Grammar tips

Today we will present the final topic of the series about adverbs and their position on the phrase.

End position

Adverbs of manner, place and time usually go in end position, often in that order. Adverbs of indefinite frequency (e.g. occasionally) sometimes go in end position.

Adverbs of manner

Adverbs of manner say how something happens or is done. Examples: angrily, happily, fast, slowly, well, badly, nicely, noisily, quietly, hard, softly.

• “Brazil’s Central Bank expects inflation to decrease slowly.”

Adverbs in “-ly” can also go in mid-position if the adverb is not the main focus of the message.

•  “Brazil’s Central Bank expects inflation to slowly decrease.”

Adverbs of place

Examples: upstairs, around, here, to bed, in London, out of the window.

• “President Lula met President Xi Jinping in Beijing.”

Front position is also possible, especially in literary writing and if the adverb is not the main focus of the message.

• “In Beijing, President Lula met President Xi Jinping to close important economic deals.”

Adverbs of time and definite frequency

Examples: today, afterwards, in June, last year, finally, before, eventually, already, soon, still, last, daily, weekly, every year.

• “The United Kingdom signed a deal to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in late March.”

Front position is also common if the adverb is not the main focus of the message.

• “In late March, the United Kingdom signed a deal to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).”

Adverbs of indefinite frequency

Examples: usually, normally, often, frequently, sometimes, and occasionally.

These adverbs can go in end position if they are the main focus of the message.

• “Brazilian diplomacy has been labeled as being a great mediator of conflicts quite often.”

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