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JaxTeller Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Placing of adverbs
Question 1 regarding frequency adverbs: I know that the rule for frequency adverbs is to put the adverb, before the main verb or behind words like be/have/do.
Is it wrong to use it like this:
''Usually, I swim on saturdays, but I made an exception this week.''
Instead of : I usually swim on saturdays, but I made an exception this week
Does this sound weird to a native speaker?
I mean sometimes it is difficult for non-native speakers to apply the rules in a conversation, I just use what comes to my mind.
Question 2 regarding adverbs of manner: These adverbs are placed behind the direct object or behind the verb if there is no object in the sentence
Again, my question is whether it sounds natural to a native speaker if it is used like this:
The painter very carefully scraped off the old paint (I founds this sentence online, I guess it's correct)
Instead of: ''The painter scraped off the old paint very carefully.''
So basically, I want to know if my versions are unnatural to a native ear, since in conversation I use what comes to my mind.
Thanks
Is it wrong to use it like this:
''Usually, I swim on saturdays, but I made an exception this week.''
Instead of : I usually swim on saturdays, but I made an exception this week
Does this sound weird to a native speaker?
I mean sometimes it is difficult for non-native speakers to apply the rules in a conversation, I just use what comes to my mind.
Question 2 regarding adverbs of manner: These adverbs are placed behind the direct object or behind the verb if there is no object in the sentence
Again, my question is whether it sounds natural to a native speaker if it is used like this:
The painter very carefully scraped off the old paint (I founds this sentence online, I guess it's correct)
Instead of: ''The painter scraped off the old paint very carefully.''
So basically, I want to know if my versions are unnatural to a native ear, since in conversation I use what comes to my mind.
Thanks
Top answer
Emre25 I know that the rule for frequency adverbs is to put the adverb, before the main verb or behind words like be/have/do. It's not an absolute rule. ''Instead of : I usually swim on saturdays, but I made an exception this week They are both OK if you capitalise the first letter of 'Saturdays'.
- Emre25 I know that the rule for frequency adverbs is to put the adverb, before the main verb or behind words like be/have/do.
- It's not an absolute rule.
- ''Instead of : I usually swim on saturdays, but I made an exception this week They are both OK if you capitalise the first letter of 'Saturdays'.
- ''So basically, I want to know if my versions are unn They are both OK.
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4 Answers
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Emre25I know that the rule for frequency adverbs is to put the adverb, before the main verb or behind words like be/have/do.It's not an absolute rule. It's an observation on what frequently happens,
Emre25''Usually, I swim on saturdays, but I made an exception this week.''Instead of : I usually swim on saturdays, but I made an exceptio
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Emre25sometimes it is difficult for non-native speakers to apply the rules in a conversation, I just use what comes to my mind. ...If you consciously practice the "normal" way by repeating sentences with the "normal" word order 10 minutes a day,
I want to know if my versions are unnatural to a native ear, since in conversation I use what comes to my mind.
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CalifJim.If you consciously practice the "normal" way by repeating sentences with the "normal" word order 10 minutes a day, adverb placement will become natural for you, and what comes to mind will automatically be "normal". Your versions are not unnatural, but if you continue to "wing it" (guess randomly), you're bound to start making some mistakes. For example, it may s
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