A practical english grammar - Vyssaja skola 1978

Adverbs of degree
Sound symbols

A number of adverbs that express degree of intensity, completeness, etc., occur both medially and finally, never initially.

I thoroughly understood it.

I understood it thoroughly.

I very much appreciate it.

I appreciate it very much.

I had completely forgotten the appointment.

I had forgotten the appointment completely.

Other adverbs in this group are entirely, badly, greatly, enormously, largely, tremendously, keenly, somewhat.

Not quite is used with present and past perfect phrases to express processes that have not yet reached a stage of completion.

I haven’t quite finished.

They hadn’t quite reached the top of the hill.

The use of quite and rather as modifiers of verbs is restricted by idiom; quite means “completely” and rather means “to a degree.”

I quite agree, (an emphatic statement)

Have you quite finished? (a question that often implies some impatience or annoyance)

I rather doubt it.

I rather think so.

The following expressions of degree occur quite frequently and are used only in final position: a lot, a little, a great deal, very much; phrases like by a wide margin; and -ly adverbs like slightly and heavily.

We miss them a lot (a little, very much, etc.).

Much sometimes occurs without very after very short predicates in interrogative and negative contexts. Much can also occur medially.

Do you miss them much? I don’t miss them much.

I don’t much care.

Hardly, barely, scarcely, narrowly, and just—all showing small degree —regularly appear in medial position, as do almost, also, even, and mostly. (Hardly, barely, and scarcely count as “negatives” and are not used with another negative word in the context; constructions that are allowed in negative contexts only may be used with them. Like other negatives, they can be reinforced by at all at the end of the sentence.)

The rock just missed me.

It hardly matters (at all).

I barely felt the pain.

He hardly knows anybody here.

He almost got on the wrong train.

They mostly play cards.

He can even develop the films.

Mary has also studied German.

The fact that also, logically speaking, qualifies German rather than the verb in the last example has no effect on its position in the sentence. The same is true of only in ordinary style. (See page 158.)