Adverbs of process provide details about the process followed in performing any task. These details are provided through the three members of its family – adverb of manner, adverb of means, and adverb of instrument – each providing a different type of detail for our sentences.
We cover the latter two together in this post as they overlap, confusing many.
1. Adverb of means
As the name suggests, adverbs of means provide information about the method or way of performing a task. They show up in sentences only as an adverb.
(You’ll find some websites incorrectly clubbing prepositional phrase, noun phrase, adverb clause, and more under adverb. If those are included, the appropriate term is adjunct or adverbial – and not adverb.)
Examples of adverb of means
(Comments are in [square brackets])
1. People even in remote areas are getting information digitally. [digital is the means/way to get information]
2. The earlier mild virus developed its deadlier version mutationally. [mutation is the way/means to develop deadlier version]
3. Can you prove it mathematically? [mathematics is the way/means to prove it]
4. A civilized society has no place for kangaroo courts; crimes should be punished and disputes resolved judicially. [judiciary is the way/means to punish crimes and resolve disputes]
5. The car was raised hydraulically. [hydraulics is the way/means to raise the car]
6. It’s uncommon to see doctors treat homeopathically in big cities. [homeopathy is the way/means to treat]
In the above examples, you can see that each adverb (underlined) answers the question how. The first, for example, answers the question How are people even in remote areas getting information?
Position of adverb of means
Adverbs of means mostly come at the end of a clause or sentence. These would, for example, sound odd (compare them with examples we just covered):
1. People even in remote areas are digitally getting information.
2. The earlier mild virus mutationally developed its deadlier version.
3. Can you mathematically prove it?
5. The car was hydraulically raised.
Note that if these were adverbs of manner, most of these sentences would sound fine. But these are adverbs of means.
You’ll notice that the sixth example doesn’t end with an adverb of means. That’s because as per established order of adverbs another adverbial (in big cities) comes after adverb of means. Had adverb of means been the sole adverbial, it would’ve taken the end position.
2. Adverb of instrument
As the name suggests, adverbs of instrument tell us the instrument used to perform a task. They show up in sentences only as an adverb.
Examples of adverb of instrument
1. In large warehouses, inventory is often moved robotically. [robots are the instrument used to move]
2. This drink has been fermented bacterially. [bacteria are the instrument used to ferment]
3. Iron filings were separated from the mixture magnetically. [magnet is the instrument used to separate]
4. Neptune can be viewed only telescopically. [telescope is the instrument used to view]
5. The patient was treated antidotally to neutralize snake venom. [antidote is the instrument used to treat]
6. Students understand abstract concepts easily when taught pictorially. [pictures are the instrument used to teach]
In the above examples, you can see that each adverb (underlined) answers the question how. The first, for example, answers the questions In large warehouses, how is inventory often moved?
Position of adverb of instrument
Instrument adjuncts, like means adjuncts, mostly come at the end of a clause or sentence. These would, for example, sound odd (compare them with examples we just covered):
1. In large warehouses, inventory is often robotically moved.
2. This drink has been bacterially fermented.
3. Iron filings were magnetically separated from the mixture.
5. The patient was antidotally treated to neutralize snake venom.
Note that if these were adverbs of manner, most of these sentences would sound fine. But these are adverbs of instrument.
In the fifth example, order of adverbs pushes another adverbial (to neutralize snake venom) to the end position.
In this post, we covered adverbs of means and instrument, which obviously come in the form of adverb. But phrases and clauses too can provide information about means, instrument, and agent (information that can’t be provided by adverb). If we put together phrase, clause, and adverb, we get adjuncts of means, instrument, and agent, respectively. To put simply, adverb of means is a subset of adjunct of means and so on, with adverb of agent being non-existent.
