Adverb

Adverbs that tell us how an action is done are called adverbs of manner. They are the reply to the question how?

Examples: brightly, beautifully, smartly, slowly, bravely, clearly, suddenly, fast, well.

How they are made. Generally an adverb of manner is made by adding ly to an adjective, or by putting the adjective in a phrase with manner / way / fashion. Both forms mean the same.

Words ending in ly are generally adverbs of manner. (A few adjectives also end in ly. They are in a later unit.)

Where they sit

1. The verb has no object. Then the adverb of manner comes straight after the verb.

[[parse: S=Radhika | V=spoke | A=politely]]

✔ Radhika spoke politely.
✔ He runs fast.
✔ The sun shone brightly.

2. The verb has an object. The adverb of manner can then sit in two places.

• If the object is short, the adverb goes after the object.
• If the object is long, that is, a phrase or a clause, the adverb goes before the verb.

✔ She did the work carefully. (short object)
✔ She clearly explained why the train had been late. (long object: a clause)

3. Never between the verb and its object. The verb and its object are closely connected, and nothing is allowed to come between them.

✘ She painted beautifully the wall.
✔ She painted the wall beautifully.
✔ She beautifully painted the wall.

✘ Rahul speaks fluently English.
✔ Rahul speaks English fluently.

> Rahul fluently speaks English is also correct, but the stress now falls on fluently. In the exam, prefer the end position.

This is the most tested idea in the whole chapter, and it has one simple test: what is being described?

• A noun or a pronoun is described by an adjective.
• A verb, an adjective or another adverb is described by an adverb.

1. After an action verb, use an adverb. The verb is showing an action, and the adverb says how it was done.

✘ He behaved nice with all of us.
✔ He behaved nicely with all of us.

✘ She did her work very good.
✔ She did her work very well.

Remember the pair: good singer (adjective, describes the noun) and sings well (adverb, describes the verb). Well is the adverb form of good.

2. After a linking verb, use an adjective. Linking verbs are be, become, seem, appear, turn, get, grow, taste, smell, keep, remain, prove (and look, feel, sound). A linking verb does not show an action; it describes the state of the subject. So the word after it describes the subject, and a describing word for a subject is an adjective.

✘ He became angrily when he heard the news. (use angry)
✘ He seemed nicely throughout the proceedings. (use nice)
✔ The fish tasted awful.
✔ The passengers grew angry about the delay.
✔ The lines became violent.
✔ It tasted sweet.

> A quick test: put is / was in place of the verb. He became angry = He was angry, so the sentence makes sense and the verb is linking. He behaved nicely cannot become He was nicely, so behave here is an action verb and needs an adverb.

Look can be either. She looks tired describes the subject (linking). But Bill was looking impatiently at the guest shows the act of looking at someone, so it is an action and takes an adverb. She turned round when I came in is correct because turn is an action here: she turned her body, and round is an adverb.

3. An adverb can also describe an adjective or a participle. Then the adverb comes just before the word.

✘ Rani was extreme upset with her results.
✔ Rani was extremely upset with her results.

✘ My neighbours were serious injured in the car accident.
✔ My neighbours were seriously injured in the car accident.

4. Before a noun, use an adjective. An adverb cannot describe a noun.

✘ She made a quickly decision.
✔ She made a quick decision.

✘ The book was an easily read.
✔ The book was an easy read.

Here two things can cause confusion. Some adjectives already end in ly. And some words are used as an adjective and an adverb in the same form.

1. Adjectives that already end in -ly. Do not add ly to them again to make an adverb.

Keep these confusing adjectives in mind: cowardly, miserly, niggardly, slovenly, ugly, manly, womanly, friendly, fatherly, brotherly, kingly, queenly, godly, homely, costly, deadly, elderly, lonely, lively, likely, earthly, timely, orderly.

To show manner with such an adjective, use a phrase: in a … manner / way / fashion, or like a …. Keep the nouns related to these adjectives in mind too.

✘ The soldiers are trained never to fight cowardly.
✔ The soldiers are trained never to fight in a cowardly manner.
✔ The soldiers are trained never to fight like cowards. (plural, so cowards)

> Do not make an adverb out of every adjective. Ly goes only with words that show a quality of doing something. Many adjectives do not take ly (fastly, oftenly), and blackly is rare (blackly humorous). Words such as manly used as an adverb are non-standard, and the exam follows standard English, not what you can find on the internet.

