Sentence meaning and place of adverb

Question

Hi~I wonder how and why the meanings of these sentences are different due to the place of adverbs in sentence. a. Sadly, Bill declined the teacher's offer.a'. Bill declined the teacher's offer sadly.b. After shopping, his daughter counted the change correctly.b'. After shopping, his daughter correctly counted the change.c. Texans often drink beer.c'. Texans drink beer often.d. Fred also has deliberately been avoiding Ruth.d'. Fred deliberately has also been avoiding Ruth.

Dimsumexpress · Accepted Answer

Hi,
Adverbs' behaviors sometimes can't be explained away by grammar rules. How and where they are placed in a sentence may appear to have caused the meaning to shift, but that may be an illunsion, and not entirely true. One must consider each context separately.

Take sentence 'a' for instance, a-2, comparatively speaking, placing "sadly" at the end " is less idiomatic than a-1. It wouldn't be my choice with this sentence. We know, adverbs modify adjectives, anothe adverb and verbs, generally speaking. Additionally, it can modify a sentence. So here are the possibilities and my understadning of the usages:
1 -Sadly, Bill declined the teacher's offer. In this context, "sadly" is placed at the beginning, so it modifies the entire sentence.

2 Bill Sadly declined the teacher's offer. "Sadly" modifies "declined".

3 Bill declined the teacher's offer Sadly. This is the least idiomatic version.

Placement of adverb doesn't have a gramamtical formula. It has more to do with how an author tries to get the point across affectively with the use of adverbs, and how the adverbs flow in the sentence.

i.e.
Apparently, everyone in the office knows John has a drinking problem.
Everyone in the office apparently knows John has a drinking problem.
Everyone in the office knows John has a drinking problem, ~~apparently,~~

That's my opinion.

CalifJim · Answer

Anonymousa. Sadly, Bill declined the teacher's offer.
a'. Bill declined the teacher's offer sadly.

a. The speaker finds it unfortunate that Bill declined the offer.
a.' Bill declined the offer in a sad manner.

Anonymousb. After shopping, his daughter counted the change correctly.
b'. After shopping, his daughter correctly counted the change.

The meaning is the same. Adverbs of manner (like correctly) can comfortably occur in either of those positions.

Anonymousc. Texans often drink beer.
c'. Texans drink beer often.

The meaning is the same. The first is a little more idiomatic. Adverbs of frequency typically occur before the verb. "usually go", "always say", "often drink", ...

Anonymousd. Fred also has deliberately been avoiding Ruth.
d'. Fred deliberately has also been avoiding Ruth.

The adverb of manner deliberately is not well placed before the auxiliary has, so I would not use the second version.

Fred has also been deliberately avoiding Ruth. (Fred is doing something mentioned in a previous statement not shown, and avoiding Ruth, too.)

Fred, too, has been deliberately avoiding Ruth. (Fred is not the only one avoiding Ruth. Someone else mentioned in a previous statement not shown is avoiding Ruth as well.)

The first of the two above can also have the meaning I gave for the second if Fred is stessed with the voice instead of also.

CJ

Sentence meaning and place of adverb

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