What is an adverb designed to modify?

An adverb is a versatile part of speech that primarily modifies verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. This means that adverbs can describe how, when, where, how often, or to what extent an action is performed (when modifying a verb), they can enhance the meaning of an adjective by providing more detail about the degree or intensity (when modifying an adjective), and they can also adjust the meaning of another adverb by clarifying or intensifying the manner in which the action is conveyed.

For example, in the sentence "She runs quickly," the adverb "quickly" modifies the verb "runs" by describing how she runs. In another example, "He is very tall," the adverb "very" modifies the adjective "tall," indicating the degree of height. Similarly, in the phrase "He runs quite fast," "quite" modifies the adverb "fast," providing additional information about the speed of the running.

This function of adverbs is fundamental to their role in language, as they significantly enrich the meaning of sentences by adding detail and nuance. Other options that focus exclusively on nouns or adjectives overlook the broader range of modification that adverbs are capable of.