Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs (modifier has been underlined and modified word is in blue font):
The sunset is extremely beautiful. [Adverb modifying adjective]
The conference was rather poorly attended. [Adverb modifying another adverb]
The temperature dropped sharply. [Adverb modifying verb]
In this post, we’ll cover adverbs that modify other adverbs, like in the second example.
Learn more: In some situations, adverbs can modify noun, pronoun, preposition, conjunction, and even phrases. Learn the full range of modifying function of adverbs.
What type of adverbs modify other adverbs?
Adjectives can be modified by few types of adverbs, with intensifying and emphasizing adverbs being the main ones. But adverbs can be modified only by intensifying adverbs (or intensifiers) – and that too by nearly the same intensifiers that modify adjectives.
As you’ll see in the examples that follow, adverbs mostly pre-modify other adverbs (almost exponentially), with indeed and enough being two exceptions, which post-modify other adverbs (elegantly indeed). As a pattern, you’ll rarely see both adverbs (modifying and modified) being -ly adverbs: They sound odd together.
If you’re an advanced learner, you may want to get the larger picture here. The combined entity we get when an adverb modifies another adverb is called adverb phrase (surprisingly well). To give a taste of how this works, in the sentence below, adverb surprisingly modifies adverb well, but adverb phrase surprisingly well modifies verb performed:
The team performed surprisingly well in today’s match.
Examples of adverbs modifying other adverbs
As mentioned earlier, in the examples below, you’ll find only few instances of both adverbs being –ly type.
1. The company has grown almost exponentially in the last one year.
2. These days I’m doing extremely poorly on eating healthy.
3. He finished lunch amazingly quickly.
4. I had to run very fast to escape the dog.
5. The temperature dropped sharply overnight. [Incorrect. Adverb sharply is not modifying the other adverb overnight. They are two independent adverbs, each modifying the verb]
6. Don’t go too deep into the lake.
7. Water is too deep here. [Incorrect. Adverb too is modifying an adjective (deep), and not an adverb. In the last example, deep is an adverb, but here it’s an adjective]
8. Our team ran 4×100 hurdle race unbelievably fast.
9. My teammate was unbelievably fast in completing his leg of the race. [Incorrect. Adverb unbelievably is modifying an adjective (fast), and not an adverb. In the last example, fast is an adverb, but here it’s an adjective]
10. The firemen handled the accident so very well, saving several lives. [There are three consecutive adverbs: very modifies well and is modified by so]
11. He worked quite unbelievably hard to meet the deadline. [This one too has three consecutive adverbs: unbelievably modifies hard and is modified by quite]
12. The train is running a bit late today.
13. He was totally unprepared for the interview. [Incorrect. Another example of adverb modifying adjective – and not adverb]
14. In scoring 99 percent, he solved the test nearly perfectly.
15. She explained a difficult concept quite clearly.
16. He buys rather impulsively whenever a sale comes up.
17. He finished the presentation relatively quickly.
18. On teacher’s prompt, he raised hand almost instantly.
The next two are examples of adverbs post-modifying other adverbs:
19. She danced very elegantly indeed. [This one too has three consecutive adverbs: both very and indeed modify elegantly]
20. He didn’t work hard enough to make it to the college team.
