Position - Adverbs of time
1) FRONT and END POSITION
There are certain adverbs of time which are normally placed at the very beginning or at the very end of the sentence: afterwards, eventually, lately, now, recently, soon, then, today, tomorrow and so on, as well as some adverb phrases such as at once, since then, till 8 a.m. (or similar), etc. These positions are also known as front or end position. End position is usual with imperatives and phrases with till.
Examples:
*afterwards:
- Afterwards she was sorry for what she'd said. (front position)
- Let's go out now and eat afterwards. (end position)
*eventually:
- Eventually we will own the house.
- I'll get round to mending it eventually.
*lately:
- Lately, she has been worrying about her son.
- Have you seen her lately?
*now:
- "So that's the truth," I told her. "Now you know."
- It's too late now.
*recently:
- Recently, I've been feeling a bit depressed.
- I haven't seen them recently.
*soon:
- Soon they were inseparable and talking about marriage.
- We'll be home soon.
then:
- Then we started talking about the party.
- We started talking about the party then.
today/tomorrow:
- I've got a piano lesson later today. /Practice today.
- Today I was driving to work in a nasty rainstorm.
- She's leaving tomorrow.
- Oh, leave it till tomorrow.
at once:
- Come here at once!
- They all started talking at once.
since then:
- That was years ago. I've changed jobs since then.
- Since then, users have been able to control what they share.
till + noun = adverb phrase
- We're open till 6 o'clock.
- Wait till tomorrow.
* Till is more informal and less used in writing. For a more formal context we use until.
The starred adverbs can also be put after the auxiliary in compound tenses (auxiliary + main verb):
- She will afterwards proceed to the Great Archipelago of Asia.
- Apple may eventually lose tablet dominance.
- She had lately returned from India.
- He will now go on his summer break.
- We have recently moved to a lovely new home.
- They will soon be here.
2) BEFORE, EARLY, IMMEDIATELY and LATE
These adverbs are normally placed at the end of the clause:
- I think we have met before./ You should have told me so before.
- She answered almost immediately.
- The best rooms go to those who book earliest.
- I got up late.
* Some additional notes on these adverbs:
- before and immediately can also be used as conjuctions and then they come at the beginning of a clause:
Did she leave a message before she went?
Immediately she'd gone, I remembered her name. (immediately = as soon as)
before is also used a preposition (Leave your keys at reception before departure.)
- early is often part of a wider phrase indicating time:
early in + the week/day/year/season/morning/film (We meet the hero quite early in the film.)
early + the next day/this morning (We arrived early the next day.)
- late is also part of wider phrases :
late + tonight/tomorrow/last year/that evening
late in + March/the afternoon/life/the day
late into the night
three days late (five years late etc.)
These phrases also usually come at the end of a clause.
3) SINCE and EVER SINCE
You will often come across since/ever since used either as a preposition (e.g. since breakfast) or a conjuction ( e.g. since he left) in an adverbial indicating the time (phrase/clause describing time). These adverbials are usually placed at the end of a clause (end position), but front position is also possible. It is also important to note that they are used with perfect tenses.
- She has been off work since Tuesday. (since (prep.) + noun = time adverbial)
- She had been worrying ever since the letter arrived. (ever since (conj.) + clause = time adverbial)
- Since the party she had only spoken to him once.
Since, as an adverb, can be placed:
- after the auxiliary:
The original building has long since been demolished. (an affirmative verb)
- in end position (in the negative or interrogative):
He left home two weeks ago and we haven't heard from him since.
Have you heard from him since?
Ever since, as an adverb:
- in end position:
He started working for that company when he left school, and has been there ever since.
4) YET and STILL
a) Yet is normally placed after the verb (or verb + object) just like many adverbs of manner and place are too.
- The letter hasn't arrived yet. (after the verb)
- I didn't receive a letter from him yet. (after the object) (North American) or
- I haven't received a letter from him yet. (British American)
If the object is long then the same rules apply as with adverbs of manner and place (which I have wrote about before), that is, the adverb can be placed either before or after the verb:
- He hasn't yet applied for the job we told him about. (before the main verb, after the auxiliary)
- He hasn't applied yet for the job we told him about. (after the main verb, before the preposition)
*(apply for something)
Yet is chiefly used with negative and interrogative to speak about something that has not happened but that you expect to happen. It often means "up to the time of speaking", even if that time is in the future:
- He'll be busy for ages yet.
- They won't arrive for at least two hours yet.
It can also mean "now" or "as soon as this" :
- Don't go yet.
- We don't need to start yet.
The best/ the longest etc. something yet (done):
This construction is used to say that the thing mentioned is the best/longest etc. of its kind produced/ written etc. until now.
- the most comprehensive study yet of his music
- It was the highest building yet constructed.
b) Still is placed after the verb be but before other verbs:
- Mum, I am still hungry!
- There is still time to change your mind.
- Do you still live at the same address?
- She still insisted on going to the theatre.
Still is used to emphasize that some action continues. It is mainly used in affirmative and interrogative sentences as you can see, but it can be used in negative sentences too (the continuance of the negative action):
- He still does not understand. (not understanding continues)
- He does not understad yet. (the understanding has not started yet)
Still and yet have other uses too (as adverbs of degree etc.). When stressed they can express surprise, irritation or impatience.
They are also used to emphasize an increase in number or amount:
- There was still more bad news to come.
- This is yet another language blog.
- Salaries were cut yet again.
There are some other constructions that yet appears in, which can be found in good dictionaries.
Both words can also be used as conjuctions, which is important to know in order not to mix the two.
- It's a small car, yet it is surprisingly spacious. (conjuction)
5) JUST
Just is used with compound tenses:
- I've just heard the news.
