Adverbs and adverb phrases: position

from English Grammar Today

We can put adverbs and adverb phrases at the front, in the middle or at the end of a
clause.
The front position of the clause is the first item in the clause:
Suddenly I felt afraid.
Yesterday detectives arrested a man and a woman in connection with the murder.
The end position of the clause is the last item in the clause:
Why do you always have to eat so fast?
The mid position is between the subject and the main verb:
Apples always taste best when you pick them straight off the tree.
Where there is more than one verb, mid position means after the first auxiliary verb
or after a modal verb:
The government has occasionally been forced to change its mind. (after the first
auxiliary verb)
You can definitely never predict what will happen. (after a modal verb)
We mightnt ever have met. (after the modal verb and before the auxiliary verb)
In questions, mid position is between the subject and the main verb:
Do you ever think about living there?
Adverbs usually come after the main verb be, except in emphatic clauses:
Shes always late for everything.
When be is emphasised, the adverb comes before the verb:
Why should I have gone to see Madonna? I never was a fan of hers. (emphatic)
Types of adverbs and their positions
Different types of adverbs go in different places.
type

position

example

manner

They usually go in end position.

They sometimes go in mid
position if the adverb is not the
most important part of the
clause or if the object is very
long.

She ate quickly.

She quickly ate her dinner
and ran out.

place

They usually go in end position.

They sometimes go in front
position, especially in writing.

Can you come overhere?

Well be at that tablethere.
Here she sat.
Outside, there was a small
pond.

time

They usually go in end position.

They sometimes go in front
position especially if we want to
emphasise the adverb.

Im flying to
Edinburghtomorrow.
Today, Im going to clean
the house.

duration

They usually go in end position.

Im not staying long.

frequency

They usually go in mid position.

We often have friends to

type

position

example

They sometimes go in front

position.
They can also go in end position.
Always, ever and never do not
usually go in front position.

stay.
I usually get up late on
weekends.
I could never swim fast.
Sometimes she wore a
woollen hat.
We dont see themvery
often.
Not: Never I could swim fast.

degree

Really, very, quite usually go in

mid position.
A lot and a bit usually go in end
position.

I really like those pink

flowers.
We go to Ireland a lot.
Id just like to change things
a bit.

focusing

They usually go in mid position.

He simply walked out

without saying a word.

certainty
or
obligation

Some go in mid
position: probably, possibly,
certainly.
Others go in front
position: maybe, perhaps or in
end positions after a comma.

Itll probably rain.

Maybe Nick will know the
answer.
Can I get you a drink, or
something to eat,perhaps?

viewpoint

They usually go outside the

clause, often at the beginning.
They can sometimes go in mid
position, especially in formal
writing.

Personally, Id rather not go

out.
This must, frankly, be the
craziest idea anyone has
ever had.

evaluative

They usually go outside the

clause, often at the beginning.
They can sometimes go in mid
position.
In informal speaking they can go
in end position.

Unfortunately, I forgot my
swimming costume so I had
to sit on the side and watch.
We have stupidlyforgotten
the tickets.
They missed the
bus,apparently.

Manner, place and time

Adverbs of manner, place and time usually come in end position:
He played brilliantly.
If the verb has an object, the adverb comes after the object:
We [verb]made [object]a decision [adverb]quickly then left.
When there is more than one of the three types of adverb together, they usually go in the
order: manner, place, time:

You start off [manner]slowly [time]in the beginning.

Not: You start off in the beginning slowly.
James played [manner] [place]brilliantly in the match on [time]Saturday. (preferred
to James played brilliantly on Saturday in the match.)
Warning:
We dont put adverbs between the verb and the object:
She [verb]plays [object]the piano [adverb]really well. Ive heard her.
Not: She plays really well the piano.
I dont watch the TV very often.
Evaluative and viewpoint
Adverbs indicating the attitude and point of view of the speaker or writer usually go at the
beginning. These adverbs are called sentence adverbs because they refer to the whole
sentence or utterance:
Actually, I think the meeting is on Wednesday, not Thursday.
Obviously, we cant tell you the result but we can give you an indication.
Position with here and there
Warning:
If the subject is a pronoun (it/he/she/you etc.), it comes directly after the
adverbs here and there. If the subject is a noun, it comes directly after the verb:
Here she is.
Not: Here is she.
There it goes.
Not: There goes it.
Here comes the bus.
Not: Here the bus comes.

