EXPLORE: POSITIONS OF ADVERB IN THE SENTENCE

The position of adverbs in the sentence depends on what classification of adverb it is. If
you can still remember, in your previous lesson, there are five classifications of adverbs.
Can you still recall them? These are adverb of manner, adverb of place, adverb of
time, adverb of frequency, and adverb of purpose.

As for the position of adverb, there is the initial position, middle position/ mid position,
and end position.

Initial Position

o Adverbs at the beginning part of the sentence are called as connecting

adverbs.

o These are used to join a sentence to the preceding clause or statement.

o This adverb placement is crucial for the idea to be connected with the
phrase before it.

o Commas are oftenly used with this adverb.

Some of the examples of connecting adverbs or the adverbs in initial position:

 However,

 Consequently,

 Then,

 Next,

 Still,

o Adverbs of time are also used at the beginning of the sentence to show
when something occurs.

Example:

Tomorrow, Peter is going to visit his mother in Chicago.

Middle Position

o The adverbs that is placed in the middle part of the sentence are also-
known as focusing adverbs.
 o Adverbs emphasize one part of the clause to modify, qualify, or add
addition information.

o Adverbs of frequency such as usually, seldom, rarely and comment

adverbs such as simply, obviously, and others are oftenly associated with
this placement.

Examples:

1. She often (adverb of frequency) forgets to take her umbrella to work.

2. Sam stupidly (comment adverb) left his computer at home instead of taking it
with him to the conference.

Remember: The adverbs of frequency are always placed BEFORE the main verb,
rather than the auxiliary verb.

Correct: I don’t often go to that place.

Incorrect: I often don’t go to that place.

End Position

 It is said that the adverb placement is usually at the end of the sentence.

 Adverbs of manner, adverbs of place, and adverbs of time are most commonly
placed at the END of the sentence.

Examples:

Adverb of Manner

Correct: He drank the water quickly.

Incorrect: He drank quickly the water.

Remember: Adverbs of manner tell how someone does something. These

adverbs usually come after the main verb. It cannot be placed between the verb and
the object of the sentence.

Remember: Adverbs of place are mostly found at the end of the sentence but
sometimes they are also placed in the front position most especially in writing.

Adverb of Place

1. There was a small pond outside.

 2. After a long day at work, we headed homewards.

If the subject is a pronoun, it comes directly after the adverbs here and there. If
the subject is a noun, it comes directly after the verb.

Correct: Here she is.

Incorrect: Here is she.

Adverb of Time

1. I am going to watch movies

2. Steven was here yesterday.

Remember: Adverbs of time usually go in the end position, but if you want to
emphasize the adverb per se, then the adverb of time must be placed in front of the
sentence.

Example:

Before that, there was a terrible thing happened.

Functions of Adverb

The job of adverbs is to modify or to give more information about a thing.

Because of this, adverbs can perform different functions depending on the sentence.
They can modify verbs, adjectives, and even another adverb. They are placed either
before or after the word they modify. Hence, there are adverbs that are delimited
when it comes to combining themselves to other works like the word enough. This may
be used in the phrases such as to work enough, not quickly enough, and quick enough.

Look at the following statements. The adverbs are in bold while the italicized words are
the word/s they modify.

 Adverb as a modifier of a verb

Kristine sings smoothly. (How does Kristine sing?)

She never smokes. (When does she smoke?)

She works abroad. (Where does she work?)

 Adverb as a modifier of an adjective

She is really quick in doing her job.

The place was strangely quiet.

It was a very important question.

 Adverb as a modifier of another adverb

Some whales are spotted extremely rarely.

The leader peered ahead very carefully.

Others quite bravely explore the unknown- space.

 Adverb as a modifier of the whole sentence

“Today, we can take a vacation and do whatever we want.”

“Mercifully, the blast was prevented by the swift arrival of the fire brigade.”

“Honestly, most television comedies are unbearably vulgar.”

