Adverbs concerned with character and intelligence, like foolishly, kindly, generously, stupidly, etc., may take two positions, but meaning changes:
He answered the questions FOOLISHLY * = He answered in a foolish manner, his answers were foolish
He FOOLISHLY answered the questions = His
action was foolish, it was foolish of him
to answer at all
He spoke KINDLY * = His words were kind
He KINDLY waited for us = It was kind of him to wait for us
WELL can be an adverb of manner or of degree.
He reads WELL (manner)
They speak English WELL (manner)
They treated me WELL (manner)
She knows the town WELL (degree)
Shake it well before opening it (degree)
The presents were well wrapped up (degree)BADLY
as an adverb of manner goes also at the end. But as an adverb of degree, it can precede the verb.
The door needs a coat of paint BADLY
The door BADLY needs a coat of paint
I need a drink BADLY
I BADLY need a drink
Note: The difference between manner and degree depends BASICALLY on what you want to mean. It’s unimportant.
2. Place: Where? *
Place adverbials are usually placed in end position.
They lived HERE *
They found the dog OUT IN THE WOODS *
Did you see my keys ANYWHERE? *
However, in descriptive writing and reports, we can move them to the front, to introduce the theme or to highlight where something happened.
) AT THE MEETING we distributed this year’s Office Reports
Notice: if the verb following is BE, S-V inversion occurs.
) NEXT TO MARY was Joe, laughing his head off (like “there be”: Next to Mary there was a man)
Be careful: ) IN THE GARDEN people were preparing the party
This also happens in descriptive writing with intransitive verbs indicating position or movement to a position, like hang, lie, live, sit, stand; come, fly, go, march, roll, run, swim, walk.
) BEYOND THE HOUSE lay an open field
But we don’t do this if the intransitive verb is followed by a manner adverb (or with trans. Verbs, V+O):
) ABOVE HIS HEAD the sword hung MENACINGLY () IN THE GARDEN Mary built a tree house)
3. Time: When? * ())
We know that TIME ADVERBIALS are placed at the beginning or at the end of the sentence.
) AFTERWARDS we bumped into Muriel
) EVENTUALLY we found the station thank god!
) LATELY I have had the strangest feeling… (Stevie Wonder)
The weather will be much cooler TOMORROW *
You must have handed in your exercises BY NOVEMBER 1 *
We’ve been dreaming about it FOR YEARS *
Notice what happens when you move the time adverbial to the beginning in the last two examples.
7 But this is not always so, of course! Look at these adverbs of time, which are placed in mid-position:
1. JUST is placed before the main verb with perfect tenses when we want to express: “acabar de” + hacer algo. I’ve JUST finished. We had JUST finished when the teacher asked someone out.
2. STILL is placed before the verb, like frequency adverbs. Are you STILL doing your exercise? Yes, I am STILL doing it! Exception: I am still here (if the main verb is BE). Notice: “are, am” in the first
3. examples are auxiliary verbs and notice “am” in the former example is a main verb.
4. YET can only be placed at the end: I haven’t finished my exercise YET. Aren’t you ready YET?
The adverbs DAILY, HOURLY, MONTHLY, WEEKLY… go in end position (as if they were manner adverbs!)
The web page is updated WEEKLY
ORDER: MANNER + PLACE + TIME (often, TIME –--SUBJECT+VERB--- MANNER + PLACE)
4. Frequency: How often? 7
One-word FREQUENCY ADVERBS are USUALLY placed before the main verb (except if it is BE!):
We USUALLY go out on Saturdays I have NEVER seen a UFO Are you ALWAYS shouting?!
Exception, the modals “used to” and “have to”.
We HARDLY EVER have to remind them of bringing their books
And when we give short answers. Then the frequency adverb goes before the auxiliary:
Can you park well here (manner + place)? Yes, I USUALLY can.
If there are two auxiliaries before the main verb, then they are placed after the first auxiliary:
You have OFTEN been told not to do that.
When we have adverbial expressions expressing frequency, such as “once a week”, “twice a month”, “three times a year”, “every other day”, “on Mondays”, “every month”, “each single day”… we have to treat them as if they were adverbials of time, and place them at the beginning or at the end.
We OFTEN drive to the seaside TWICE A YEAR *
) ON MONDAYS she goes to the gym She goes to the gym ON MONDAYS *
OCCASIONALLY, you will find frequency adverbs at the beginning of the sentence, as in this sentence!
) SOMETIMES I have to be up at eight
When this happens, if the frequency is indefinite and the verb has a negative meaning, like HARDLY EVER, NEVER, RARELY, SELDOM, NOT ONCE… then a S-V inversion is necessary:
) NEVER have I seen such a beautiful baby!
) NOT ONCE did she say she was sorry…
5. Comment/Viewpoint and Connecting Adverbials )
Presumably*, … Certainly*, … Clearly*, … Undoubtedly*, … Obviously*, … As might be expected, … Sadly, … Oddly enough, … Interestingly enough, … Generally speaking, … Wisely, … Wrongly, … To my disappointment, … To my surprise, … To be honest/fair, … To put it simply, … On average, … Financially, … Ideologically, … Morally, … Politically, … From a technical point of view, … Personally, … As a result, … Similarly, …
* Degree of certainty ) * 7 They certainly worked hard