2. Words with the same form as adjective and adverb. Some words need no change at all.

Daily, hourly, weekly, monthly, yearly, fast, straight, outright, early, late, hard, high, low, deep, wide, free.

✘ fastly, straightly, oftenly (no such words)
✔ fast, straight, often

3. The -ly twin has a different meaning. For some of these words, the form with ly is a separate adverb with its own meaning, so you cannot swap the two.

✘ Sushil worked hardly throughout the year.
✔ Sushil worked hard throughout the year.

✘ The ball went highly in the sky.
✔ The ball went high in the sky.

Adverbs that tell us where an action took place are adverbs of place. They are the reply to where?

Examples: here, there, near, far, home, up, down, upstairs, downstairs, indoors, outdoors, outside, inside, nearby, nowhere, anywhere, abroad, everywhere.

Position. They generally come at the end of the sentence.

✔ He is studying upstairs.
✔ She lives abroad.
✔ Her clothes were scattered everywhere.
✔ Come here.
✔ Put the bag there.

Writing them at the start of the sentence makes inversion: There lived a King. This is explained in detail in the Inversion chapter.

Home and abroad are adverbs. After a verb of movement an adverb of place needs no preposition of direction in front of it, so to between the verb and these words is wrong. Other prepositions are fine: from here, at home, in there.

✔ She went to school. (school is a noun, so to is needed)
✘ She went to home.
✔ She went home.

✘ He is going to abroad for higher studies.
✔ He is going abroad for higher studies.

Abroad means "in or to a foreign country". Do not take it for an adjective or a noun. The adjective is foreign, and it needs a noun after it.

✘ He went to foreign for higher education.
✔ He went abroad for higher education.

But a determiner makes it a noun. If a determiner (my, your, the, this, etc.) comes before home, the word becomes a noun, and then we use to.

✔ He came home.
✘ He came to home.
✔ He came to my home.

I am at home is also correct. Here home is a place, not a direction of movement.

Place adverbs that look like other words

• Come forward is the fixed phrase for stepping up to help.
• High is the place adverb (at a height); highly means "greatly".

✔ They came forward to help the children in distress.
✔ The ball went high in the sky.
✘ The ball went highly in the sky.

Wherever means "at any place" and is used with verbs such as go. It is explained again with relative adverbs.

Adverbs that tell us when an action took place are adverbs of time. They are the reply to when?

Examples: now, then, ago, before, after, early, soon, since, today, yesterday (the day just gone), tomorrow (the day to come), already, yet, still, late, recently.

Position: the new information goes last. Generally an adverb of time comes at the end of the sentence. It can also come at the start, but then the sense changes a little. The concept behind this is simple: the old information comes first and the new information comes at the end. The end of the sentence is where the answer to the question sits.

Yet, still and already do not follow the end-position concept. Each has its own work.

✘ Are you yet afraid of going out in the dark?
✔ Are you still afraid of going out in the dark?

✘ We yet have time to catch the bus.
✔ We still have time to catch the bus.

Later and sequence. Later is the adverb for the next step. (Latter means the second of two; letter is a thing we write.)

✔ Sara will go to the seminar first and later attend class.

Telling past days. Last year is the year just gone. The year before last is the one before that. Likewise, the day before yesterday is two days back.

✔ The year before last, Shirley got very good grades.

No preposition before an adverb. A preposition is generally not used before an adverb, whether of place or of time.

Words such as next, last, this, that, every, each before a time word turn the whole phrase into an adverb, so no preposition is needed: last Sunday, next week, this Sunday, every month.

✔ I met Radhika on Sunday. (Sunday is a noun here, so on is used)
✔ I met Radhika last Sunday. (adverb phrase, no on)

But if an article or a determiner such as *the* comes in, the word is a noun and a preposition does come.

✔ I will meet you in the next week.

There are a few fixed expressions where a preposition does sit before an adverb: from here, since then. And in idioms such as body and soul, heart and soul and bag and baggage, no preposition is added: He devoted himself to the cause body and soul.

When two or three adverbs stand at the end of one sentence, which should come first? There are three concepts, and the exam asks for each of them.

[[chips: Manner | Place | Time]]

1. Most verbs: Manner, then Place, then Time (M, P, T). Manner is closest to the verb, because it tells how the action itself was done.

