An adverb is one of the parts of speech in English grammar that modifies or qualifies several types of words like adjectives, verbs, adverbs, clauses, or whole sentences. It generally answers the questions like where?, when?, why?, how?, etc. Most of the time an adverb can be identified by "-ly", but there are many adverbs which do not take -ly.
Example: I am going to the beach. (Where?)
She will see you in the evening. (When?)
He always does yoga to lose weight. (Why?)
Our English teacher speaks fast. (How?)
Three positions that adverbs come in are: initial, middle, and final. When a sentence starts with an adverb, it is then in an initial position. The middle position means either after the auxiliary verbs, between the auxiliary verbs and the main verb, or before the main verb if it comes without an auxiliary verb, and the final position refers to the position that is at the end of a sentence.
Example: At present, he is busy. (initial position)
She never drinks alcohol. (middle position)
I'll meet you tomorrow. (final position)
Although indefinite frequency adverbs which are questioned by "how often?" are more common in the middle position, they can be used initially and finally as well. These adverbs are always, never, seldom, rarely, barely, hardly, usually, normally, often, quite often, frequently, sometimes, ever, occasionally, generally, etc.)
Example: Lazy students rarely do homework.
Natasha has never travelled by plane.
Have you ever wanted a horror movie?
These adverbs can be used initially.
Example: Sometimes I visited my grandmother.
Generally, children go to bed early at night.
We can use indefinite frequency adverbs in the final position if they are the main focus of the message.
Example: People speak a lie sometimes.
I do not like to attend virtual meetings very often.
We use time and definite frequency adverbs either at the beginning if they are not the main focus or more commonly at the end. These adverbs are already, daily weekly, soon, still, last, today, finally, before, afterward, eventually, etc.
Example: I'm going to watch a movie today evening.
The concert will start soon.
Initial position:
Example: Today she is meeting her boyfriend.
Last time they invited me for coffee.
Some of them like already, finally, eventually, etc. may go in the middle position as well.
Example: The interview eventually started 45 minutes late.
Don't talk about that movie. I've already watched it.
Adverbs of manner, place, and time prefer to come in the final position and they come in the same order in they are mentioned: MPT if they come together in a clause.
Example: He runs fast.
My uncle lives in London.
Natasha visited Paris last year.
All contestants sang nicely in the competition yesterday.
The last sentence has all three adverbs: manner, place, and time. We need to follow the same order to put them together. However, we can exchange the order of place and time adverbs.
Adverbs of manner ending in -ly (slowly, quietly, swiftly, angrily, happily, suddenly, noisily, etc.) can go in the middle position if the adverb is not the prime focus of the message. These adverbs say how something happens or is done.
Example: The leopard swiftly jumped into the bush.
The hunter slowly moves to the deer.
In passive voice, we use adverbs of manner ending in -ly after all auxiliary verbs.
Example: The painting of Monalisa has been beautifully drawn.
Adverbs of certainty (obviously, absolutely, definitely, certainly, probably, clearly, surely, doubtlessly, explicitly, plainly, undeniably, etc.) come in the middle position.
Example: It will probably rain today evening.
I think he will surely help you.
He is doubtlessly innocent.
But maybe and perhaps usually come at the beginning of a clause.
Example: Maybe he is guilty but it is yet to be proved.
Perhaps I'll go shopping if I get a day off.
Adverbs of completeness and adverbs that show the speaker's opinion (comment adverbs) prefer to be in the middle position.
Adverbs of completeness: completely, partly, almost, nearly, kind of, sort of, quite, rather, more or less, hardly, scarcely, barely, fairly, properly, etc.
Example: It is almost done.
Nitesh hardly reads the English text.
This question is quite difficult.
She kind of hopes she will be able to beat her in the tournament.
Adverbs of completeness usually come after all auxiliary verbs used in the sentence.
Example: I think coronavirus will have completely infected one of ten people in the world by the end of 2020.
(NOT I think coronavirus will completely have infected ...)
Construction work has been almost finished.
Comment adverbs: frankly, honestly, stupidly, fortunately, luckily, etc.
Example: He frankly speaks what he wants to say.
I stupidly lost my wallet.
Note adverbs in negative sentences generally come before "not" if they put emphasis on the negative. If not, they go after"not".
Example: She surely will not go with you.
When adverbs come before "not", they are to come before the first auxiliary verbs but they always come before "do" auxiliary. If the auxiliary verb and "not" are contracted, adverbs come only before the contracted negative form.
Example: She will probably not go swimming.
She probably will not go swimming.
He certainly does not come. (NOT He does certainly not come.)
He certainly doesn't come.
She probably won't go swimming.
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