ADVERBS

late | soon (end position)

A1, adjuncts, ADVERBS, end, FUTURE, position, time

“Late” and “soon” are adverbs of time that describe when an action occurs, typically placed at the end of a sentence. “Late” refers to an action happening after the expected time, while “soon” indicates an action happening in the near future.

In the English Grammar Profile, these adverbs are part of a broader category that includes other time adverbs like “yesterday”, “tomorrow”, “now”, and “later”.

A corpus analysis of sentences ending with “soon” revealed various contexts in which this adverb is used:

Expressions of Future Contact: Phrases indicating an intention to make contact in the near future, e.g., “I will contact you soon.”
Statements about Upcoming Events or Changes: Phrases announcing events or changes expected to occur soon, e.g., “The new product will be coming out soon.”
Expressions of Hope or Anticipation: Phrases expressing hope or anticipation for something to happen soon, e.g., “Get well soon.”
Statements about Continuity or Persistence: Phrases suggesting that a current situation will continue for the foreseeable future, e.g., “Not going anywhere soon.”
Expressions of Intent to Repeat an Action: Phrases indicating an intention to repeat an action in the near future, e.g., “Be ordering again soon.”
These categories demonstrate the versatility of the adverb “soon” in conveying different aspects of time in English sentences.

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May be vs maybe (possibility)

ADVERBS, MODALITY

Here we explain the differences between may be and maybe ‘maybe‘ is usually an adverb that means ‘perhaps’ or ‘possibly’. ‘may‘ is usually a modal auxiliary verb with many uses related to ‘possibility’, ‘permission’ etc. He is in Vietnam.  (sure.) He may be in Vietnam. (50% sure.) Maybe, he is in Vietnam. (50% sure.) ‘be’

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ANY + comparative

ADJECTIVES, ADVERBS, B1, comparatives, emphasis, NEGATIVE, QUESTIONS, vocabulary

‘Any’ can be used as an adverb to mean ‘at all’ or ‘in some degree’. Here are expert examples: We‘re not gonna discuss it here any further. Keep The Change You‘re not at university any longer. listen How would that end any differently than last time? Captain America In the English Vocabulary Profile, ‘any’ is listed as ADVERB B1 used in questions and negatives to emphasize a comparative adjective or adverb Do you feel any better?

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WOULD + adverb (wide range)

ADVERBS, C2, MODALITY, range

Let’s look at some examples of ‘would’ + a wide range of adverbs: They would eventually become the oppressive hand of the Russian government.  (Listen) What would normally take him maybe a day or something to solder by hand, he can do in a few minutes using this machine.  (Listen)   Point 234 in the category of MODALITY is defined: wide range of adverbs with ‘would’, including ‘undoubtedly’, ‘possibly’, ‘normally’, ‘personally’, ‘eventually’, ‘obviously’, ‘significantly’,

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TO BE + adjective

ADJECTIVES, ADVERBS, infinitive

Here are the top 100 examples of how ‘TO BE adjective” are used in English. These come from a search in iWeb corpus for * TO BE _JJ 1 NEED TO BE AWARE OF 16993 We need to be aware of the data and information that we’re giving. Listen to this sentence. 2 . TO BE HONEST, 14943 To be honest, I don’t know if race relations will improve in America. listen

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‘SO’ (end of the sentence)

A2, ADVERBS, B1, GSE, position, substitution, tags

I don’t quite trust the CEFR level Pearson gives to the following grammar construct. GSE 58 B1+ is defined: ‘so’ in sentence-final positions as a placeholder (substitute) for verbs and verb phrases. It was too expensive. – I told you so. John is from Seattle. – I thought so.   ‘So’ has many possible meanings and uses near the end of sentences.  When we look at the English

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NOT ONLY + present perfect continuous (inversion) + BUT

ADVERBS, C2, continuous, FOCUS, inversion, PAST, perfect, PRESENT

Adverb expressions such as ‘not only’, ‘not just’, and ‘not simply’ emphasize that something is true, but it is not the whole truth.  These co-ordinate clauses. In the English Grammar Profile, C2 point 92 in the category of PAST is defined: present perfect continuous, invert the subject and affirmative auxiliary verb with ‘not only … but’

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maybe | perhaps

A2, ADVERBS, certainty, CLAUSES, MODALITY, position, possibility

“Maybe” and the more formal “perhaps” are both adverbs that convey modality related to uncertainty or possibility.  For example: So why did we keep trying when all the adults said it was impossible? Well, maybe it‘s because we‘re kids. We don’t know any better. TED In this context, “maybe” is used to suggest a possible explanation or reason for why the kids kept trying despite the adults saying it was impossible. The speaker is speculating that

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actually | unfortunately | of course | I’m sorry

A2, ADVERBS, attitude, modify, regret, stance, view

Stance adverb phrases express the speaker’s attitude towards a statement. It covers four examples: “actually” (used to emphasize truth), “unfortunately” (expresses regret or bad news), “of course” (emphasizes that something is expected or well-known), and “I’m sorry” (expresses regret or softens an unpleasant statement).

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time and sequencing adverbs

A2, adjuncts, ADVERBS, CLAUSES, DISCOURSE MARKERS, modify, order, organising, phrases, sequence, time

The adverb ‘now’ plays a crucial role in indicating the timing of events. It signifies the present moment and its immediate relevance. For instance, in the sentence “A boss like that? Now I am green with envy,” ‘now’ emphasizes the current experience of envy. Time and sequencing adverbs, such as ‘first,’ ‘then,’ and ‘after that,’ are essential in arranging discourse segments. They establish temporal relationships between clauses and sentences. These adverbs aid in sequencing events and maintaining a cohesive flow. Understanding the proper usage and positioning of time and sequencing adverbs is vital for effective communication and conveying the temporal aspect of experiences.

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