Adverbs of Place
Adverbs of place help us express where the verb is taking place. Using them will help us be more accurate about locations.
What Are Adverbs of Place?
Adverbs of place (also called spatial adverbs) modify a verb to tell us where an action is done.
One important thing to know about adverbs of place is that they do not modify adjectives or other adverbs.
I've never lived
Come
I've lived
Here is a list of the interrogative adverbs of place:
- Where
- Wherever
- Wheresoever
- Whence
- Whereabouts
- Wherein
- Whereto
Adverbs of Place: Placement
An adverb of place is usually put after an intransitive main verb or after the object with a transitive verb. Usually, they come at the end of a clause.
He walked
Please put the book
To be more formal you can use adverbs that end in -ward or -wards, at the beginning or near the beginning of a sentence to emphasize the writing's formal style.
I'm glad that they are
Please step
In 'formal' style, you can use adverbial prepositional phrases at the beginning of a sentence to emphasize the location of the place they describe.
The adverbs 'here' and 'there' are normally used at the beginning of a sentence to put emphasis on the location or direction of a place they describe.
Adverbs of Place: Structure
Most adverbs of place are technically adverbials of place that are prepositional phrases. But some adverbs of place are flat adverbs (also called simple adverbs or bare adverbs) which means they have one word, like 'here, there, upstairs, downstairs, etc.
I went
He was standing
Adverbs of Place: Prepositional Phrases
We can use many adverbs of place as prepositions too. When used as prepositions, they must be followed by a noun.
He put his hand
We walked slowly
Adverbs of Place: Uses
Adverbs of place are used to describe location, direction, and distance.
Location
We can use adverbs of place to talk about the position of someone or something in relation to another thing or person.
My mother is cooking
Let's go play
using an adverb of place in a sentence
Direction
Adverbs of place can be used to talk about the direction which means they tell us in which way someone or something is moving.
She waved as she drove
They always go
Tip
'Toward' and 'towards' are both adverbs that are used to indicate 'something is in the direction of something else.' The only difference between them is the letter s.
In the united states and Canada people tend to use toward, while other English speakers such as people in the united kingdom use towards.
He stood up and walked
His glance kept going
Distance
Adverbs of place can also be used to show the distance of something, such as how close or how far something is.
She turned
He ran
Adverbs of Place: Suffix -wards
Adverbs of place ending in the suffix -wards show movement towards a particular direction or place.
a
Adverbs of Place: Suffix -where
Adverbs of place which end in the suffix -where express the idea of an indefinite location, rather than a specific one.
It's got to be around here
She's looked
Here and There
Two of the most common adverbs of place are 'here' and 'there.' They express a location relevant to the speaker, not another subject or object in the sentence.
'Here' expresses a place towards or with the speaker, and 'there' expresses away from, or not with the speaker.
Come on. I'm over
Australia? I've always wanted to go
Sometimes 'here' and 'there' are placed at the beginning of the sentence in exclamations for emphasis.
What Is the Difference between Adverbial or Dummy 'There'?
'There' as a 'dummy pronoun' is usually followed by a verb and it actually does not give further information about something. On the contrary, 'adverbial' 'there' can be added to a pronoun to point out someone. So take a look at the examples:
Here there is an adverbial 'there' because it is added to a pronoun it cannot be a dummy pronoun.
She is
Adverbial
Dummy
Adverbs of Place or Prepositions?
Many adverbs of place can have the role of a preposition in a sentence. The only difference between them is that prepositions have to be followed by a noun but adverbs do not.
He went
Here, 'inside' is an adverb.
He went
Here, 'inside' is a preposition.
Adverbs as Subject Complements
Adverbs can sometimes be used as predicative subject complements. Mostly the adverbs of place can be used in this way. For example:
Our seat is
Review
Adverbs of place as their name requires are used to refer to a place let us take a look at their uses:
- to talk about the position (location)
- to talk about direction
- to talk about distance
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