Adverbs

The point

An adverb describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb: quickly, very, well. Well describes how someone does something. Good describes a noun.

Form and use

An adverb adds detail to a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. This unit covers manner, place, time, frequency, and degree. Manner says how: slowly, carefully, well. Place says where: here, there, outside. Time says when: now, today, soon. Frequency says how often: always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never. Degree says how much: very, too, quite, almost.

Many manner adverbs add -ly to an adjective. Slow becomes slowly. Careful becomes carefully. Quiet becomes quietly. If the adjective ends in y, change y to i: easy becomes easily, and happy becomes happily. Some common adverbs do not use -ly. well fast hard She sings well. She runs fast. She studies hard. Fast and hard look like their adjectives. Well does not look like good. Hardly is a different word and means almost not. Do not use hardly when you mean with effort.

Good is an adjective. Well is the adverb of manner. She is a good cook. She cooks well. She cooks good is wrong. After be, good describes a person or a thing: The soup is good. Well after be often means healthy: She is well today. That use is not the manner adverb.

Very stands before an adjective or another adverb. The exam is very long. She speaks very slowly. The exam is late very and a very exam are wrong. Too means more than you want: too late. Quite and almost also stand before the adjective: quite ready, almost ready. Place, manner, and time often follow the verb: She worked quietly here yesterday. Frequency usually comes before the main verb: She often works late. With be, it follows be: She is often late.

Don't translate it like this

Well describes the verb speaks. Good would describe a noun.

Short examples