✔ She sang beautifully at home today. (M, P, T)
✔ She danced gracefully on stage during the annual function. (M, P, T)
✔ The players performed confidently on the ground yesterday. (M, P, T)
✔ He answered the questions confidently during the interview. (M, T)
✔ Suman performed well at the festival yesterday.

✘ Suman performed at the festival well yesterday.

2. Verbs of movement (go, come, enter): Place, then Manner, then Time (P, M, T). With these verbs the place is almost a part of the verb, so it comes first.

✔ He went home quickly yesterday.
✔ I went home peacefully.
✘ I went peacefully home.

3. More than one time adverb, or more than one place adverb: specific to general. The more exact piece of information is written first, then the wider one, as if the sentence zooms outwards.

✔ We got freedom at 12 midnight on 15th August in 1947.
✘ We got freedom in 1947 on 15th August at 12 midnight.

✔ Radhika was sitting on a bench near a tree in the park.
✘ Radhika was sitting near a tree on a bench in the park.

✔ They live at Mukherjee Nagar in Delhi.
✘ They live in Delhi at Mukherjee Nagar.

✔ They reached there on Monday last week.
✘ They reached there last week on Monday.

> An adverb of manner may also sit in the mid position, before the main verb or after the helping verb, and then it is not part of this order: The stationery was evenly distributed among all the poor children. And remember, wherever it sits, it never comes between the verb and its object.

Adverbs that give the reply to how often an action happens, that is, how many times or how regularly, are adverbs of frequency. We can divide them into two parts.

[[chips: always | usually | often | sometimes | seldom | never]]

Position of indefinite frequency adverbs: the mid position.

• Between the helping verb and the main verb. ✔ She can sometimes get very angry.
• If there is no helping verb, before the main verb. ✔ He always helps other people. ✔ We seldom go there.
• After be-verbs (is, am, are, was, were), whether the be-verb is a helping verb or a main verb.
• Before have to and used to.

✘ He always is playing video games.
✔ He is always playing video games.

✘ I always am happy.
✔ I am always happy.

✘ We have to never wait more.
✔ We never have to wait more.

✘ We used to never play inside.
✔ We never used to play inside.

✔ Why should we always have to wait for her to join us?
✔ I often used to go there.

Do not push them to the end or the front by habit.

✘ She helps me always.
✔ She always helps me.

✘ He was consulted seldom by his colleagues.
✔ He was seldom consulted by his colleagues.

✘ I read often books for entertainment.
✔ I often read books for entertainment.

✘ You are the sweetest person I have met ever.
✔ You are the sweetest person I have ever met.

Seldom, and its fixed partners. Just like seldom, the phrases seldom or never and seldom if ever also show frequency. Seldom or never is completely negative; seldom if ever leaves a small chance.

✔ Being a teacher, he seldom or never makes a mistake.
✔ Even under pressure, he seldom if ever makes a mistake.

The partner words are fixed. Seldom if never, seldom but never and seldom and ever are all wrong.

Seldom at the start makes inversion. He seldom comes here (normal) and Seldom does he come here (inversion). The details are in the Inversion chapter.

Position of definite frequency adverbs: the end. They generally come at the end of the sentence.

✔ He goes to school daily.
✔ I read books every day.
✔ Radhika goes to Delhi every month.
✔ I visited her house once.

> Regularly is an indefinite frequency adverb (it gives no exact count), but daily, weekly and every day are definite. So "on a regular basis" is improved by regularly, and not by daily or weekly.

Adverbs that tell us the degree (how much) or the intensity of an adjective, an adverb or a verb are adverbs of degree. They answer to what extent?

[[chips: very | too | so | enough]]

Examples: as, very, too, so, enough, fairly, rather, somewhat, almost, quite, nearly, hardly, barely, little, little or nothing, little if anything, extremely.

Position. They are generally used right next to the word they stress: before the adjective or adverb (very kind, quite fast), and enough after it (kind enough).

✔ She is very kind.
✔ He runs quite fast.

The five words you must separate

Too, so and as are not complete words by themselves; each has a pair word that follows.

So … that, As … as, Too … to + V1

✘ He is too tall. (use very)
✔ He is too tall to be playing with us.
✘ He is so tall. (use very)
✔ He is so tall that he can't play with us.

Very or so? The test is the result. If there is a result, use so … that. If there is none, use very. (When so is used only for feeling, as in You are so beautiful, it is a spoken usage; in the exam, no result means very.)

