How is liquid converted into vapour?

It is commonly observed during the rainy season that water falling on roads and streets disappears after few hours. Similarly, in summer, wet clothes dry up very soon. Do you know where this water goes? This water gets converted into vapour. Conversion of water into vapour is called evaporation.

How does evaporation take place? Every substance is made up of very small particles called molecules. These molecules are held together by strong forces of attraction called cohesive forces are opposed by the repulsive forces caused due to the motion of molecules. As long as the cohesive forces are far greater than the repulsive forces the substance remains in the solid state. When the substance is heated up, it absorbs heat energy due to which the molecules are set up in rapid motion. This motion starts counterbalancing the cohesive force, that is, this force tries to separate them apart. When the repulsive force generated by the motion of molecules equals the cohesive force, matter changes from solid to liquid state. If the liquid is still heated, the molecules move still faster and when the force due to increased motion exceeds the cohesive force, the molecules of the liquid become free and escape into the air. It is how the liquid is converted into vapour. The liberation of the molecules from the liquid surface and going into the air is called evaporation.
This explains the drying up of the clothes. If the wet clothes are put in the sun, they dry up faster because at the higher temperature the motion of molecules becomes faster and the evaporation is also faster. Evaporation takes place at all temperatures but the rate of evaporation increases with the rise in temperature. It takes place more rapidly when the air is dry. That is why clothes dry up more quickly on a dry day than on a damp cloudy day.