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English adverbs or "High hopes"
In this story you will see many examples of how adverbs can be used. As you know most adverbs have the ending «ly». For example:
We use an adverb when we want to describe an activity as in this example:
- They speak English too quickly for me.
Please be aware that there are quite a number of adverbs that don''t have the ending «ly». Here are some examples:
As with any grammar rule there are a lot of exceptions and it''s really best for you to simply read stories and find the adverbs in
italics.
So without futher ado, let''s get straight to the point.
"High Hopes"
I had a nightmare the other night. I dreamt I was bungee jumping, that''s when you throw yourself off a bridge and your feet are attached to an elasticated rope that pulls you back again. I didn''t do the jump
properly, in fact, I did it
extremely badly because I fell only a few metres and was dangling
dangerously just below the bridge for ages.
Then I woke up and thanked my lucky stars
enthusiastically that it had been only a dream. I lay
quietly in bed the following morning and wondered how I had come to have such a terrible dream. Never would I contemplate the idea of jumping off a bridge with or without an elasticated cord. Then I remembered I had seen a film on the television the night before showing some students bungee jumping. The funny thing about this strange sport is that you often see people jumping off but you never see them come back. As I said, in no circumstances could I be persuaded to do it for the simple reason that I am terrified of heights. I remember once sitting petrified at my desk at work listening to a colleague describing how he had jumped out of a plane by parachute on one occasion in order to raise some money for charity, I can recall how I almost fell off my chair in fear. No sooner had he finished telling his story than I had to get up and go and lie down
quietly in a darkened room. I can
still remember one incident that illustrates my fear of heights — I haven''t got over it yet and it''s still very vivid in my mind.
I
never have to find an excuse to go the seaside. I always agree to it when someone suggests going to the coast. I
never can resist the sight and smell of the sea. A trip had been planned for the weekend. I
always used to pack the night before one of these trips and
invariably I
rarely slept in anticipation of the event. That''s what comes of working in a large city day in day out. We set off
early and reached our destination
quite quickly at about 11 a.m.
Hardly had we finished our morning coffee in a small cafe when it started to rain
really heavily. Then we decided to drive around to the front and watch the sea as it pounded
violently against the beach. We were
just going to abandon the whole idea of staying there any longer when the sun made an appearance
suddenly.
As
quickly as the rain had started
equally as
speedily it stopped. We all got out of the car and walked
slowly up the cliff at the end of the town.
Usually you get a magnificent view of the bay at the top but on this particular afternoon
rarely had I seen so
much mist. And that, in a manner of speaking, was my down fall. Although I knew this particular piece of land
quite well, the fog had obscured the edge of the cliff and although I was walking
very slowly as I
always do on high ground, I stepped on a piece of grass which I thought was solid but soon discovered was anything but. I slipped
immediately and began to descend almost as if I was nearly doing a slow motion bungee jump only this time I was the right way up. With a jolt I stopped
abruptly and realized I was going nowhere. Only then did I start to panic. I could hear the sea but I didn''t dare look down and I started to yell as loud as I could. I waited
patiently on my little edge for at least half an hour while I was being assured that help would come
soon.
Eventually a rope was dropped down to me and I
gradually hoisted myself up to the top of the cliff. By now the mist had cleared
completely and I took a quick look down to discover that I had
only been about half a metre from the beach. But I thought I''d conceal that information
subtly.
After all, it would have spoilt the hero''s welcome I received.
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