✔ Radhika is very beautiful.
✔ She is so smart that she can do anything.

Too means "more than needed", not "very". It has a negative sense, so it can never be used for a plain compliment.

✘ Her parents say that she is too intelligent. (the sense is very intelligent)

Too … to and so … that say the same thing. With so … that the ability is shown by can / could (present can, past could).

✔ He is too weak to walk. = He is so weak that he cannot walk.
✔ The road is too narrow for two cars to pass.

If the thing is acted upon, too … to takes the passive.

✘ This work is much heavy to do by one person.
✔ This work is too heavy to be done by one person.

And after too the infinitive is to + V1, not for + verb.

✘ He is too immature for handle the situation.
✔ He is too immature to handle the situation.

Enough goes after the adjective, but before a noun.

✘ The hotel room isn't enough big.
✔ The hotel room isn't big enough.
✔ I do not have enough time to complete this work. (before a noun)
✔ He is intelligent enough to do it.

Too means excess (negative), but enough means sufficient (positive): too weak to walk, but intelligent enough to do it.

Two degree adverbs together. Using two degree adverbs to modify the same adjective is wrong. Drop one of them.

✘ This question is quite too simple for me to answer.
✔ This question is quite simple for me to answer.
✔ This question is too simple for me to answer.

Degree and verbs. After a verb, an adverb of degree works only with verbs that can have a degree.

✔ I understood a little bit. (a person can understand a little or a lot)
✘ I've passed the exam a little bit. (nobody can pass an exam a little)

This unit sorts out the small differences between the degree adverbs that SSC tests often.

1. Very or much?

✘ This book is very better than the previous one.
✔ This book is much better than the previous one.

✘ Rohit Sharma’s century was very acclaimed in the media.
✔ Rohit Sharma’s century was much acclaimed in the media.

A V3 that has become an ordinary adjective takes very: very tired, very pleased, very surprised.

Very is never used for a verb. For a verb we say very much.

✘ We enjoyed the programme very.
✔ We enjoyed the programme very much.

2. Quite, fairly and rather. All three show a moderate degree, but they differ in colour.

So in the exam a negative word usually asks for rather, and a positive word for fairly.

✘ The compensation is fairly less.
✔ The compensation is rather less.

3. The article with a degree adverb. When a degree adverb works on a noun phrase, the place of a / an changes.

✔ He is a very tall player.
✘ He is a quite tall player.
✔ He is quite a tall player.
✘ He is a too tall player to be playing with us.
✔ He is too tall a player to be playing with us.

✘ Every participant gave so outstanding performance.
✔ Every participant gave so outstanding a performance.
✔ Every participant gave such an outstanding performance.

Such needs a noun after it, and so does not.

✔ He is such a hard-working boy.
✘ He is so a hard-working boy.
✔ He is so hard-working.

4. Too much or much too?

• Too much goes before a noun: too much sugar.
• Much too goes before an adjective or adverb: much too heavy.

✔ There is too much sugar in the tea.
✔ The box is much too heavy.
✘ Her failure in life is too much painful for me.
✔ Her failure in life is much too painful for me.
✘ There is evidence that much too technology can lead to a loss of child development opportunities.
✔ There is evidence that too much technology can lead to a loss of child development opportunities.

To much is not a word. It is always too much.

5. A degree adverb stays next to the word it stresses. It cannot be dropped anywhere in the sentence.

✔ She ran the marathon incredibly fast. (incredibly stresses fast)
✘ She ran the marathon fast incredibly.
✘ She ran incredibly the marathon fast.

✘ It is a cheap reasonably restaurant.
✔ It is a reasonably cheap restaurant.

Some adverbs do not describe the action. They point at one word, or they comment on the whole sentence.

A. Focus adverbs are used to put the focus on a particular word or phrase.

Examples: only, just, even, too, as well, alone, also, surely, at least, especially, exactly, mainly, merely, simply, solely, particularly, precisely, namely, primarily.

Position: just before the word or phrase they modify. Look at how the meaning of one sentence changes when only moves.

So only should stand next to the word we mean: Only Ravi knew the answer (nobody else), but Ravi knew only the answer (nothing else).

