Another common problem upper-intermediate and advanced learners have.
A problem students often have when using adverbs is to put them in the wrong position in the statement. Watch this short video from our ’10-Minute Grammar’ series for some examples and how to avoid them.
Transcript for ‘Word Order with Adverbs’
Welcome to the latest in our series of 10 minute grammar lessons looking at common mistakes made by upper-intermediate to advanced level students. This video looks at the problem of word order when using adverbs.
So, what are adverbs? Well, they are words that modify verbs, adjectives, even other adverbs. sometimes even whole clauses. You’ll know them when you see them and you use them all the time. For example,
I often practise my English speaking skills on Skype. (adverb + verb)
I’m reading a very interesting book at the moment. (adverb + adjective)
My brother speaks English really well. (adverb + adverb)
I need IELTS for university so obviously I need as high a grade as possible. (adverb + clause)
The problem students tend to have with these adverbs is where to put them in a sentence or statement. For example, you will often hear or read mistakes like this:
I always am the first person to arrive at work. (x)
I studied also at a private language school during the summer. (x)
Hopefully you spotted the mistakes here. This is where these adverbs should be:
I am always the first person to arrive at work.
I also studied at a private language school.
Look at these 6 statements that were made by upper-intermediate and advanced level English students. They all contain mistakes in word order. Where do you think the highlighted adverb should be?
1) I haven’t taken yet my exam.
2) I’ve been studying English only for 3 years.
3) I went during the summer to a holiday resort in Italy.
4) My parents always have been very encouraging and supportive.
5) I’m not sure which university to go to but I hopefully will get a place at a good one.
6) Our English teacher usually is able to explain how to use certain words.
Before we look at correcting these statements let’s look at some general guidelines for the position of adverbs. Unfortunately, there are no strict rules as to where adverbs must appear. In many cases they can appear in more than one position in a sentence, before or after the subject, at the beginning or the end of a clause. However, in general adverbs tend to appear in one of three positions:
- before the subject
- between the subject and the main verb
- after the subject and verb, usually at the end of the clause
Adverbs are used for a variety of reasons: for example to talk about how frequently something happens, to describe the manner in which something happens, or to act as a focusing mechanism. We’ll look a few used here in relation to word order.
Comment adverbs are adverbs like ‘luckily’, ‘clearly’, or ‘obviously’ and these can come before the subject if we want to highlight or focus attention on the clause that follows. When we’re speaking we usually pause after the adverb and in the written form we use a comma. For example:
Obviously, I’d like to do a job that was stimulating as well as well paid.
But these adverbs can also appear between the subject and the main verb but after an auxiliary verb like ‘have’ or ‘would’ if one exists. For example:
I’d obviously like to do a job that was stimulating as well as well paid.
Adverbs of frequency like ‘always’, ‘sometimes’, ‘never’ will usually go between the subject and the main verb but after the auxiliary verb or the verb ‘to be’. So for example:
We usually have a family holiday in August.
I’d never been abroad until I came to England to do an English course.
I’m often late for work as the traffic is so bed where I live.
Then there are focus adverbs like ‘only’, ‘even’ or ‘just’ and these also usually go between the subject and the main verb but after the auxiliary verb if there is one. For example:
I only work three days a week as I attend college for two days.
She can even speak Chinese.
She can even speak Chinese.
However, if the adverb is used to describe the subject in can go at the beginning. For example:
Even he knows the answer. (So it must be easy)
Other adverbs that indicate definite times such as ‘next week’, ‘every year’, and adverbs of manner such as ‘well’, ‘quickly’ and ‘carefully’ often appear at the end of the clause. So for example:
I go to language classes every Friday.
I play the piano quite well.
‘Yet’ is another adverb that often appears after the verb at the end of the clause. For example:
I haven’t finished my studies yet.
So let’s look again at those 6 statements and see where the mistakes were.
1) I haven’t taken yet my exam.
OK, so yet usually appears at the end of the clause so should be
I haven’t taken my exam yet.
2) I’ve been studying English only for 3 years.
This is a focus adverb highlighting the length of time and goes between the subject and the main verb but after the auxiliary verb so it should be
I’ve only been studying English for 3 years.
3) I went during the summer to a holiday resort in Italy.
This is an example of a definite time adverb so would appear before the subject or the end of the clause. So we can have either
During the summer I went to a holiday resort in Italy.
I went to a holiday resort in Italy during the summer.
4) My parents always have been very encouraging and supportive.
Adverbs of frequency go between the subject and main verb but after an auxiliary verb so this should be:
My parents have always been very encouraging and supportive.
5) I’m not sure which university to go to but I hopefully will get a place at a good one.
This is an example of a comment adverb and so comes before the subject:
I’m not sure which university to go to but hopefully I will get a place at a good one.
or between the subject and main verb
I’m not sure which university to go to but I will hopefully get a place at a good one.
6) Our English teacher usually is able to explain how to use certain words.
And finally, this is another example of an adverb of frequency and the adverb goes after the verb to be:
Our English teacher is usually able to explain how to use certain words.
OK, before we finish let’s try a short test? Try putting the adverb in bold in the correct place in the following statements. Here’s the first one:
always
I like studying English now but I haven’t enjoyed it.
OK, so this is an adverb of frequency so should go between the subject and the main verb but after the auxiliary verb haven’t’. Like this.
I like studying English now but I haven’t always enjoyed it.
yet
I don’t think I’m ready to take the exam.
Yes, you should know this now. yet generally appears at the end of the clause like this:
I don’t think I’m ready to take the exam yet.
even
I think we should all do exercise. My 82-year-old grandmother does exercise each day.
This is a focus adverb, focussing in the grandmother so is appears here:
I think we should all do exercise. Even my 82-year-old grandmother does exercise each day.
nearly
I’m not as good at English as my brother.
This is another adverb of frequency and goes after the subject and the verb to be, Like this:
I’m not nearly as good at English as my brother.
OK, that’s the end of this quick lesson on the position of some of the common adverbs.
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