Adverb of Manner

An adjective versus an adverb for manner

AN ADJECTIVE AN ADVERB OF MANNER
Use an adjective to modify the quality or character of a noun. Use an adverb to modify how a person performs an action or activity.
He is an excellent tennis player. He plays tennis excellently.
He is a graceful athlete. He moves gracefully.
He is a smart player. He can easily outsmart his opponent.
He is a defensive player. He will play defensively in tomorrow's game.
He is a professional athlete. He appears professionally at fundraisers.

appear – take part in a public event (dynamic verb)

He is an expert player.
He plays expertly.
*He appears expertly. appear – seem (stative verb).

Adverbs for Manner 2 (Placement)
Telling how something is done

Adverbs for Manner – Placement

MODIFYING A VERB MODIFYING AN ADJECTIVE MODIFYING A SENTENCE
An adverb for manner is usually placed after the verb. It tells us how the action or activity was performed. An adverb for manner is placed before an adjective. It modifies the quality or character of the adjective. An adverb for manner can be placed before a sentence with a comma. It expresses the attitude of the writer or speaker regarding the clause it introduces. (See clause adverbs debate.)

He moved silently.
He was purposefully silent.
Quietly, he turned the dial on the safe.

He listened closely. He was sadly mistaken. * Silently, the police surrounded the bank.

He spoke softly. He was regretfully wrong. Illegally, he broke into the safe and took the money.

He worked quickly.
He is extraordinarily good at safe-cracking. Fortunately, he was acting the scene for a movie.

safe (n.) – a strong metal box where valuable things such as money and jewelry can be locked away.

dial (n.) – the round mechanism that one turns to enter numbers. (Now, a keypad is usually used.)

*sadly mistaken (expression) – an idea based on an incorrect understanding
safe-cracking (n.) – to open a safe illegally and steal the things inside it.