Everyday Grammar: Beating Problems with Adverbs

For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar.
这是VOA英语学习节目，这是日常语法栏目。

This week, we're going to talk about some common problems with adverbs.
本周，我们将讨论一些常见的副词问题。

Basically, adverbs are words that describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
基本上，副词是描述动词、形容词和其他副词的词语。

For example, "I ran quickly to the store." The adverb quickly describes the verb run.
例如，“我迅速跑到商店。” 副词“迅速”描述了动词“跑”。

What is an adverb?
什么是副词？

If a word is not easy to classify as a noun, verb, or adjective, it is probably an adverb.
如果一个词不容易归类为名词、动词或形容词，它很可能是副词。

Some of the most common words in English are adverbs, including up, so, just, then, how, now, also, here, and more.
英语中最常见的一些词是副词，包括up、so、just、then、how、now、also、here等。

Adverbs usually describe verbs.
副词通常描述动词。

They express when, how, where, and why an action is done.
它们表达一个动作何时、如何、在哪里以及为什么发生。

Many adverbs are easy to find because they have the –ly ending, such as quickly, surely, and certainly.
许多副词很容易识别，因为它们有–ly结尾，例如quickly, surely, 和 certainly。

However, many adverbs do not have the –ly ending.
然而，许多副词并没有–ly结尾。

Adverbs can also describe adjectives.
副词也可以描述形容词。

For example, "It is really cold today." In this example, really is an adverb that describes the adjective cold.
例如，“今天真的很冷。” 在这个例子中，really 是描述形容词 cold 的副词。

Adverbs can describe other adverbs.
副词还可以描述其他副词。

For example, "I will probably never go back." Here, the adverb probably describes the adverb never.
例如，“我可能永远不会回去了。” 这里，副词 probably 描述了副词 never。

Where do you put the adverb?
副词应该放在哪里？

Where do adverbs go in a sentence?
副词在句子中应该放在哪里？

Well, it depends.
嗯，这取决于情况。

Some adverbs can go almost anywhere in a sentence.
有些副词几乎可以放在句子的任何地方。

Let us look at the adverb sometimes.
让我们看看副词 sometimes。

It can go at the beginning of the sentence as in, "Sometimes, I walk to work."
它可以放在句子的开头，例如“有时我步行去上班。”

It can go after the subject: "I sometimes walk to work."
它可以放在主语之后：“我有时步行去上班。”

Or it can go at the end of the sentence: "I walk to work sometimes."
或者它可以放在句子的结尾：“我有时步行去上班。”

Other adverbs can only go in the middle of a sentence.
其他副词只能放在句子中间。

The adverb probably is an example.
副词 probably 就是一个例子。

"She will probably leave early."
“她可能会早走。”

It is incorrect to say, "Probably she will leave early" or "She will leave early probably."
说“Probably she will leave early”或“She will leave early probably”是不正确的。

Other such adverbs are never, rarely, seldom, and always.
其他类似的副词还有 never, rarely, seldom, 和 always。

These are called mid-sentence adverbs.
这些被称为句中副词。

They usually go between the subject and the main verb.
它们通常放在主语和主要动词之间。

Different types of adverbs have different sentence positions.
不同类型的副词在句子中的位置不同。

What's the difference between adverbs and adjectives?
副词和形容词有什么区别？

Adjectives describe nouns, while adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
形容词描述名词，而副词描述动词、形容词和其他副词。

Take the sentence, "She is careful."
以句子“She is careful”为例。

The adjective careful is describing the noun she.
形容词 careful 描述的是名词 she。

But if you said, "She walks carefully," the adverb carefully is describing the verb walk.
但如果你说“She walks carefully”，副词 carefully 描述的是动词 walk。

Do you think this is hard? Hardly!
你认为这很难吗？一点也不难！

Native speakers sometimes confuse adverbs and adjectives.
母语者有时会混淆副词和形容词。

The words hard and hardly are especially difficult.
hard 和 hardly 这两个词尤其难以区分。

Hard is both an adjective and an adverb.
hard 既是形容词也是副词。

You can say "The bed was hard," using the adjective, which means it is "very firm."
你可以说“The bed was hard”，使用的是形容词，意思是“非常坚硬”。

You can also say, "I worked hard," using the adverb, which means "with a lot of effort."
你也可以说“I worked hard”，使用的是副词，意思是“努力地工作”。

Hardly is an adverb.
hardly 是一个副词。

A long time ago, it meant "in a hard manner," but its meaning has changed.
很久以前，它的意思是“以艰难的方式”，但它的意思已经改变了。

People used to say "not hardly.” Over time, the word “not” disappeared.
过去人们会说“not hardly”。随着时间的推移，“not”这个词消失了。

Since the 1500s, hardly has meant "almost not" or "barely."
自16世纪以来，hardly 的意思是“几乎不”或“勉强”。

For example, "I hardly had time to finish the project."
例如，“我几乎没有时间完成这个项目。”

This conflicting meaning of hard and hardly has become the basis for jokes.
hard 和 hardly 之间的矛盾含义已经成为笑话的基础。

Listen to cartoon character Homer Simpson playing with the confusion between hard and hardly.
听听卡通角色荷马·辛普森如何玩弄 hard 和 hardly 之间的混淆。

In the scene, Homer's co-workers are replaced with robots.
在这一幕中，荷马的同事被机器人取代。

"So you guys are my new co-workers. So working hard or hardly working? (laugh)."
“所以你们是我的新同事。那是努力工作还是几乎不工作？（笑）”

"I said, ‘Working hard or hardly working?' ‘Working hard or hardly working? WORKING HARD OR HARDLY WORKING?' IT'S A SIMPLE QUESTION!"
“我说，‘努力工作还是几乎不工作？’ ‘努力工作还是几乎不工作？’ ‘努力工作还是几乎不工作？’ 这是个简单的问题！”

Homer is asking the robots if they are working hard (working with energy) or hardly working (only working a little).
荷马在问机器人们他们是努力工作（充满精力地工作）还是几乎不工作（只工作了一点点）。

The robots, with their exact reasoning, do not understand the word play in the question.
这些机器人以精确的推理无法理解问题中的文字游戏。

We will leave you with a song that uses the adverb softly in an unexpected way.
我们将给大家留下一首以意想不到的方式使用副词 softly 的歌曲。

Listen to the Fugees' version of the classic song "Killing Me Softly with His Song."
请听福吉斯乐队演绎的经典歌曲《温柔地杀死我》。