KINDS OF ADVERBS

INTERROGATIVE ADVERBS

These are:

why, where, how, when

They are usually placed at the beginning of a question.

Examples:

·        Why are you so late?

·        Where is my passport?

·        How are you?

·        How much is that coat?

·        When does the train arrive?

Notice that how can be used in four different ways:

1. meaning 'in what way?':
How did you make this sauce?
How do you start the car?

2. with adjectives:
How tall are you?
How old is your house?

3. with much and many:
How much are these tomatoes?
How many people are coming to the party?

4. with other adverbs:
How quickly can you read this?
How often do you go to London?

RELATIVE ADVERBS

The following adverbs can be used to join sentences or clauses. They replace the more formal structure of preposition + which in a relative clause:

where, when, why

Examples:

·        That's the restaurant where we met for the first time.
(where = at/in which)

·        I remember the day when we first met.
(when = on which)

·        There was a very hot summer the year when he was born.
(when = in which)

·        Tell me (the reason) why you were late home.
(why = for which, but could replace the whole phrase 'the reason for which')

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