Identifying Adverbs Worksheets
An adverb is a word that describes a verb. It answers questions like how, when, where, and how often. Third graders learn to tell adverbs apart from adjectives: adjectives describe nouns, adverbs describe actions. In "The choir sang softly," the adverb "softly" tells how the choir sang.
By grade
What students need to know
An adverb tells how, when, or where something happens.
This skill runs from 2nd grade through 4th grade. Pick a grade above for level-matched sentences, teaching notes, and worksheets.
Identifying Adverbs across the grades
2nd Grade
An adverb is a word that tells how, when, or where something happens. In 2nd grade, students learn to spot the adverb that describes the action in a sentence, like "quickly" in "The rabbit hopped quickly." Many adverbs end in -ly, but plenty don't.
3rd Grade
An adverb is a word that describes a verb. It answers questions like how, when, where, and how often. Third graders learn to tell adverbs apart from adjectives: adjectives describe nouns, adverbs describe actions. In "The choir sang softly," the adverb "softly" tells how the choir sang.
4th Grade
An adverb describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. By 4th grade, students find adverbs anywhere in a sentence, including openers like "Suddenly" or "Yesterday." They also learn that -ly endings can trick you: "lovely" is an adjective, while "fast" can be an adverb with no -ly at all.