Definitions

An adjective is a word or set of words that modifies (i.e., describes) a noun

or pronoun. Adjectives may come before the word they modify.

Examples:
That is a cute puppy.
She likes a high school senior.
Adjectives may also follow the word they modify:
Examples:
That puppy looks cute.
The technology is state-of-the-art.
An adverb is a word or set of words that modifies verbs, adjectives, or other
adverbs. Adverbs answer how,when, where, why, or to what extenthow
often or how much (e.g., daily, completely).
Examples:
He speaks slowly (tells how)
He speaks very slowly (the adverb very tells how slowly)
She arrived today (tells when)
She will arrive in an hour (this adverb phrase tells when)
Let's go outside (tells where)
We looked in the basement (this adverb phrase tells where)
Bernie left to avoid trouble (this adverb phrase tells why)
Jorge works out strenuously (tells to what extent)
Jorge works out whenever possible (this adverb phrase tells to what extent)
Rule 1. Many adverbs end in -ly, but many do not. Generally, if a word can have -ly added to
its adjective form, place it there to form an adverb.
Examples:
She thinks quick/quickly.
How does she think? Quickly.
She is a quick/quickly thinker.
Quick is an adjective describing thinker, so no -ly is attached.
She thinks fast/fastly.
Fast answers the question how, so it is an adverb. But fast never has -ly attached to it.
We performed bad/badly.
Badly describes how we performed, so -ly is added.
Rule 2. Adverbs that answer the question how sometimes cause grammatical problems. It
can be a challenge to determine if -ly should be attached. Avoid the trap of -ly with linking
verbs such as taste, smell, look, feel, which pertain to the senses. Adverbs are often
misplaced in such sentences, which require adjectives instead.
Examples:
Roses smell sweet/sweetly.
Do the roses actively smell with noses? No; in this case, smell is a linking verbwhich
requires an adjective to modify rosesso no -ly.
The woman looked angry/angrily to us.
Did the woman look with her eyes, or are we describing her appearance? We are describing
her appearance (she appeared angry), so no -ly.
The woman looked angry/angrily at the paint splotches.
Here the woman actively looked (used her eyes), so the -ly is added.

She feels bad/badly about the news.

She is not feeling with fingers, so no -ly.
Rule 3. The word good is an adjective, whose adverb equivalent is well.
Examples:
You did a good job.
Good describes the job.
You did the job well.
Well answers how.
You smell good today.
Good describes your fragrance, not how you smell with your nose, so using the adjective is
correct.
You smell well for someone with a cold.
You are actively smelling with your nose here, so use the adverb.
Rule 4. The word well can be an adjective, too. When referring to health, we often
use well rather thangood.
Examples:
You do not look well today.
I don't feel well, either.
Rule 5. Adjectives come in three forms, also called degrees. An adjective in its normal or
usual form is called a positive degree adjective. There are also
the comparative and superlative degrees, which are used for comparison, as in the
following examples:

Positive

Comparative

Superlative

sweet

sweeter

sweetest

bad

worse

worst

efficient

more efficient

most efficient

A common error in using adjectives and adverbs arises from using the wrong form of
comparison. To compare two things, always use a comparative adjective:
Example: She is the cleverer of the two women (never cleverest)
The word cleverest is what is called the superlative form of clever. Use it only when
comparing three or more things:
Example: She is the cleverest of them all.
Incorrect: Chocolate or vanilla: which do you like best?
Correct: Chocolate or vanilla: which do you like better?
Rule 6. There are also three degrees of adverbs. In formal usage, do not drop the ly from an adverb when using the comparative form.
Incorrect: She spoke quicker than he did.
Correct: She spoke more quickly than he did.
Incorrect: Talk quieter.

Correct: Talk more quietly.

Rule 7. When this, that, these, and those are followed by a noun, they are adjectives. When
they appear without a noun following them, they are pronouns.
Examples:
This house is for sale.
This is an adjective.
This is for sale.
This is a pronoun.