Non-Adverbs That End in -LY
Most of us, when we think of -ly words, think of adverbs. It’s common, after all, to transform an adjective into an adverb by adding -ly:
happy
sad
stupid
magic
amazing
vivid
sharp, etc.
happily
sadly
stupidly
magically
amazingly
vividly
sharply, etc.
But it’s a mistake to associate -ly words with adverbs all the time. First, too many adverbs don’t end in ly:
- well
- very
- often
- tomorrow
- never
- soon, etc.
Why does this matter?
I’m not sure it matters much at all, frankly, but it argues once again for teaching grammar and conventions thoroughly, rather than just shortcuts. Equating adverbs with -ly words is likely to cause confusion when students encounter adverbs that don’t end in -ly or -ly words that do not function as adverbs.
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Your comments, as always, are welcome. Leave them in the Reply section below.
According to Cambridge dictionary, hourly and yearly could be both an adjective and an adverb.
So do you not agree with Brian Clearly’s words are categorical series?
Not to be overly picky, but your sentence asking for comments should say “Your comments, as always, are welcome”.
Corrected. Thank you.