Far, farther/farthest and further/furthest

A further, furthest

These, like farther/farthest,can be used as adverbs of place/distance:

// isn 't safe to go any further/farther in this fog.. But they can also be used in an abstract sense:

Mr A said that these toy pistols should not be on sale.

Mr B went further and said that no toy pistols should be sold.

Mr C went furthest of all and said that no guns of any kind should

be sold.

B far: restrictions on use

far in the comparative and superlative can be used quite freely:

He travelled further than we expected. far in the positive form is used chiefly in the negative and interrogative:

How far can you see? ~ I can't see far.

In the affirmative a long wayis more usual than far,and a long way awayis more usual than far away:

They sailed a long way. He lives a long way away. But very far awayis possible, and so is so/quite/too + far and far + enough:

They walked so far that. . . They walked too far.

We 've gone far enough. far can be used with an abstract meaning:

The new law doesn 't go far enough.

You've gone too far! (You've been too insulting/overbearing/

insolent etc.)

far, adverb of degree, is used with comparatives or with too/so+ positive forms:

She swims far better than I do. He drinks far too much.

Much, more, most

A more and mostcan be used fairly freely:

You should ride more. I use this room most. But much,in the positive form, has a restricted use.

B muchmeaning a lot can modify negative verbs: He doesn't ride much nowadays.

In the interrogative muchis chiefly used with how. In questions without how, muchis possible but a lot is more usual:

How much has he ridden? Has he ridden a lot/much? In the affirmative as/so/too + muchis possible. Otherwise a lot/ a good deal/a great dealis preferable:

He shouts so much that... / talk too much. But He rides a lot/a great deal.

C very muchmeaning greatlycan be used more widely in the

affirmative. We can use it with blame, praise, thank and with a number of verbs concerned with feelings: admire, amuse, approve, dislike, distress, enjoy, impress, like, object, shock, surprise etc.:

Thank you very much. They admired him very much.

She objects very much to the noise they make. much(= greatly),with or without very,can be used with the participles admired, amused, disliked, distressed, impressed, liked, shocked, struck, upset'.

He was (very) much admired.

She was (very) much impressed by their good manners.

D muchmeaning a lot can modify comparative or superlative adjectives and adverbs:

much better much the best much more quickly much toocan be used with positive forms: He spoke much too fast.

E mostplaced before an adjective or adverb can mean very.It is mainly used here with adjectives/adverbs of two or more syllables: He was most apologetic. She behaved most generously. (See 21 C.)

34Constructions with comparisons (see also 341)

When the same verb is required in both clauses we normally use an auxiliary for the second verb (see 22).

A With the positive form we use as ... as with an affirmative verb, and as/so ... as with a negative verb: He worked as slowly as he dared. He doesn't snore as/so loudly as you do. It didn 't take as/so long as I expected.

B With the comparative form we use than:

He eats more quickly than I do/than me. He played better than he had ever played. They arrived earlier than I expected.

the + comparative . . . the + comparative is also possible: The earlier you start the sooner you'll be back.

C With the superlative it is possible to use of + noun:

He went (the) furthest of the explorers.

But this construction is not very common and such a sentence would normally be expressed by a comparative, as shown above. A superlative (without the) + of all is quite common, but all here often refers to other actions by the same subject:

He likes swimming best of all. (better than he likes anything else) of allcan then be omitted.

D For comparisons with like and as,see 21 H, I.

Position

35 Adverbs of manner

A Adverbs of manner come after the verb:

She danced beautifully or after the object when there is one:

He gave her the money reluctantly. They speak English well. Do not put an adverb between verb and object.

B When we have verb + preposition + object, the adverb can be either before the preposition or after the object:

He looked at me suspiciously or He looked suspiciously at me. But if the object contains a number of words we put the adverb before the preposition:

He looked suspiciously at everyone who got off the plane.

C Similarly with verb + object sentences the length of the object affects the position of the adverb. If the object is short, we have verb + object + adverb, as shown in B above. But if the object is long we usually put the adverb before the verb:

She carefully picked up all the bits of broken glass.

He angrily denied that he had stolen the documents.

They secretly decided to leave the town.

D Note that if an adverb is placed after a clause or a phrase, it is normally considered to modify the verb in that clause/phrase. If, therefore, we move secretly to the end of the last example above, we change the meaning:

They secretly decided . . . (The decision was secret.) They decided to leave the town secretly. (The departure was to be secret.)

E Adverbs concerned with character and intelligence, foolishly, generously, kindly, stupidlyetc., when placed before a verb, indicate that the action was foolish/kind/generous etc.:

I foolishly forgot my passport. He generously paid for us all.

He kindly waited for me. Would you kindly wait?

Note that we could also express such ideas by:

It was foolish of me to forget.

It was kind of him to wait.

Would you be kind enough to wait? (See 252.) The adverb can come after the verb or after verb + object, but the meaning then changes:

He spoke kindly = His voice and words were kind is not the same as It was kind of him to speak to us.

