Sentence Adverbs
Most adverbs modify a single verb, adjective, or other adverb. But some adverbs modify an entire sentence, expressing the speaker's attitude toward the whole statement. These are called sentence adverbs.
What is a sentence adverb?
A sentence adverb (also called a disjunct or comment adverb) expresses the speaker's attitude to — or comment on — the whole sentence. It stands slightly apart from the rest of the sentence.
Fortunately, no one was hurt in the accident.
Surprisingly, she accepted the offer immediately.
Honestly, I had no idea what was happening.
Clearly, something needs to change.
Common sentence adverbs
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Attitude / opinion | fortunately, unfortunately, sadly, happily, luckily, surprisingly, remarkably |
| Certainty / doubt | certainly, obviously, clearly, evidently, apparently, presumably, possibly |
| Honesty / frankness | honestly, frankly, truthfully, bluntly, seriously |
| Logical connection | firstly, finally, consequently, therefore, nevertheless, however |
Position and punctuation
Sentence adverbs most often appear at the beginning of a sentence, followed by a comma. They can also appear in the middle (set off by commas) or at the end.
Fortunately, the train was on time.
The train, fortunately, was on time.
The train was on time, fortunately.
Sentence adverbs vs regular adverbs
Some words can be either a regular adverb or a sentence adverb, with different meanings.
| Word | Regular adverb | Sentence adverb |
|---|---|---|
| honestly | She answered honestly. (in an honest way) | Honestly, I don't care. (to be frank with you) |
| clearly | She spoke clearly. (in a clear way) | Clearly, he didn't listen. (it is obvious that) |
| hopefully | She looked at him hopefully. (with hope) | Hopefully, it won't rain. (I hope that) |
Punctuation rule: When a sentence adverb comes at the beginning of a sentence, always follow it with a comma. This signals to the reader that it modifies the whole sentence, not just the verb that follows.