- I'm just finishing my book.
There are certain adverbs of time which are normally placed at the very beginning or at the very end of the sentence: afterwards, eventually, lately, now, recently, soon, then, today, tomorrow and so on, as well as some adverb phrases such as at once, since then, till 8 a.m. (or similar), etc. These positions are also known as front or end position. End position is usual with imperatives and phrases with till.
Examples:
*afterwards:
- Afterwards she was sorry for what she'd said. (front position)
- Let's go out now and eat afterwards. (end position)
*eventually:
- Eventually we will own the house.
- I'll get round to mending it eventually.
*lately:
- Lately, she has been worrying about her son.
- Have you seen her lately?
*now:
- "So that's the truth," I told her. "Now you know."
- It's too late now.
*recently:
- Recently, I've been feeling a bit depressed.
- I haven't seen them recently.
*soon:
- Soon they were inseparable and talking about marriage.
- We'll be home soon.
then:
- Then we started talking about the party.
- We started talking about the party then.
today/tomorrow:
- I've got a piano lesson later today. /Practice today.
- Today I was driving to work in a nasty rainstorm.
- She's leaving tomorrow.
- Oh, leave it till tomorrow.
at once:
- Come here at once!
- They all started talking at once.
since then:
- That was years ago. I've changed jobs since then.
- Since then, users have been able to control what they share.
till + noun = adverb phrase
- We're open till 6 o'clock.
- Wait till tomorrow.
* Till is more informal and less used in writing. For a more formal context we use until.
The starred adverbs can also be put after the auxiliary in compound tenses (auxiliary + main verb):
- She will afterwards proceed to the Great Archipelago of Asia.
- Apple may eventually lose tablet dominance.
- She had lately returned from India.
- He will now go on his summer break.
- We have recently moved to a lovely new home.
- They will soon be here.
2) BEFORE, EARLY, IMMEDIATELY and LATE
These adverbs are normally placed at the end of the clause:
- I think we have met before./ You should have told me so before.
- She answered almost immediately.
- The best rooms go to those who book earliest.
- I got up late.
* Some additional notes on these adverbs:
- before and immediately can also be used as conjuctions and then they come at the beginning of a clause:
Did she leave a message before she went?
Immediately she'd gone, I remembered her name. (immediately = as soon as)
before is also used a preposition (Leave your keys at reception before departure.)
- early is often part of a wider phrase indicating time:
early in + the week/day/year/season/morning/film (We meet the hero quite early in the film.)
early + the next day/this morning (We arrived early the next day.)
- late is also part of wider phrases :
late + tonight/tomorrow/last year/that evening
late in + March/the afternoon/life/the day
late into the night
three days late (five years late etc.)
These phrases also usually come at the end of a clause.
3) SINCE and EVER SINCE
You will often come across since/ever since used either as a preposition (e.g. since breakfast) or a conjuction ( e.g. since he left) in an adverbial indicating the time (phrase/clause describing time). These adverbials are usually placed at the end of a clause (end position), but front position is also possible. It is also important to note that they are used with perfect tenses.
- She has been off work since Tuesday. (since (prep.) + noun = time adverbial)
- She had been worrying ever since the letter arrived. (ever since (conj.) + clause = time adverbial)
- Since the party she had only spoken to him once.
Since, as an adverb, can be placed:
- after the auxiliary:
The original building has long since been demolished. (an affirmative verb)
- in end position (in the negative or interrogative):
He left home two weeks ago and we haven't heard from him since.
Have you heard from him since?
Ever since, as an adverb:
- in end position:
He started working for that company when he left school, and has been there ever since.
4) YET and STILL
a) Yet is normally placed after the verb (or verb + object) just like many adverbs of manner and place are too.
- The letter hasn't arrived yet. (after the verb)
- I didn't receive a letter from him yet. (after the object) (North American) or
- I haven't received a letter from him yet. (British American)
If the object is long then the same rules apply as with adverbs of manner and place (which I have wrote about before), that is, the adverb can be placed either before or after the verb:
- He hasn't yet applied for the job we told him about. (before the main verb, after the auxiliary)
- He hasn't applied yet for the job we told him about. (after the main verb, before the preposition)
*(apply for something)
Yet is chiefly used with negative and interrogative to speak about something that has not happened but that you expect to happen. It often means "up to the time of speaking", even if that time is in the future:
- He'll be busy for ages yet.
- They won't arrive for at least two hours yet.
It can also mean "now" or "as soon as this" :
- Don't go yet.
- We don't need to start yet.
The best/ the longest etc. something yet (done):
This construction is used to say that the thing mentioned is the best/longest etc. of its kind produced/ written etc. until now.
- the most comprehensive study yet of his music
- It was the highest building yet constructed.
b) Still is placed after the verb be but before other verbs:
- Mum, I am still hungry!
- There is still time to change your mind.
- Do you still live at the same address?
- She still insisted on going to the theatre.
Still is used to emphasize that some action continues. It is mainly used in affirmative and interrogative sentences as you can see, but it can be used in negative sentences too (the continuance of the negative action):
- He still does not understand. (not understanding continues)
- He does not understad yet. (the understanding has not started yet)
Still and yet have other uses too (as adverbs of degree etc.). When stressed they can express surprise, irritation or impatience.
They are also used to emphasize an increase in number or amount:
- There was still more bad news to come.
- This is yet another language blog.
- Salaries were cut yet again.
There are some other constructions that yet appears in, which can be found in good dictionaries.
Both words can also be used as conjuctions, which is important to know in order not to mix the two.
- It's a small car, yet it is surprisingly spacious. (conjuction)
5) JUST
Just is used with compound tenses:
- I've just heard the news.
- I'm just finishing my book.
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