Anonymous wrote:Heck, most adults do not know what an adverb is. And, many cannot use them correctly.
Have you ever asked someone, “How are you?” And their response is “Good.”
Nope. “Good" is generally an adjective. “Well” would be the correct response, as in “I am doing well.” “Well” is an adverb.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Is this a joke? I teach English grammar for a living and have taught at every level. Many college students couldn't tell you what an adverb is. It is appropriate instruction in the upper elementary grades at the earliest, but these days if it's taught at all it's taught in high school. A second grader does not need to know what an adverb is. They might not even be using them when they speak.
Almost every second grader I know uses words like "fast" and "slow" or "when" and "where". They don't know that they're adverbs, but they can use them correctly.
Anonymous wrote:I'm about to reveal my ignorance (thank goodness this is an anonymous forum!) but isn't an adverb basically just a word that describes the verb in a sentence? As in -- the verb is what was done, and the adverb is how it was done or another quality about it? That is what I remember being taught, as well as the hint that adverbs often ended in -ly. If that's true, it doesn't seem too far-fetched to think a 2nd grader could learn a basic definition. I.E. The boy ran quickly - boy= subject, ran=verb, quickly=adverb. No?
Anonymous wrote:Is this a joke? I teach English grammar for a living and have taught at every level. Many college students couldn't tell you what an adverb is. It is appropriate instruction in the upper elementary grades at the earliest, but these days if it's taught at all it's taught in high school. A second grader does not need to know what an adverb is. They might not even be using them when they speak.

Anonymous wrote:4th grade MCPS kid did not know this. I just asked.