 Adverb as a modifier of a clause

“Certainly, his presence was disturbing to the gathered audience.”

“Although he was tired, he stayed awake to finish his report.”

“Before we go on our vacation, we must make reservation.”

 Adverb as a modifier of a noun phrase

I spotted only one crocodile.

He was simply a man.

 Adverb as a modifier of a prepositional phrases

Coco drove our visitors almost to their destination.

The adverbs in the sentence can be seen easily, but you cannot identify its
function in just a glance. You have to analyze the sentence and you must also know
what part of speech is with the said adverb. Bear in mind that adverbs do have various
functions in a sentence. They put emphasis and better description on the word that is
more important than the rest.
Comparison of Adverbs
Dealing with degrees of comparison is familiar. You can have two parts of speech
to transform them in their comparative form. These are adjectives and adverbs. But you
have to deal more on comparative form of adverbs. It is just you need to identify whether
this comparative form of words function as adverb or adjective.

Look at the following examples below with brief explanation:

One of the functions of adverb is to modify a verb. For example:

Joseph sings beautifully. (The adverb beautifully modifies the verb sings)

In more cases and if you want to have a comparison of two verb actions in a
sentence, you are to use comparative adverbs. Remember that they are only used when
you are talking about two actions. For example:
Joseph sings beautifully, but Sheldon won the award because he sings more
beautifully.

There are three degrees of comparison of adverbs. These are the positive, the
comparative, and the superlative. The form in comparative and superlative of the
adverbs that do not end in -ly is done by adding -er and –est, while the adverbs that end
in -ly is accompanied by the word more and most.

If you are asking yourself how are you going to transform into comparative form,
the information below will help you.

1. One- syllable Adverb

If the adverb has one syllable, usually you have to add -er at the end. Some of the
examples are:
Adverb Comparative Adverb
easy easier
high higher
long longer
fast faster
low lower
 You have to remember that there are words that end with -er, but not considered
as adverb, instead they are said to be adjectives. As for the examples:

Positive Comparative
Adverb His grades are high. His grades are higher than someone’s.
Adjective That is an easy test to pass. That’s the easiest test to pass.

Remember
Adjectives do have their comparative and superlative form just like adverbs.
Perhaps, it will make you confuse what is an adjective and what is an adverb when it
comes to degrees. Here is the thing. An adjective is a word that modifies noun or
pronoun. They are sometimes placed before the word it modifies. An adverb always
modifies a verb, an adjective, or other adverbs. It also modifies noun phrase,
prepositional phrase or even a whole sentence.
,

2. Two- syllable or more Adverb

If the adverb has two syllables or more that end in -ly, to form them their
comparative form, more (comparative) and most (superlative) have to be added at
the beginning of the word. For example:

Positive Adverb Comparative Adverb Superlative Adverb

Often more often most often
Quickly more quickly most quickly
Sweetly more sweetly most sweetly
Heavily more heavily most heavily
Gladly more gladly most gladly

3. Irregular Adverb
There are adverbs that considered as irregular because their spelling should be
changed to form the appropriate comparison of adverbs (comparative and
superlative). For example:
 Positive Comparative Superlative
badly worse worst
much more most
well better best

little less least

far further furthest

4. Adverb with Informal Form

There are adverbs with a correct form and that end in -ly and there are also
adverbs that end in- ly, but considered to be informal in form. For example:
Positive Comparative Superlative
Cheap cheaper cheapest
Cheaply more cheaply most cheaply

Be reminded that adjectives and adverbs can be used to make

comparisons. The comparative form is used to compare two people, ideas, or
things. The superlative form with the word "the" is used to compare three or more.
In addition, not all adverbs must be in their comparative form such as always,
never, sometimes, again, yesterday, and others.

Prepositions

 These are the words that show relationship between a noun and other words in a
sentence.

 They are most often followed by a noun or a pronoun. Through that,

prepositional phrases occur.

 They explain relationships of sequence, space, and logic between the object of
the sentence and the rest of the sentence.

