Level: B1-B2

Adverb Position — Practice

Decide whether an adverb is placed correctly in a sentence. Includes the frequency-adverb rule (before main verb, after be), the manner-adverb rule (don’t split a verb from its object), and the too vs enough opposite-position rule. 38 click-to-hear examples.

📝 Adverbs unit · lesson 9 of 11 ⏱ about 10 minutes 🔊 every example has audio

Builds on Adverb Types Next in unit Tricky -ly Pairs →

Adverb position — quick guide

Adverbs can usually go in three places: beginning, middle, or end of a sentence. But specific TYPES of adverbs have their own rules.

Beginning — gives emphasis: Suddenly, the lights went out.
Middle — most common for frequency adverbs: She always arrives on time.
End — common for adverbs of manner, time, place: He drove carefully.

🎯 Three key rules

Frequency adverbs (always, often, sometimes, rarely, never) go BEFORE the main verb, but AFTER the verb be:
✓ I always go to school. (before main verb)
✓ She is always happy. (after be)
✗ "She always is happy" sounds wrong
Adverbs of manner (quickly, carefully) should NOT split a verb from its object:
✓ She quickly answered the question.
✓ She answered the question quickly.
✗ "She answered quickly the question" sounds wrong
Too comes BEFORE; enough comes AFTER:
✓ This is too hot. / This isn’t cool enough.
✗ "This is hot too" and "This isn't enough cool" sound wrong

📖 Want the full explanation? See English Adverbs → Adverb position on the main grammar page.

Frequency adverbs — before main verb, after “be”
She is always happy. – Correct
She always is happy. – Wrong
I always go to school by bus. – Correct
I go always to school by bus. – Wrong
They often visit their grandmother. – Correct
They visit often their grandmother. – Wrong
He never arrives on time. – Correct
He arrives never on time. – Wrong
We are usually at home in the evening. – Correct
We usually are at home in the evening. – Wrong
The kids sometimes play outside. – Correct
The kids play sometimes outside. – Wrong
She rarely eats dessert. – Correct
She eats rarely dessert. – Wrong
Manner adverbs — don’t split the verb and the object
She quickly answered the question. – Correct
She answered quickly the question. – Wrong
He carefully opened the box. – Correct
He opened carefully the box. – Wrong
She answered the question quickly. – Correct
He opened the box carefully. – Correct
The chef gently mixed the eggs. – Correct
The chef mixed gently the eggs. – Wrong
The waiter served the meal elegantly. – Correct
The waiter served elegantly the meal. – Wrong
Too (before) vs enough (after) — opposite positions
This coffee is too hot to drink. – Correct
This coffee is hot too to drink. – Wrong
She is not tall enough. – Correct
She is not enough tall. – Wrong
He runs too fast to catch. – Correct
He runs fast too to catch. – Wrong
The car was not fast enough. – Correct
The car was not enough fast. – Wrong
It is too dark to read. – Correct
The room is bright enough for reading. – Correct
Beginning position — for emphasis
Suddenly, the lights went out. – Correct
Yesterday, we watched a movie. – Correct
Usually, I walk to work. – Correct
Slowly, she opened the door. – Correct

Where to go from here