Test it, Fix it. English grammar - Kenna Bourke 2003
Word order with adverbs
Test it 
1 Choose the correct sentence in each pair.
a He often forgets to ring me.
b He forgets often to ring me.
c She didn't like much the film.
d She didn't like the film much.
e The report is finished completely.
f The report is completely finished.
g I speak Italian badly.
h I speak badly Italian.
i Did you see Martina yesterday?
j Did you yesterday see Martina?
к I feel sad very.
I I feel very sad.
m We always have lived here.
n We have always lived here.
о They make here wonderful sandwiches.
p They make wonderful sandwiches here.
q Have you studied always at this school?
r Have you always studied at this school?
s I'll probably see you on Friday.
t I'll see you probably on Friday.
2 Put the adverbs in the correct places.
a Pete and Sue are married. (happily)
b David gets up early. (always)
c Have you got your dog? (still)
d I enjoyed the film. (a lot)
e We're leaving. (today)
f He feels ill. (terribly)
g You left your book. (there)
h Tom plays the drums. (well)
i I'll ring you tomorrow. (definitely)
j Tony knows the answer. (probably)
Test it again 
1 Five of these sentences are incorrect. Find and correct them.
2 Choose the best option, A or В
a Do you ... me?
A still love В love still
b Fiona doesn't have a sense of humour. She ...
A laughs never В never laughs
c Finish your homework quickly. Supper is ...
A almost ready В ready almost
d No one enjoyed
A much the play В the play much
e We watch
A TV a lot Ba lot TV
f How long have you ...?
A there lived В lived there
g Rabbits
A inn fast В fast run
h You look
A extremely happy В happy extremely
i Let’s ...
A tomorrow go out В go out tomorrow
j He sings ...
A very loudly В loudly very
Fix it
Answers to Test it
Check your answers. Wrong answer?
Read the right Fix it note to find out why.F
1 The correct sentences are:
a → A l → H
d → D n → B
f → H p → E
g → G r → C
i → F s → B
2 a are happily married → H
b always gets up early → A
c Have you still got → C
d the film a lot → D
e We're leaving today. → F
f He feels terribly ill. → H
g left your book there → E
h plays the drums well → G
i I'll definitely ring → B
j Tony probably knows → A
Answers to Test again
2 a A b B c A d B e A
f B g A h A i B j A
Fix it notes
A
Put adverbs of frequency, e.g. often, and certainty, e.g. probably, before most verbs.
В
Put adverbs of frequency, e.g. always, and certainty, e.g. definitely, after auxiliary verbs and the verb be.
C
In questions, put adverbs of frequency, e.g. always, after auxiliary + subject.
D
Put adverbs of quantity, e.g. much, at the end of the sentence (not between the verb and its object).
E
Put adverbs of place, e.g. here, at the end of the sentence (not between the verb and its object).
F
Put adverbs of time, e.g. yesterday, at the end of the sentence (not between the verb and its object).
G
Put adverbs of manner, e.g. badly, at the end of the sentence (not between the verb and its object).
H
Put adverbs before (not after) an adjective or a past participle.
Review
Word order with adverbs
Different kinds of adverb, for example adverbs of frequency such as always or adverbs of manner such as badly, go in different positions in a sentence.
Some go at the end of the sentence but others go near the verb.
Adverbs of frequency and certainty
• You use adverbs of frequency, e.g. never, often, sometimes, etc. and adverbs of certainty, e.g. certainly, definitely, probably, etc. before most verbs.
We never go sailing.
I often go running.
He definitely likes pizza.
• You use adverbs of frequency and certainty after auxiliary verbs, e.g. can, do, have, must, will, etc. and after the verb be.
I can often beat him at chess.
She has probably been there before.
• In questions, you use adverbs of frequency and adverbs like still and ever after an auxiliary + subject.
Do you often go out?
Does he still love me?Have you ever seen him?
Adverbs of manner, place, quantity and time
• You usually use adverbs of manner, e.g. badly, well; adverbs of place, e.g. here, there; adverbs of quantity, e.g. a bit, a lot, much; and adverbs of time, e.g. today, yesterday, at the end of the sentence. Never put these adverbs between a verb and its object. This is a very common mistake.
Advorbs before adjectives and past participles
