Shades of Meaning: Adverbs

Put slowly, gradually, sluggishly and quickly, swiftly, rapidly in order, and choose the most precise adverb for a sentence.

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 22

Quickly, swiftly, and rapidly all mean fast. But each word has its own shade of meaning.
Swiftly sounds fast and smooth: the swan glided swiftly. Rapidly often describes something changing fast: the town grew rapidly. Hastily means fast and careless.
Some adverbs are stronger than others. Crossly is a little angry. Angrily is more. Furiously is the angriest of all!
Adverbs of how often line up too: never, rarely, sometimes, often, always.
Good writers choose the most precise word. Read the details in a sentence, and pick the word that fits them best.
Your turn! Put these in order, from least to most angry.

Georgia's K-12 English Language Arts Standards:

4.L.V.3.c — Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related adverbs (e.g., quickly, swiftly, rapidly). (I)
4.L.V.3.e — Use knowledge of word relationships and learned vocabulary words and phrases to make precise word choices when speaking and writing. (C)