Special Cases of Adverb Placement
In English, adverbs generally follow specific rules for placement, but there are special cases to be aware of, especially in negative statements, with auxiliary verbs, and modals. Here are some key rules:
1. Adverb Placement with "Be" in Negative Statements
When using negative forms of "be" (am, is, are, was, were), adverbs like sometimes typically appear after the verb:
- Correct: He is not sometimes late.
- Incorrect: He sometimes is not late.
2. Adverb Placement with "Have"
a) As a Full Verb
When "have" functions as a full verb, the adverb usually appears before the object:
- Correct: I often have breakfast at 8 AM.
- Incorrect: I have often breakfast at 8 AM.
b) As an Auxiliary Verb
When "have" is an auxiliary verb in perfect tenses, the adverb may be placed before "have" or at the end of the sentence:
- Correct: She has often visited Paris.
- Correct: She has visited Paris often.
- Incorrect: She has visited often Paris.
c) "Have Got"
In British English, "have got" follows similar rules to "have" as a full verb:
- Correct: I have got usually a lot of homework.
- Alternative: Usually, I have got a lot of homework.
- Incorrect: I usually have got a lot of homework.
3. Adverb Position with Modals
For modal verbs (can, could, will, would, etc.), adverbs generally appear after the modal:
- Correct: She can often help with homework.
- Incorrect: She often can help with homework.
4. Inversion Cases
In some sentences, adverbs like never and rarely appear at the beginning for emphasis, causing inversion of the subject and auxiliary verb:
- Correct: Rarely have I seen such talent.
- Incorrect: Rarely I have seen such talent.
