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Adverbs and adverbial phrases - Coggle Diagram
Adverbs and adverbial phrases
End position
In
spoken English
,
adverbials of manner
,
place
and
time
usually go at the
end of the clause
,
after the verb and the object
I write
very slowly
. NOT I very slowly write
I live
nearby
so we ’ll be
there soon
.
Adverbial phrases of frequency
usually go in the
end position
. Some
single-word frequency adverbs
take this position
too:
sometimes, occasionally, regularly ...
We have a test
every couple of weeks
.
I go there
regularly
.
Don’t place adverbs between
the
verb
and the
direct object
She did
the work too quickly
. NOT She did
too quickly the work
.
I’m sure I’ll meet
her someday
. NOT I'm sure I'll meet
someday her
.
The usual
order for adverbs at the end
of a sentence is
manner, place, time
We didn’t sleep
well on those airbeds last night
.
However, when an
adverb of place is necessary to complete the meaning of the verb this order can change
I came
here on foot
. NOT I came on foot here.
Where there are
two verbs
,
adverbs of manner
go
before the first verb
or
after the second verb
,
depending which verb the adverb modifies
I
quickly
decided to take the job.
She made the effort to drive
carefully
.
Tip
For
emphasis
in
written texts
such as
narratives
,
adverbs of manner can go in the front or middle position
Hesitantly
, she
carefully
unwrapped the parcel.
Middle position
Adverbial phrases are very rare in the middle position
At last
I got home. I got home
at last
. NOT I
at last
got home.
In the middle position
the adverb goes before the main verb
,usually
after the first auxiliary or modal verb, or after be
. Adverbs of
probability, certainty, frequency and focus
often take the middle position
Good exam results
don't inevitably mean
success in later life.
Grammar
is usually
my weakest point.
Many
adverbs of frequency (never, always, ever)
and
certain time adverbs (just, still)
can
only go
in the
middle position
She
still
practises her Japanese. NOT Still she practices... /... practices her Japanese still.
Adverbs of certainty
usually go
after auxiliaries
, but they go
before
contracted negative auxiliaries
I
'll probably
see you soon. NOT I probably will...
She
probably / definitely
can’t hear you. NOT She can't probably...
Be careful with the word order of contracted negative auxiliaries
I
don’t really
care. (= not much)
I
definitely won't
come. (= no chance)
I
really don’t
care. (= not at all)
I
won't definitely
come. (= not sure)
Front position
Comment and linking adverbs
usually go at
the front of the clause
, followed by a comma
Obviously
, he knows his grammar.
However
, he isn’t as fluent as he’d like to be.
Adverbials
of time, place and frequency
can also go
at the front
, when we want to
set the scene or change the focus
In London
there are plenty of jobs.
Every so often
I forget the word for ’window’ in French.
Modifying adverbs and adjectives
Adverbials of degree go directly before the word(s) they modify
Laura speaks German
reasonably
well but her French
is a bit
basic.
Adverbs can be modified by phrases with prepositions
I drove here
slowly by my standards
.
Luckily for you
, I ’m in a good mood.