Adverbials

What are adverbs?

Basic Questions

– If it’s a question, don’t write it like a sentence!• Examples:–Why the coffee is hot?–When she goes home?–How often she speaks English?–Who she works for?

Adverbial Position

• Basic Adverbial Position:• Usually adverbials come after the verb and in this

order:

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HOW WHERE HOW OFTEN

WHEN WHY

I study… carefully at home every day after class to get an A.

Sometimes Adverbs…

• Come before the verb:– Adverbs of frequency (how often):• I often study at home.• He never leaves class.

– Adverbs of manner (how):• I quickly walked away.• He completely understood.

– Indefinite adverbs of time:• He recently found his money.

Position and Order of Adverbial Phrases

• Here are some rules that we need to remember about adverbials:

1. Short adverbials usually come before long ones:– Awkward: I read my homework on Tuesdays,

Thursdays, and Fridays at home.

– Better: I read my homework at home on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

2. If there are two adverbials of the same kind, the more specific comes first:

– Awkward: Many people from Tokyo in my neighborhood don’t have cars.

– Better: Many people from my neighborhood in Tokyo don’t have cars.

3. Use only two or three adverbials after the verb. If there are more, move them to the beginning of the sentence.– Awkward: I type my homework quickly at home

on my laptop every day.

– Better: Every day, I type my homework quickly at home on my laptop.

Why Can Adverbials Move to the Beginning of a Sentence?

• If there are several other adverbials or if the verb phrase is very long.

– Every day, Mary quickly calls her mother at home with her mobile phone.

– Not: Mary quickly calls her mother at home