Argh! The adverb question again!
![Smile [:)]](/emoticons/emotion-1.gif)
Have you gone through this one yet?
Post:258302
Here's a new take on the subject. If it doesn't appeal to you, toss it in the trash!
Safe and typical practice: Use contracted forms wherever
possible. Then place the adverb of frequency after the first
contraction -- or after uncontracted
not. Place
sometimes at the beginning:
certainly for a negative sentence, but also good for an affirmative.
Note:
rarely and
seldom (and
never, of course)
have negative polarity already, so don't use in a negative sentence.
And don't prepose them unless you want to struggle with the inversions,
as Amy points out.
[I'm, you're, he's, she's, we're, they're] (not) [usually / always / often] ...
[I've, you've, he's, she's, we've, they've] [sometimes / usually / always / often / rarely / seldom / never] ...
[I'll, you'll, he'll, she'll, we'll, they'll] [sometimes / usually / always / often / rarely / seldom / never] ...
[I'd, you'd, he'd, she'd, we'd, they'd] [sometimes / usually/ always / often /rarely / seldom / never] ...
[I, you, we, they] [don't / didn't / haven't / won't / wouldn't / shouldn't / can't / ...] [usually / always / often] ...
[he, she] isn't [usually / always / often] ...
[I, he, she] wasn't [usually / always / often] ...
[you, we, they] [aren't / weren't] [usually / always / often] ...
If no contractions, place after the modal verb.
[I, you, he, she, we, they] [can / could / may / might / will / would /
...] [sometimes / usually / always / often / rarely / seldom / never]
...
No contractions? No modals? Just subject followed by a
non-modal verb? Place the adverb of frequency between them.
[I, you, he, she, we, they] [sometimes / usually / always / often /
rarely / seldom / never] [go / do / like / want / think / ...]
Not using subject pronouns? Using nouns instead? The order doesn't change.
The boys aren't [usually / always / often] ready on time.
The Browns don't [usually / always / often] eat in restaurants.
Fred has (Fred's) [usually / always / often / rarely / seldom / never] recovered from a cold in a week.
CJ