Other focus words, and what they add:

• Just before a number or amount means "only": I bought just one book. Before a verb it means "a moment ago": I just bought one book.
• Merely, simply, solely mean "only" with a softer tone: He merely wanted help.
• Exactly points at a precise point: The train starts exactly at 6. (And sharp gives the same exactness after the time: at 6 sharp.)
• Specially means "for a purpose": The room was specially built for meetings. Especially means "particularly": I like fruits, especially mangoes.
• Namely introduces the exact items: Three factors matter, namely cost, time and risk.
• Even shows surprise: He even skipped lunch. It is an adverb, so it cannot join two clauses. For that we need even though.

✘ Alex picked up the boxes quite easily even they were heavy.
✔ Alex picked up the boxes quite easily even though they were heavy.

• Just can stress a whole as … as comparison, and the two adverbs on either side must be of the same kind.

✔ She can draw very well and just as creatively.

Also, too and as well. Also is not normally used at the end of a sentence. It goes in the mid position or at the start. At the end, we prefer too or as well.

✔ I need a pen and also a pencil.
✘ I need a pen and a pencil also.
✔ I need a pen and a pencil as well.
✔ I need a pen and a pencil too.
✔ Inform your friends too. / Inform your friends as well. / Also, inform your friends.

B. Sentence adverbs give the speaker's opinion or feeling about the whole sentence, not about one word: fortunately, unfortunately, luckily, honestly, obviously, clearly, probably, perhaps, maybe, generally.

Position: best at the start, followed by a comma. They can come at the end too, but the start is the best place.

✔ Fortunately, no one was hurt in the accident.
✔ Honestly, I didn't enjoy the movie.
✔ First language, also known as mother tongue, is generally the language a person learns first.

Maybe (one word) is an adverb and starts a sentence: Maybe he is absent. May be (two words) is a helping verb with be: He may be absent.

C. Viewpoint adverbs show from which angle the statement is made: personally, technically, politically, morally, frankly, ideally. They too come at the start with a comma.

✔ Personally, I prefer tea to coffee.
✔ Technically, this answer is correct.

A. Adverbs of negation make the meaning of a sentence negative.

Examples: no, not, never, no longer, nowhere, hardly, scarcely, rarely, barely, seldom, little.

Position. Most negative adverbs generally come before the verb. But some degree or place adverbs, such as little and nowhere, are generally written after the verb.

✔ We should not / never go there.
✔ We seldom / rarely go there.
✔ We should go nowhere.
✔ We know little about it.

Two negatives in one clause are wrong. Never use two negative words from these adverbs together.

✘ We should not go nowhere.
✔ We should not go anywhere. / We should go nowhere.

✘ We know little about nothing.
✔ We know little about anything.

✔ I can no longer wait for it. = I can't wait for it any longer.

Hardly, scarcely and barely are already negative. They mean "almost not". Do not add not, no or never to them.

✘ He cannot hardly believe it.
✔ He can hardly believe it.

✘ He did not hardly know anyone in the city.
✔ He hardly knew anyone in the city. / He did not know anyone in the city.

✘ The old man climbed seven floors with hardly no effort.
✔ The old man climbed seven floors with hardly any effort.

✔ Paresh eats hardly any food.
✘ Paresh eats not hardly any food.

Hardly is a degree adverb of the negative group, and it is not the same word as hard (with effort).

Other double negatives.

• Forbid already carries a "do not", so no not follows: ✘ She forbade him not to enter. ✔ She forbade him to enter.
• Never can stand in the place of did not, and then the verb stays in V2, because never is itself the negative: ✘ he did not never referred ✔ We met the other day, but he never referred to the matter.
• Ever is not a negative word. Use never when you need the negative sense. ✔ I wish we had never come here.

B. Adverbs of affirmation make the confirmation of a statement stronger.

Examples: certainly, surely, definitely, indeed, of course, undoubtedly.

Position. Generally after the helping verb; sometimes at the start of the sentence.

✔ She will certainly win the match.
✔ Radhika has definitely improved her English.
✔ Surely, you can do this.

They are adverbs, so they describe verbs. The adjective forms (sure, certain) cannot do this work.

✘ The trend of wearing boots has most sure come around this season.
✔ The trend of wearing boots has most certainly come around this season.

✘ He promised that he would sure repay the loan.
✔ He promised that he would surely repay the loan.

Two kinds of adverbs join. Relative adverbs join a noun to a clause. Conjunctive adverbs join the sense of two separate sentences.

