3. The position of adverbial modifiers

There are three normal positions for adverbs: mid-position (He suddenly drove off.), end-position (He drove off suddenly) and initial position (Suddenly he drove off.)

1. Adverbs of indefinite time, frequency and degree (often, seldom. sometimes, always, rarely, usually, quite, almost, fully, etc.), the determiners (all, each, both) usually stand before the verb, but go after am, are, is, was, were:

I often go to the circus, but I never go to the university.

John suddenly ran away.

Helen is often late.

I am never happy at home.

When the predicate consists of several parts, the most common position of the adverb is after the first auxiliary verb:

You must always be on time?

You should definitely have been working this morning.

This lesson will never be finished.

NOTE: In emphatic sentences, many adverbs are put before the first auxiliary verb (and before am, are, is, was, were)

You should always be polite. – I always am polite.

You really will get a surprise one day.

He said he would never tell them, and he never has told them.

2. In negative sentences, some adverbs come before not, and others after, depending on the meaning. Compare:

I certainly do not agree.

I do not often have headaches.

Both positions are possible with some adverbs, often with a difference of meaning. Compare:

I don’t really think so.

I really don’t think so.

When adverbs come before not, they may also come before the first auxiliary verb; they always come before do.

I probably will not be there. (or: I will probably not be there.)

He probably does not know. (but not: *He does probably not know.)

3. The order of adverbs in end-position depends partly on questions of rhythm and emphasis. In general, we put adverbs of place before adverbs of time:

The students came to the university at four o’clock in the morning.

4. Still, yet and already

The word still is usually put in mid-position. It is used to talk about the continuation of a situation or action that started in the past, especially when we are expecting it to stop some time soon, or we are surprised that it has not stopped:

Hell! It’s still raining!

The word yet is usually put in end-position. It is used to talk about things that are expected to happen, and is only used in questions and negative sentences. If we ask about the expected event, we say: Has it happened yet? This question asks for information. If we say: Has it already happened?, the answer ‘yes’ is expected. It has probably happened. This question means: It has happened, I suppose?

Questions with already are often not real questions, but expressions of surprise. Compare:

Is the lesson over yet?

Is the lesson over already? That’s quick!

In a more formal style, yet can be put immediately after not.

The bananas are not yet ripe.

Still can be used in negative and interrogative sentences but its meaning is different from that of yet. Compare:

She hasn’t written to me yet. (But I expect she will soon.)

She still hasn’t written to me. (She would have written before.)

NOTE: One should bear in mind that the words yet and still may have other meanings.

5. Any more, any longer, no longer

Any more and any longer go at the end of the sentence:

I don’t work here any longer.

I don’t go to university any more.

No longer is used in mid-position:

I no longer eat mulligatawny.

NOTE: No more in Modern English is not used in this way to talk about time, but it can be used to talk about quantity or degree:

There is no more beer.

Einstein is no more a genius than I am.

6. The word enough comes after adverbs and adjectives:

We know trigonometry well enough.

Today’s weather is not bad enough.

But it precedes nouns:

Do you think you have enough spaghetti?

Enough of is used before articles, possessive, demonstrative and personal pronouns:

I’ve had enough of this nonsense.

We didn’t see enough of them.

When enough is used with an adjective and a noun, two positions are possible. The word order depends on whether enough refers to the adjective or the noun. Compare:

I haven’t got big enough nails to mend the table. (refers to the adjective)

I haven’t got enough big nails to mend the table. (refers to the noun)

That is enough about the word enough.