Importance: ★★
Discussion
The adverbial is a clause element that can take on a wide range of functions, but it always conveys significant information. It answers questions about where, when, how or why an action takes place.
An adverbial may fit in several places in a clause. However, since the adverbial carries important information, accurate placement is essential and sentences with misplaced adverbials come across as awkward, ambiguous or ungrammatical.
Simplifying a bit, there are three positions for the adverbial: the initial position, mid-position and end position.
| Position | Example |
|---|---|
| Initial position: | After the party, I caught the last bus. |
| Mid-position: | He was obviously wrong. |
| End position: | A restaurant had opened just across the street. |
Adverbials in the initial position often create difficulties for Swedish learners, since Swedish reverses the subject-verb word order in such sentences. The following examples are representative of typical errors:
In spoken language is good used more than large. [Note that this reads like a question, which was not the intent.]
There is a possibility that the meaning also could be good, or even large, but according to the context and register is the sense impressive more appropriate.
Unlike Swedish, English retains its subject-verb word order when the adverbial is in the initial position:
In spoken language, good is used more than large.
There is a possibility that the meaning also could be good, or even large, but according to the context and register the sense impressive is more appropriate.
Note that adverbials in initial position are frequently followed by a comma; the longer the adverbial, the more necessary the comma becomes.
Simple adverbials (such as always, ever, rarely, seldom and never) usually occupy the mid-position:
I will never speak to him again.
She enjoys exercising but can seldom find the time.
Snakes are common in the area but are rarely seen.
However, note these imperative sentences:
Always be polite.
Never play in traffic.
Longer adverbials do not go in the mid-position in English. Swedish is more flexible than English, which can cause problems for Swedish learners when trying to place adverbials. While it is fine to say
I will soon try to find out what happened.
the following does not work:
I will as soon as I can try to find out what happened.
Instead, the complex adverbial will typically be placed at the beginning or the end of the clause (and please note the comma):
As soon as I can, I will try to find out what happened.
I will try to find out what happened as soon as I can.
Here is a typical error in student writing:
While in writing meaning is conveyed purely through words and punctuation, we can in conversation use body language and intonation to add to or clarify the meaning of what we say.
This should instead be written like so:
While in writing meaning is conveyed purely through words and punctuation, in conversation we can use body language and intonation to add to or clarify the meaning of what we say.
Summary
Longer adverbials should be placed at the beginning or end of a clause.
Further Discussion
Word-error problems are often triggered when the complexity of the context makes it more difficult to “see” the structure, especially in the second clause in a complex sentence.
The licensed wolf hunting that was allowed by the government in 2010 is controversial because on one hand the hunting is supposed to make room for new wolves and to clear out the inbred animals, but on the other hand is the hunting condemned by organizations such as the WWF.
The licensed wolf hunting that was allowed by the government in 2010 is controversial because on one hand the hunting is supposed to make room for new wolves and to clear out the inbred animals, but on the other hand, the hunting is condemned by organizations such as the WWF.
Related Topics
Word order, Using commas