Adverb Placement and Order
We can put adverbs at the front, in the middle, or at the end of a clause. Each can have its own function. We'll also learn about the orders of adverbs.
Adverb Placement
Adverb placement in English can be confusing at times. So it is best if we learn the position of adverbs based on the types of adverbs.
Basically, adverbs can take three different positions:
- Initial Position
- Middle Position
- End Position
the adverb is placed at the end of the sentence
Adverb Placement: Initial Position
Conjunctive Adverbs
Conjunctive adverbs that show a connection with the previous sentences, and those that provide the context for a sentence, are normally placed at the beginning of the sentence. For example:
Adverbs of Time and Frequency
Adverbs of time and adverbs of frequency are used in various placements. Time adverbs are the most flexible of all adverbs in their adverb placement. They can appear at the beginning, middle, and end of the sentence.
Adverb Placement: Middle Position
Adverbs of frequency, adverbs of probability, and adverbs of comment can all be used in the middle position.
She
She has
I
Tip!
Adverbs of frequency are always placed before the main verb, not before the auxiliary verb.
I don't usually don't go to the park.')
Adverb Placement: End Position
Generally, adverbs are placed at the end of a sentence. These types of adverbs are typically placed at the end of a sentence or phrase:
Adverbs of Time
Adverbs of time usually come at the end of a sentence or clause.
I have my first math class
Stop shouting
Adverbs of Place
Adverbs of place usually come at the end of a sentence.
What are you doing
She visited him
Adverbs of Manner
Adverbs of manner usually come at the end of a sentence or clause.
Just try and talk to her
Traffic flowed
Adverbs with a To-infinitive
You cannot place an adverb between parts of a to-infinitive verb. It may result in different meanings.
He likes to eat hot food.
This example is incorrect. It means he likes it only when he can do it usually.
He likes to eat
This example is incorrect. It means the food isn't usually hot, but sometimes not hot.
He likes to eat hot food
This sentence is correct.
Adverb Order
If we want to use more than one adverb in a sentence, we should follow a particular order in which different adverbs should appear in a sentence. This rule is called the order of adverbs or sometimes called the royal order of adverbs.
- Adverbs of Manner
- Adverbs of Place
- Adverbs of Frequency
- Adverbs of Time
- Adverbs of Purpose
We should mention that it is usually uncommon to use all five categories of adverbs in single sentence, but sometimes we might use two or three adverbs.
She walked
Review
Adverbs are divided into four different groups, each was discussed in detail earlier. Adverbs are words that modify adjectives, verbs, or other adverbs. They express a relation of place, time, etc.
- Adverbs order in a sentence is important especially when there are more than one of them in one sentence.
| Manner | Place | Frequency | Time | Purpose |
Now, that we know their orders in a sentence let us learn all four groups by learning the examples.
| adverbs modifying verbs |
They ran |
| adverbs modifying adjectives (intensifiers) |
It is |
| adverbs modifying another adverb (intensifiers) |
The restaurant is |
| adverbs modifying entire sentences (sentence adverbs) |
|
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