XXIII - GRAMMAR Placing adverbs

PLACING ADVERBS

There are three places in a sentence where adverbs can go:

At the beginning of a sentence or clause:

Suddenly I had earache.
Recently I had earache.

In the middle of a sentence:

I suddenly had earache.
I recently had earache.

At the end of a sentence or clause:

I had earache suddenly.
I had earache recently but it’s fine now.

How do you know where the adverb goes?

Adverbs that tell you ‘how often’ can go in the mid-position in a sentence:

I’m usually working at weekends.
I never said I liked you.

Other adverbs may fit more comfortably at the beginning or end of a sentence:

Yesterday I went to the skate park.
I went to the skate park yesterday.

The best way to know if the order is right is to say the sentence to yourself. Does it sound right?

She often is late.
She is often late. (This sounds better.)