Adverb of manner atau keterangan cara memberi tahu kita bagaimana sesuatu terjadi. Keterangan cara biasanya diletakkan setelah kata kerja utama atau setelah objek.
Contoh
- He swims well.
- He ran quickly.
- She spoke softly.
- James coughed loudly to attract her attention.
- He plays the flute beautifully. (setelah objek langsung)
- He ate the chocolate cake greedily. (setelah objek langsung)
Keterangan cara tidak dapat diletakkan di antara kata kerja dan objek langsungnya. Kata keterangan harus diletakkan sebelum kata kerja atau di akhir klausa.
Contoh
- He ate greedily the chocolate cake. [salah]
- He ate the chocolate cake greedily. [benar]
- He greedily ate the chocolate cake. [benar]
- He gave us generously the money. [salah]
- He gave us the money generously. [benar]
- He generously gave us the money. [benar]
Jika ada preposisi sebelum objek dari kata kerja, kita dapat meletakkan keterangan cara sebelum preposisi atau setelah objek.
Contoh
- The child ran happily towards his mother.
- The child ran towards his mother happily.
Keterangan cara harus selalu mengikuti kata kerja yang tidak memliki objek (kata kerja intransitif).
Contoh
- The town grew quickly after 1997.
- He waited patiently for his mother to arrive.
Keterangan-keterangan cara yang umum ini hampir selalu diletakkan tepat setelah kata kerja: well, badly, hard, dan fast.
Contoh
- He swam well despite being tired.
- The rain fell hard during the storm.
Posisi kata keterangan sangat penting saat ada lebih dari satu kata kerja dalam sebuah kalimat. Jika diletakkan sebelum atau sesudah kata kerja utama, kata keterangan hanya memodifikasi kata kerja tersebut. Jika diletakkan sesudah klausa, kata keterangan memodifikasi seluruh kejadian yang dideskripsikan oleh klausa. Perhatikan perbedaan arti antara kalimat-kalimat berikut.
| Contoh | Arti |
|---|---|
| She quickly agreed to re-type the letter. | menyetujui dengan cepat |
| She agreed quickly to re-type the letter. | menyetujui dengan cepat |
| She agreed to re-type the letter quickly. | mengetik ulang dengan cepat |
| He quietly asked me to leave the house. | meminta dengan diam-diam |
| He asked me quietly to leave the house. | meminta dengan diam-diam |
| He asked me to leave the house quietly. | meninggalkan dengan diam-diam |
Penggunaan di bidang sastra
Terkadang, keterangan cara diletakkan sebelum kata kerja + objek untuk menambahkan penekanan.
Contoh
- He gently woke the sleeping woman.
- She angrily slammed the door.
Beberapa penulis meletakkan keterangan cara di awal kalimat untuk menarik perhatian dan membuat kita penasaran.
Contoh
- Slowly she picked up the knife.
- Roughly he grabbed her arm.