The principal function of adverbs is to act as modifiers of verbs or verb phrases. The term adverb is somewhat of a catchall word to describe many kinds of words having little in common other than the fact they don’t fit into any of the other available categories (noun, adjective, preposition, etc.) and they modify an action word-a verb. We use them all the time, but what, exactly, are they? They are just another aspect of English vocabulary, and can be considered a form of compound verbs. Phrasal verbs are usually two-or three-word phrases consisting of a verb plus an adverb, or a verb plus a preposition, or both.
