adjective, 'honesty' is a noun, and 'honestily' is an incorrect spelling.
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Q11He ___ reads in bed.
Answer: C. hardly ever
'Hardly ever' is a frequency adverbial phrase meaning 'almost never.' Because 'hardly' already has a negative sense, we do not add 'not.' The order 'ever hardly' is incorrect.
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Q12Please put the box ___.
Answer: A. carefully
An adverb of manner is needed to describe how to perform the action 'put.' 'Carefully' is the standard adverb form. 'Careful' is an adjective, while 'caringly' describes an action done with affection, which does not fit the context of handling a box.
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Q13She ___ her keys.
Answer: B. almost lost
Adverbs of degree like 'almost' are placed in the mid-position, immediately before the main verb ('lost'). Adverbs like 'almostly' or 'lostly' do not exist in English.
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Q14They ___ to the park on Sundays.
Answer: D. always walk
In the simple present, the frequency adverb 'always' comes before the main verb 'walk.' The option 'are always walk' is grammatically incorrect because 'walk' is not in the -ing form, and 'walk always' uses incorrect word order.
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Q15I ___ understand what you mean.
Answer: C. fully
To modify the verb 'understand,' we use the adverb 'fully.' 'Full' is an adjective, while 'fuller' and 'fullest' are comparative and superlative adjectives, which are not used to modify verbs in this way.
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Q16The water was ___ cold.
Answer: D. extremely
'Extremely' is an adverb of degree used to intensify the adjective 'cold.' In English, degree adverbs usually precede the adjective they modify. 'Extreme' is an adjective, and 'extremly' is a spelling mistake.
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Q17It is ___ impossible to finish this today.
Answer: C. absolutely
'Impossible' is a non-gradable (limit) adjective. We use adverbs like 'absolutely' or 'completely' with these. 'Very' is used with gradable adjectives (like 'difficult'). 'Absolutly' is a misspelling, and 'absolute' is an adjective.
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Q18The film was ___ interesting.
Answer: D. quite
'Quite' is a degree adverb meaning 'fairly' or 'to a certain extent.' It is often confused with 'quiet' (an adjective meaning silent), 'quit' (a verb meaning to stop), or 'quietly' (an adverb of manner).
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Q19He was ___ exhausted after the long flight.
Answer: D. absolutely
'Exhausted' is an extreme (non-gradable) adjective meaning 'very tired.' We use 'absolutely' to intensify such words. 'Very,' 'too,' and 'fairly' are typically reserved for gradable adjectives like 'tired' or 'hungry'.
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Q20The answer is ___ correct.
Answer: D. completely
The adverb 'completely' modifies the adjective 'correct.' 'Complete' is an adjective, 'completest' is a superlative form, and 'completing' is a present participle; none of these can modify an adjective.
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Q21The exam was ___ difficult that I couldn't finish it.
Answer: C. so
The 'so + adjective + that' construction is used to express a result or degree. While 'very' or 'quite' can modify 'difficult,' they do not link to the 'that' clause. 'Too' is usually followed by an infinitive (e.g., 'too difficult to finish').
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Q22I am ___ hungry.
Answer: C. slightly
'Slightly' is the adverb form required to modify the adjective 'hungry.' 'Slight' is an adjective, 'slightness' is a noun, and 'slightingly' describes speaking about someone without respect.
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Q23The instructions were ___ confusing.
Answer: B. fairly
'Fairly' is an adverb of degree used to modify the adjective 'confusing.' 'Fair' is an adjective, 'fairness' is a noun, and 'fairlyly' is not a real word.
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Q24She was ___ disappointed by the result — far more than she had anticipated.
Answer: B. rather
The context 'far more than she had anticipated' makes clear that she felt significant disappointment, which rules out 'hardly' (meaning 'barely') and 'nearly' (meaning 'almost'). 'Rather' is a degree adverb meaning 'to a significant extent,' which fits this context. 'Rarely' is a frequency adverb meaning 'seldom' and cannot modify an adjective here.
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Q25The train was ___ late.
Answer: C. very
'Late' is a gradable adjective, meaning it can happen in degrees. We use 'very' to intensify it. 'Totally,' 'entirely,' and 'absolutely' are usually paired with non-gradable (extreme) adjectives like 'finished' or 'empty'.
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Q26That is ___ true.
Answer: D. entirely
We use the adverb 'entirely' to modify the adjective 'true.' 'Entire' is an adjective, and forms like 'entires' or 'entirer' are grammatically incorrect in English.
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Q27I am ___ sure about the time.
