Adverbs

An adverb describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb. In MPSC papers it is almost always tested through where the adverb sits.

1. Adverbs of frequency (always, never, often, usually, rarely, seldom) go before the main verb but after "be": "He always comes late", but "He is always late". With a helping verb they slot in the middle: "He has never failed."
2. Adjective-looking adverbs whose -ly form means something else. hard = with effort, hardly = almost not; late = not on time, lately = recently; near = close, nearly = almost. "He worked hardly" says the opposite of what the writer meant.
3. Only, even, also. These attach to whatever follows them, so moving them moves the meaning: "Only he spoke to me" ≠ "He spoke only to me". Put the word immediately before what it limits.
4. Too, very, enough. enough follows the adjective ("good enough") but precedes a noun ("enough time"); too means excessively and always carries a bad consequence, so it is not a substitute for very.

The single most common mistake is separating the verb from its object — "I like very much English", "He speaks well English" — because Marathi and Hindi place the modifier before the verb (मला इंग्रजी खूप आवडते). English will not allow anything between a verb and its object. How to spot it: find the verb, find its object, and check that they are touching; the adverb moves to the end — "I like English very much", "He speaks English well".

Frequency adverb: before the main verb, after "be" · never split verb + object → "I like English very much" · hard/hardly, late/lately, near/nearly differ in meaning · only sits just before what it limits · enough after an adjective, before a noun

Improve the sentence: "She speaks very fluently English in the office." → The verb "speaks" and its object "English" have been pulled apart. Move the adverb phrase behind the object: "She speaks English very fluently in the office." Sanity check: read verb and object together — "speaks English" — and the sentence is stable; then hang the adverb, and finally the place phrase, on the end.