Identify the adverb in the sentence: 'The officer promptly responded to the alert.'

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Multiple Choice

Identify the adverb in the sentence: 'The officer promptly responded to the alert.'

Recognizing how words modify action is the key idea here: adverbs describe how or when an action happens. In this sentence, the action is the verb “responded.” The word “promptly” tells us how the officer carried out that action—he responded without delay, quickly and without hesitation. That makes it an adverb, because it modifies the verb and conveys manner. The other words aren’t adverbs in this context: “officer” is a noun naming the person, “alert” is a noun referring to what prompted the action, and “responded” is the verb itself. Adverbs often end in -ly, which helps signal their function, though the crucial point is that this word modifies the verb to describe how the response occurred.

Recognizing how words modify action is the key idea here: adverbs describe how or when an action happens. In this sentence, the action is the verb “responded.” The word “promptly” tells us how the officer carried out that action—he responded without delay, quickly and without hesitation. That makes it an adverb, because it modifies the verb and conveys manner.

The other words aren’t adverbs in this context: “officer” is a noun naming the person, “alert” is a noun referring to what prompted the action, and “responded” is the verb itself. Adverbs often end in -ly, which helps signal their function, though the crucial point is that this word modifies the verb to describe how the response occurred.

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