Right Position of Adverbs: English Grammar Tricks

Adverb is one of the significant parts of speech in English grammar. It is among the essential elements that a complete sentence consists of. An adverb modified the meaning of a verb, an adjective or another adverb. Adverbs are of seven types. There are guidelines regarding the position of adverbs in sentences. Many students make mistakes in placing adverbs in a sentence. Placing adverbs rightly in sentences is one of the English grammar tricks that students need to know.   

The guidelines on where to place adverbs in sentence: 

Adverbs of manner like �well�, �quickly�, �fast�, �carefully� �beautifully�, �wonderfully� etc. are usually placed after the verb or the object in a sentence. For example, 

�         He speaks fast.

�         She works wonderfully.   

�         It is raining incessantly.

�         She sings melodiously.     

   

Adverbs of place or adverb phrases of place like �there�, �here�, �anywhere�, �everywhere�, �on the table� etc and adverbs of time like �today�, �everyday�, �yesterday�, �then� etc are generally placed after the verb or the object in a sentence. For example, 

�         We looked for it everywhere.

�         Keep the book on the table.

�         I went there yesterday.

�         He will leave for America next week. 

When two or more than two adverbs are there after a verb or its object in a sentence, the adverb of manner is followed by the adverb of place and the adverb of time is placed at the end. For example, 

�         The band entertained the audience amazingly in the function yesterday.  

�         He spoke earnestly at the meeting last night.

�         He can do any work meticulously anywhere and anytime.

In these three sentences: 

�         Adverb of manner � amazingly, earnestly, meticulously

�         Adverb of place � in the function, at the meeting, anywhere

�         Adverb of time � yesterday, last night, anytime 

Adverbs of frequency like �always�, �often�, �usually�, �rarely�, �never� etc and other adverbs like �already�, �almost�, �nearly�, �quite�, �just� etc. are placed between the subject and the verb. For example, 

�         He never plays cricket.

�         She just returned from work.

�         They quite agree with me. 

If the verb after the subject is a be-verb like am, is, are, was or were, the adverbs of frequency are put after the verb, not between the subject and the verb. For example, 

�         He is always anxious.

�         He is never late for school.

�         She is always busy doing something.  

When an adjective is modified by an adverb, the adverb is usually put before the adjective. For example, 

�         The movie is very interesting.

�         We are much interested to visit the place.

�         He is a rather lazy boy.  

The adverb �enough� always comes after the word which it modifies. For example,

 

�         The distance is long enough from here.

�         She speaks loud enough to be heard.

�         The book is large enough to be read over a long time.