He paid us generously = He paid more than the usual rate is not the same as It was generous of him to pay us. Note the difference between:

He answered the questions foolishly (His answers were foolish) and

He foolishly answered the questions. (Answering was foolish./It was

foolish of him to answer at all.)

F badly and wellcan be used as adverbs of manner or degree. As adverbs of manner they come after an active verb, after the object or before the past participle in a passive verb:

He behaved badly. He read well.

He paid her badly. She speaks French well.

She was badly paid. The trip was well organized. badlyas an adverb of degree usually comes after the object or before the verb or past participle:

The door needs a coat of paint badly/The door badly needs a coat

of paint.

He was badly injured in the last match. well(degree) and well(manner) have the same position rules:

I'd like the steak well done.

He knows the town well.

Shake the bottle well.

The children were well wrapped up.

The meaning of wellmay depend on its position. Note the difference between:

You know well that I can't drive (There can be no doubt in your

mind about this) and

You know that I can't drive well. (I'm not a good driver.) wellcan be placed after may/might and couldto emphasize the probability of an action:

He may well refuse = It is quite likely that he will refuse. (For may/might as well,see 288.)

G somehow, anyhow

somehow(= in some way or other) can be placed in the front position or after a verb without object or after the object:

Somehow they managed. They managed somehow. They raised the money somehow.

anyhowas an adverb of manner is not common. But it is often used to mean 'in any case/anyway'. (See 327.)

C With the superlative it is possible to use of + noun:

He went (the) furthest of the explorers.

But this construction is not very common and such a sentence would normally be expressed by a comparative, as shown above. A superlative (without the)+ of allis quite common, but all here often refers to other actions by the same subject:

He likes swimming best of all. (better than he likes anything else) of allcan then be omitted.

D For comparisons with like and as,see 21 H, I.

Position

35 Adverbs of manner

A Adverbs of manner come after the verb:

She danced beautifully or after the object when there is one:

He gave her the money reluctantly. They speak English well. Do not put an adverb between verb and object.

B When we have verb + preposition + object, the adverb can be either before the preposition or after the object:

He looked at me suspiciously or He looked suspiciously at me. But if the object contains a number of words we put the adverb before the preposition:

He looked suspiciously at everyone who got off the plane.

C Similarly with verb + object sentences the length of the object affects the position of the adverb. If the object is short, we have verb + object + adverb, as shown in B above. But if the object is long we usually put the adverb before the verb:

She carefully picked up all the bits of broken glass.

He angrily denied that he had stolen the documents.

They secretly decided to leave the town.

D Note that if an adverb is placed after a clause or a phrase, it is normally considered to modify the verb in that clause/phrase. If, therefore, we move secretly to the end of the last example above, we change the meaning:

They secretly decided . . . (The decision was secret.) They decided to leave the town secretly. (The departure was to be secret.)

E Adverbs concerned with character and intelligence, foolishly, generously, kindly, stupidlyetc., when placed before a verb, indicate that the action was foolish/kind/generous etc.:

I foolishly forgot my passport. He generously paid for us all.

He kindly waited for me. Would you kindly wait?

Note that we could also express such ideas by:

It was foolish of me to forget.

It was kind of him to wait.

Would you be kind enough to wait? (See 252.) The adverb can come after the verb or after verb + object, but the meaning then changes:

He spoke kindly = His voice and words were kind is not the same as It was kind of him to speak to us.

He paid us generously = He paid more than the usual rate is not the same as It was generous of him to pay us. Note the difference between:

He answered the questions foolishly (His answers were foolish) and

He foolishly answered the questions. (Answering was foolish./It was

foolish of him to answer at all.)

F badlyand wellcan be used as adverbs of manner or degree. As adverbs of manner they come after an active verb, after the object or before the past participle in a passive verb:

He behaved badly. He read well.

He paid her badly. She speaks French well.

She was badly paid. The trip was well organized. badlyas an adverb of degree usually comes after the object or before the verb or past participle:

The door needs a coat of paint badly/The door badly needs a coat

of paint.

He was badly injured in the last match. well(degree) and well(manner) have the same position rules:

I'd like the steak well done.

He knows the town well.

Shake the bottle well.

The children were well wrapped up.

The meaning of wellmay depend on its position. Note the difference between:

You know well that I can't drive (There can be no doubt in your

mind about this) and

You know that I can't drive well. (I'm not a good driver.) wellcan be placed after may/mightand couldto emphasize the probability of an action:

He may well refuse = It is quite likely that he will refuse. (For may/might as well,see 288.)

G somehow, anyhow

somehow(= in some way or other) can be placed in the front position or after a verb without object or after the object:

Somehow they managed. They managed somehow.

They raised the money somehow.

anyhowas an adverb of manner is not common. But it is often used to mean 'in any case/anyway'. (See 327.)

36Adverbs of place

away, everywhere, here, nowhere, somewhere, thereetc.

A If there is no object, these adverbs are usually placed after the verb:

She went away. He lives abroad. Bill is upstairs. But they come after verb + object or verb + preposition + object:

She sent him away. I looked for it everywhere.