Answer: B. not quite
'Quite' is a degree adverb meaning 'completely' or 'fairly.' The phrase 'not quite' means 'almost' or 'not entirely.' Be careful not to confuse 'quite' with 'quiet' (the opposite of loud) or 'quit' (to stop).
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Q28He is ___ tall for his age.
Answer: B. fairly
'Fairly' is the adverb of degree used to modify the adjective 'tall.' 'Fair' is an adjective, 'fairness' is a noun, and 'fairlyly' is a non-existent form.
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Q29The room is ___ clean.
Answer: C. very
'Clean' is a gradable adjective, so it is intensified by the adverb 'very.' 'Total,' 'complete,' and 'absolute' are adjectives and cannot modify another adjective; they would need to be in adverb form ('totally,' 'completely,' 'absolutely').
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Q30It is ___ hot to go outside.
Answer: D. too
In this context, 'too' is used before an adjective to indicate an excessive degree that prevents an action from happening. While 'very' or 'quite' also show high degree, they do not imply a negative consequence like 'too' does.
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Q31She sings very ___.
Answer: A. well
'Well' is the adverbial form of the adjective 'good.' It is used here to modify the verb 'sings.' Adjectives like 'good' should only modify nouns, not verbs.
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Q32He works very ___.
Answer: D. hard
'Hard' can be both an adjective and an adverb. Here, it is an adverb of manner meaning 'with a lot of effort.' Do not confuse it with 'hardly,' which is an adverb meaning 'almost not'.
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Q33I have ___ seen him this week.
Answer: B. hardly
'Hardly' is an adverb meaning 'almost not.' In the mid-position of a present perfect sentence, it indicates the action has rarely happened. 'Hard' is an adverb of manner meaning 'with effort,' which does not fit here.
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Q34She arrived ___ for the meeting.
Answer: C. late
In this sentence, 'late' is an adverb of time modifying 'arrived.' 'Lately' is also an adverb, but it means 'recently' and refers to a period of time, not a specific point of being behind schedule.
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Q35Have you seen him ___?
Answer: B. lately
'Lately' is an adverb of time meaning 'recently.' It is very common in questions or negative statements using the present perfect tense. 'Late' refers to being behind schedule.
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Q36The school is ___ here.
Answer: A. near
'Near' is an adverb of place meaning 'at a short distance.' 'Nearly' is an adverb of degree meaning 'almost.' You would use 'nearly' to say 'I have nearly finished,' but 'near' to describe physical location.
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Q37I have ___ finished my work.
Answer: A. nearly
'Nearly' is an adverb of degree meaning 'almost.' It indicates that the action of finishing is very close to completion. 'Near' refers to physical distance and cannot modify 'finished' in this sense.
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Q38The bird flew very ___.
Answer: B. high
When referring to physical distance or altitude, 'high' is used as both an adjective and an adverb. 'Highly' is a degree adverb meaning 'very much' or 'to a high standard,' often used with verbs like 'recommend' or 'respect'.
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Q39He is ___ respected in his field.
Answer: C. highly
'Highly' is an adverb of degree used to mean 'very much' or 'extremely.' It is commonly used with past participles such as 'respected,' 'regarded,' or 'recommended.' 'High' refers to physical height.
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Q40He did ___ on the test.
Answer: D. well
'Well' is the adverb form of 'good' and modifies the verb 'did.' Using 'good' as an adverb is a common informal mistake, but 'well' is required in standard English. 'Goodly' and 'betterly' are not standard English adverbs.
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Q41She is a ___ worker.
Answer: A. hard
In this sentence, 'hard' is an adjective modifying the noun 'worker.' 'Hardly' is an adverb meaning 'almost not,' so it would incorrectly suggest she almost never works.
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Q42He was exhausted; ___, he decided to keep working.
Answer: D. However
'However' is a transition word (like 'however' or 'therefore') used to show contrast. It indicates that despite the first clause (being exhausted), the second clause happened. 'Therefore' and 'Consequently' show a result, and 'Moreover' adds similar information.
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Q43The weather was bad; ___, we went for a walk.
Answer: B. nevertheless
'Nevertheless' is a transition word (like 'however' or 'therefore') that shows contrast. It means 'despite what has just been said.' Using 'therefore' would imply they walked because the weather was bad, which is usually not the case.
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Q44She finished the task ___.
Answer: C. hurriedly
We need an adverb of manner to describe how she 'finished' the task. 'Hurriedly' is the correct adverbial form. 'Hurried' is an adjective, and 'hurry' is a noun or verb.
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Q45He speaks ___.
Answer: A. loudly
'Loudly' is the adverb of manner used to describe the verb 'speaks.' 'Loudness' is a noun, 'louden' is a verb, and 'loudest' is a superlative adjective.
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