 They are essential in a sentence because they help readers to understand order,
time connections, and positions.

Examples:

The sound waves go into your ear and down a tube to your eardrum, a thin piece of
skin stretched across the tube.

There are special nerve centers in your muscles, tendons, and joints.

The following statements about prepositions are crucial to remember.

 1. Prepositions are considered as a closed class of words. There is no new
preposition added to the language unlike nouns, adjectives, and verbs.

2. Prepositions cannot be transformed into other form. They cannot be in

comparative form, plural form, possessive form, or other forms in language
matter.

3. Prepositions are confusing because they are used naturally in different contexts.

4. Prepositions have different jobs. They act as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs. It
can be accompanied by other words in the sentence. If so, it will be called
as phrasal prepositions.

Examples: apart form, according to, in spite of, on behalf of, instead of, in case of,
because of, etc.

1. Prepositions act as vital marker in a sentence to form a clear context.

2. Prepositions are considered as a closed class of words. There is no new

preposition added to the language unlike nouns, adjectives, and verbs.

3. Prepositions cannot be transformed into other form. They cannot be in

comparative form, plural form, possessive form, or other forms in language
matter.

4. Prepositions are confusing because they are used naturally in different contexts.

5. Prepositions have different jobs. They act as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs. It
can be accompanied by other words in the sentence. If so, it will be called
as phrasal prepositions.

Examples: apart form, according to, in spite of, on behalf of, instead of, in case of,
because of, etc.

For further discussion on the nature and types of preposition, please refer on the
attached PDF (adapted by Learning Links Foundation):

Types of Prepositions

There are a lot of prepositions listed. But then, they can be categorized into
different types: prepositions for time, for place, for direction, for agent, for instruments,
and phrasal preposition. This can help one to know how to use correct preposition in
one statement.

1. Prepositions for Time

These are the common prepositions that indicate time: in, on, at, before, and after.
They are used to indicate when something happened, happens or will happen.
 For example:

I was born on August 18th, 1994.

I was born in 1982.

I was born at exactly 2am.

I was born two minutes before my twin brother.

I was born after the Great War ended.

The prepositions in, on, and at are confusing, right? Now, for you to be able to
understand more, remember the following guidelines:

1. You use the preposition in for years, months, seasons, centuries, and times of day.

in past in the 21st century in the future in winter

in evening in the 3rd week of August in 2022 in summer

1. You use the preposition on for days, dates, and days of holidays.

on Sunday on Christmas Day on my birthday

on our anniversary on Monday morning on December 25th

1. You use the preposition at for times, indicators of exception, and festivals.

at Christmas time at the edge of roof at night

at bedtime at the moment at 12 noon

2. Prepositions for Place

The prepositions under this type is similar to the prepositions for time, in, on, and at. But
what makes them different are the following:

o You use in when you refer to something that is inside or within confined
boundaries. This is applicable to anything, even a country. In other words,
if it is a place having some physical or virtual boundary.
in South Korea in school in a cabinet in the library

in the bag in the Philippines in a hallway in a box

o You use on when you are referring to something with a surface.

on the wall on the table on the page

on a blackboard on the way on a horse

o You use at when you are referring to something at a specific point.

at the theater at the airport at the bottom at the bus stop

at home at the doctor’s office at someone’s club at the beach

In addition to that, there a lot of prepositions for place like outside, inside,
over, under, above, and below.

3. Prepositions for Direction

These prepositions are quite easy to identify and use in a sentence. These indicate or
describe how something or someone moves from one place to another. The
preposition to is the most common of all prepositions of movement. It highlights the
thought that there is a movement going to a specific destination. Others are through,
across, down, and into.

 Across is used when one or a thing moves from one side to another.

Example: Christine and Alex are living across that street.

 Through is used when a person or a thing moves directly inside something and
out the other end.

Example: We pass through the tunnel.

  Into is used when entering or looking inside something.