(But see chapter 38 for verb + adverb combinations such as pick up, put down etc.)

Adverb phrases, formed of preposition + noun/pronoun/adverb, follow the above position rules:

The parrot sat on a perch. He stood in the doorway.

He lives near me. But see also E below.

B somewhere, anywherefollow the same basic rules as some and any:

I've seen that man somewhere.

Can you see my key anywhere? ~ No, I can't see it anywhere.

Are you going anywhere? (ordinary question) but

Are you going somewhere? (I assume that you are.) nowhere,however, is not normally used in this position except in the expression to get nowhere(= to achieve nothing/to make no progress):

Threatening people will get you nowhere. (You'll gain no advantage

by threatening people.) But it can be used in short answers:

Where are you going? ~ Nowhere. (I'm not going anywhere.) It can also, in formal English, be placed at the beginning of a sentence and is then followed by an inverted verb:

Nowhere will you find better roses than these. (See 45.)

C here, therecan be followed by be/come/go+ noun subject:

Here's Tom. There's Ann. Here comes the train.

There goes our bus.

here and thereused as above carry more stress than here/thereplaced after the verb. There is also usually a difference in meaning. Tom is here means he is in this room/building/town etc. But Here's Tom implies that he has just appeared or that we have just found him. Tom comes here means that it is his habit to come to this place, but Here comes Tom implies that he is just arriving/has just arrived. If the subject is a personal pronoun, it precedes the verb in the usual way:

There he is. Here I am. Here it comes. But someone and somethingfollow the verb:

There's someone who can help you.

Note that the same sentence, spoken without stress on There, would mean that a potential helper exists. (See 117.)

D Someone phoning a friend may introduce himself/herself by name + here:

ANN (on phone): Is that you, Tom? Ann here or This is Ann. She must not say Ann is here or Here is Ann.

E The adverbs away(= off), down, in, off, out, over, round, upetc. can be followed by a verb of motion + a noun subject:

Away went the runners.

Down fell a dozen apples.

Out sprang the cuckoo.

Round and round flew the plane. But if the subject is a pronoun it is placed before the verb:

Away they went. Round and round it flew.

There is more drama in this order than in subject + verb + adverb but no difference in meaning.

F In written English adverb phrases introduced by prepositions (down, from, in, on, over, out_t of, round, up etc.) can be followed by verbs indicating position (crouch, hang, lie, sit, stand etc.), by verbs of motion, by be born, die, live and sometimes other verbs:

From the rafters hung strings of onions.

In the doorway stood a man with a gun.

On a perch beside him sat a blue parrot.

Over the wall came a shower of stones.

The first three of these examples could also be expressed by a participle and the verb be:

Hanging from the rafters were strings of onions.

Standing in the doorway was a man with a gun.

Sitting on a perch beside him was a blue parrot. But a participle could not be used with the last example unless the shower of stones lasted for some time.

37Adverbs of time

A afterwards, eventually, lately, now, recently, soon, then, today, tomorrowetc. and adverb phrases of time: at once, since then, till(6.00 etc.)

These are usually placed at the very beginning or at the very end of the clause, i.e. in front position or end position. End position is usual with imperatives and phrases with till:

Eventually he came/He came eventually.

Then we went home/We went home then.

Write today. I'll wait till tomorrow. (For lately, recently,see also 185.)

With compound tenses, afterwards, eventually, lately, now, recently, sooncan come after the auxiliary:

We'll soon be there.

B before, early, immediately and latecome at the end of the clause:

He came late. I'll go immediately.

But before and immediately,used as conjunctions, are placed at the beginning of the clause:

Immediately the rain stops we'll set out.

C since and ever sinceare used with perfect tenses (see 187 D).

since can come after the auxiliary or in end position after a negative or interrogative verb; ever since(adverb) in end position. Phrases and clauses with sinceand ever sinceare usually in end position, though front position is possible:

He's been in bed since his accident/since he broke his leg.

D yet and still(adverbs of time)

yet is normally placed after verb or after verb + object:

He hasn't finished (his breakfast) yet.

But if the object consists of a large number of words, yetcan be placed before or after the verb:

He hasn 't yet applied/applied yet for the job we told him about. still is placed after the verb be but before other verbs:

She is still in bed.

yet means 'up to the time of speaking'. It is chiefly used with the negative or interrogative.

stillemphasizes that the action continues. It is chiefly used with the affirmative or interrogative, but can be used with the negative to emphasize the continuance of a negative action:

He still doesn't understand. (The negative action of 'not

understanding' continues.)

He doesn't understand yet. (The positive action of 'understanding'

hasn't yet started.)

When stressed, stilland yetexpress surprise, irritation or impatience. Both words can also be conjunctions (see 327).

E just,as an adverb of time, is used with compound tenses:

I'm just coming. (See also 183.) (For just as an adverb of degree, see 41.)

38 Adverbs of frequency

(a) always, continually, frequently, occasionally, often, once, twice, periodically, repeatedly, sometimes, usuallyetc.

Date: 2015-12-18; view: 914