soon

late | soon (end position)

“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.

adverbs in mid position

Here are some examples of adverbs in mid position:

Subject + adverb + main verb:

The students quickly finished their homework.
The train slowly pulled into the station.
The dog eagerly ate its food.

Modal verb/auxiliary verb/be + adverb + main verb:

I could easily solve the problem.
She has already eaten breakfast.
The book was clearly written.

time and sequencing adverbs

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.

as soon as (future)

This is another clashing point.  Although ‘as soon as’ is listed at B1 future, it is also listed in B2 conjunctions. FOR EXAMPLE: It will end as soon as Hedge finds his target. A search in iWeb for: _VVI as soon as _P 1 KNOW AS SOON AS WE 441 2 KNOW AS SOON AS YOU 362 3 KNOW AS SOON …

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adverb + ENOUGH

Usually, when ‘enough’ is used as a postmodifying adverb (after another adverb), it means ‘to the necessary degree.’  However in the English Grammar Profile, C1 point 58 in adverbs/phrases is defined as: post-modify adverbs with ‘enough to intensify’. The English Grammar Profile examples are all stance adverbs in the initial position: Strangely enough, Luckily enough, Sadly …

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conjunction + past simple

In the English Grammar Profile, there are two points that overlap.  B2 point 55 is defined as: PAST simple after ‘if’ as a politeness structure, especially in letters and emails. B2 point 72 is defined as: the past simple with a range of subordinating conjunctions, including ‘as soon as’, ‘before’, ‘if’, ‘once’, ‘since’, ‘so’, ‘until’, …

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MINUTE

See, this is really weird,  but I had this feeling the minute that the phone rang,  I said, Jackie, pick it up, you‘ve got a grandchild. listen Minute is usually a noun, but in the above usage ‘the minute + that CLAUSE‘ it means as soon as. Similary, in the next example, ‘any minute‘ means ‘very soon‘: Colin could you possibly find somewhere else to pray,  your brother and sister will be here any minute now. listen 1 MINUTE (NNT1) 645067 (A1 noun) = 60 seconds. …

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