Example: Jessica went into the attic to check what’s going on.

 Up, over, down, andaroundindicate directions of movement.

Examples:

I followed Chelsea up the stairs, then we shared exciting stories.

A beautiful white bird flew over the lake.

She was walking down the street.

The moon goes around the earth.

4. Prepositions for Agent

These prepositions are used to express causal relationship between the noun or the
doer and the action. The most common examples are by, with, about, without, etc.

Examples:

The article is about how Department of Education handles the opening of classes this
school year.

Beowulf is written by an anonymous author during Anglo- Saxon period.

Someone has to be with our superior in attending that seminar.

5. Prepositions for Instruments

These are the prepositions are used to join nouns like instrument, device, machine, and
others to other words in the sentence. Some of the common examples are with the help
of, by, on, with, and others.

Examples:

She watered the plants with the help of a water- pipe.

She went to the party by a sports car.

This cannot operate with the tools you have.

6. Phrasal Preposition

It is said that this is not similar to prepositional phrase. These are a combination of words
but also act as preposition. Some examples are in addition to, in spite of, according to,
in front of, on top of, with regard to, and many others.
Examples:

According to Worldometer, as of July 5, 2020, South Korea has 13, 091

coronavirus cases, 283 deaths, and 11, 832 recoveries.

Between 1879 and 1892 inclusive, administration with regard to swine fever
was entrusted to local authorities.

The church of St James, situated in the older part of the town, is a cruciform Early
English building, retaining, in spite of injudicious restoration, many beautiful details.

Recognizing prepositions can be challenging as they do not always follow a consistent

pattern in terms of their position in a sentence, nor do they have a discernible structure
or spelling. We do know, however, that prepositions are almost always short words, with
the majority having less than six letters. One technique people use to identify a
preposition is to think of a preposition as anywhere a mouse can go. Above, below,
next to, between, beyond, through, by, with…it won’t cover them all, but it can be a
useful question to ask when trying to identify and recognize a preposition. While there
are over 100 prepositions, there are around 500,000-700,000 nouns in English! It is unlikely
anyone will learn so many nouns, but recognizing and then mastering prepositions
might be a worthwhile and attainable goal.

Prepositions with Nouns

There are lots of different nouns that carry specific prepositions to consolidate their
meaning. These are called dependent prepositions. Again, there isn’t a set rule that
says a particular type of noun will take a dependent preposition, although they
normally follow the noun. Moreover, there are many possible combinations. Essentially,
it’s case of familiarizing yourself with the different possibilities of nouns and dependent
prepositions. Examples:

 He displayed cruelty towards his dog.

 She had knowledge of physics.

 The trouble with Jack.

 21 is the age at which you are allowed to drink.

 Bolt made another attempt at the world record.

 The police held an inquiry into the murder.

Prepositions with Verbs

The phrasal combinations of verbs and prepositions are important parts of

speech. The prepositions again act as links between the verb and noun or gerund,
giving extra meaning to the sentence. The prepositions most commonly used with verbs
are: to, for, about, of, in, at and from. The good news is that these will always come
after the verb in the sentence. However, it should also be noted that the prepositional
verbs can have slightly different meaning compared to the original verb. For
example, to relate a story simply means to tell a story, to relate to a story means you
identify with it, find some personally meaning in that story.

There can sometimes be a pattern in deciding which prepositions go with adjectives,

for example, when adjectives have the same or very similar meaning to each other,
they might take the same preposition. Example:

 Frightened of, afraid of, scared of, terrified of

Indeed, when adjectives have opposite meaning they might also take the same
preposition: Examples:

 Good at, great at, superb at, wonderful at

 Bad at, terrible at, woeful at, inept at

Perhaps, a more general rule is that English speakers simply need to learn which
prepositions go with which adjectives, as meaning can change significantly by using a
different preposition. Examples:

 I am good at sports means I have some athletic talent.

 The nurse was good to my mother means she took care of her and was nice,
kind, and helpful.

