Identify the kind of adverb underlined in the following sentence:
Things are no better at present.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Adverb of Degree or Quantity
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 the sentence, the underlined no modifies the comparative adjective better and tells to what extent things are better: not at all.
| Option | What it tells | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Adverb of Degree or Quantity (answer) | It tells how much or to what extent something is so: very, too, quite, almost, hardly, much, no. It usually modifies an adjective or another adverb, not the verb. "No" is an adverb of degree when it stands before a comparative: no better, no worse, no longer, no more. | The patient is no worse today than he was yesterday. |
| (2) Adverb of Time | An adverb of time tells when (now, then, soon, at present). The phrase "at present" in the sentence is an adverbial of time, but the underlined word no says nothing about time. | – |
| (3) Adverb of Frequency | An adverb of frequency tells how often (always, often, seldom). "No" does not say how often anything happens. | – |
| (4) Adverb of Place | An adverb of place tells where (here, there, outside). "No" says nothing about place. | – |