Identify the kind of Adverb used in the following sentence:
He couldn't return immediately.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Adverb of Time
An adverb is a word that tells how, when, where or how much something happens. It can also describe an adjective or another adverb, for example she sings sweetly, very hot.
In "He couldn't return immediately", the adverb modifies "return" and states the time of the action (at once).
| Option | What it tells | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Adverb of Time (answer) | An adverb of time answers the question "When?". Common ones: now, then, soon, today, yesterday, already, immediately. | Please reply to this letter immediately. |
| (2) Relative Adverb | A relative adverb (when, where, why) joins a clause to a noun, as in "the place where I was born". "Immediately" joins nothing. | This is the house where my grandfather lived. |
| (3) Adverb of Manner | An adverb of manner answers "How?" (slowly, carefully). "Immediately" tells when, not how. | She sang sweetly at the function. |
| (4) Interrogative Adverb | An interrogative adverb asks a question (when? where? how? why?). The sentence is a statement. | Why are you late? |