 I am good with animals means I get along with them and handle them well.

 Swimming is good for your health.

 That was good of you to come means you were begin nice and good to visit.

 My little brother is good inside (his body) means even though, you can’t see how
he thinks and feels, he is good. Even if his behavior is bad.

 The blueberry jam will be good on toast.

Verb + to:

o He admitted to the charge.

o I go to Vancouver on vacation twice a year.

o William can relate to the character in the play.

Verb + for:

o He must apologize for his actions.

o We searched for ages before we found the perfect apartment.

o I provide for my family by working two jobs.

Verb + with:

o I don’t agree with your claim.

o The lawyer said he will meet with your representatives.

o They began with a quick warm-up.

Verb + of:

o I dream of a better life.

o Have you heard of Shakespeare?

o The bread consists of dough, raisins, and a little honey.

Verb + in:

o Does Rick believe in miracles?

o Fallon lives in New York.

o The bus accident resulted in my being late to work.

Verb + at:

o We arrived at our destination.

o Ilene excels at

o Will the baby smile at her mother?

Verb + on:

o We should really concentrate on our studies now.

o Helen insisted on Brenda’s company.

o Morris experimented on some canvas.

Functions of Prepositions

You know already that a preposition draws a relationship between a noun or

pronoun and another word in a sentence. It is also necessary for you to know what
a prepositional phrase is.

Prepositional phrases include a preposition, its object, and any modifiers of the
object. The preposition’s object is the noun or pronoun that follows the preposition. They
can function as noun phrases, adjective phrases or adverb phrases to modify other
words in a sentence.
Conjunctions

 They are one the parts of speech which function as connector between two
words, clauses, or phrases.

 These are used naturally, either in formal or informal writing, academic writing or
business writing. They help sentences connected, be more meaningful and be in
a natural flow of ideas. One sentence should be connected to the next
statement.

 If they are used incorrectly, the idea tends to be incomplete and the idea
becomes incoherent.

 They are categorized into three different types: coordinating, subordinating, and
correlative conjunctions.
Coordinating Conjunctions

o They are referred to as the acronym for FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or,
yet, and so.

o They connect words/ group of words with which the potential

independence is still maintained.

o If FANBOYS are used to connect two independent clauses in a sentence,

put a comma before a specific conjunction. That makes a compound
sentence (sentence with one or more subject and/or predicate).

Subordinating Conjunctions

 These conjunctions are placed at the beginning of subordinate clauses and are
used to connect subordinate clause to the rest of the sentence.

 They referred as independent clause.

  They can be anywhere in the sentence as long as they are with the clauses in
the sentence.

 They make clauses dependent, so an independent clause is needed as well.

 These conjunctions indicate that a clause is informative together with the main
idea in the sentence. They sometimes imply the cause and effect relationship in
a sentence or there is a sudden change in time and place between the two
clauses being combined.

 Some of the examples are: although, because, before, after, though, if, once,
rather than, since, that, unless, when, whenever, where, whom, whose, whereas,
while, etc.

 If the said conjunctions are at the beginning part of the sentence, put a comma
after the clause. If they are at the middle part, no need to put comma.

Correlative Conjunctions

 These are a combination of coordinating conjunction and another word in the

sentence.

 In other words, they are pair of conjunctions that are joined together to combine
two relative parts of speech.

 They are often function as comparative devices which is also considered as the
most common context in the sentence.

Example: "It was either me or him."

-In this sentence, "either" and "or" are the correlative conjunctions. They bind "me"
and "him" together, insinuating an inclusive relationship.

The following are the primary correlative conjunctions in the English language:

Not only… but also… as in: She was not only mean, but also rude.

Neither…nor… as in: They were neither fun nor exciting.

Both…and… as in: He was both pleased and surprised.

Whether…or… as in: He was not sure whether he was winning or losing.

Not…but… as in: They did not want to waste the day, but they stayed inside.