A. Relative adverbs: when, where, why, (how)

A relative adverb comes after a noun that shows time, place, reason or manner and joins that noun to a clause. This clause is called a relative clause.

✘ A confluence is a place when two or more rivers meet. (a place needs where)
✔ That's the restaurant where we met for the first time.

Dropping the relative adverb. In an informal situation we can also drop it.

✔ The reason why you are here is unknown. = The reason you are here is unknown.
✔ Kindly mention the year when you have passed the exam. = Kindly mention the year you have passed the exam.
✔ The place where he was born is unknown. = The place he was born is unknown.
✘ The way how Virat Kohli plays is mind blowing.
✔ The way in which Virat Kohli plays is mind blowing. = The way Virat Kohli plays is mind blowing.

> Who, whom, which and that are relative pronouns, not relative adverbs. And when where or why has no noun in front of it, it works as a conjunction that introduces a noun clause: I know where you live. Do you know why he was absent?

Wherever, whenever and no matter how. Wherever is "at any place" and goes with verbs like go. Whenever is "at any time". After no matter we need a question word and the right word order.

✔ A sincere person creates goodwill wherever he goes.
✘ No matter he tries hard, he cannot play the guitar.
✔ No matter how hard he tries, he cannot play the guitar.

B. Conjunctive adverbs

Conjunctive adverbs come between two sentences and show the relation between them. They usually show result, contrast, addition, etc.

✔ He was absent. However, we had his replacement.
✔ Rahul didn't want to join that job; therefore, he skipped the interview.

Conjunction v/s conjunctive adverb

Compare: I went there, but Radhika was not there. (but is a conjunction) and I went there. However, Radhika was not there. (however is a conjunctive adverb).

We can study conjunctive adverbs mainly in categories.

Some points that SSC checks:

• Keep the tense in line with the story. ✔ I had to go to Delhi. However, I changed my mind and decided not to go. (will change would be wrong, the event is past.)
• Else / otherwise give a warning: ✔ Keep the dog tied indoors; else it may bite some stranger. (However, yet, still do not give a warning.)
• Still shows continuity or an unexpected contrast: ✔ Life is hard and unpredictable, but still manageable. ✔ We still have time to catch the bus.
• So is both an adverb and a conjunction: ✔ The traffic was heavy, so we arrived late.
• In addition is an adverb; in addition to is a preposition.
• Hence, therefore and consequently often sit in the last sentence of a rearrangement set, and conjunctive adverbs are the key to a cloze test built around them.

These pairs look alike but mean different things. Some of them come straight in the exam; others are there to build your understanding. Read the pairs in groups and fix the meaning of each word.

Part 1: Already to Low

Part 2: Most to Wide

Part 3: Some more pairs that are often confused

What the exam asks most

1. Altogether or all together. Altogether means "completely" or "in total". All together means "all as one group".

✘ He owes you five thousand rupees all together.
✔ He owes you five thousand rupees altogether.

✘ Although the toys are altogether in the cupboard, they are not properly arranged.
✔ Although the toys are all together in the cupboard, they are not properly arranged.

2. Near or nearly. For a number or amount, "almost" is nearly.

✘ Near 800 million people worldwide lack updated sanitation.
✔ Nearly 800 million people worldwide lack updated sanitation.

3. At last or at least. At last means "finally"; at least means "the minimum".

✘ South Asia is home to at last six hundred languages.
✔ South Asia is home to at least six hundred languages.

4. Rather or fairly. Fairly has a positive colour (fairly easy). Rather has a negative colour (rather difficult, rather less).

✘ The compensation is fairly less.
✔ The compensation is rather less.

5. Most or mostly. Most means "very" before an adjective or "the greatest amount" before a noun; mostly means "mainly".

✔ He is most unfortunate. (= very unfortunate)
✔ The class is mostly silent. (= mainly)

6. Special, specially, especially; everyday, every day; sometime, sometimes, some time. The one-word form is an adjective or an adverb of its own kind; the two-word form is a phrase.

✔ These are my everyday clothes. (adjective) / I walk every day. (adverb)
✔ I will call you sometime next week. (an unspecified time) / Sometimes I feel tired. (frequency) / It took some time to finish. (a period)
✔ They have already arrived. / We are all ready.

> Sometime is also a rare adjective meaning "former" (the sometime MP of the area). It is rarely used, but good to know.

7. All right. Write it as two words. Alright is better avoided in the exam.