Adverbial phrases

1. What Are Adverbial Phrases?

Adverbial phrases are groups of words that add information such as time, place, or frequency.

They help you say when, where, and how often something happens, so your meaning is clear.

• Time (When?): in the morning, at night, on Mondays
• Place (Where?): at school, in the park, at home
• Frequency (How often?): every week, twice a month, three times a year

An adverb is one word (often, here, yesterday). An adverbial phrase is a group of words (in the morning, at school, every week).

2. Placement of Adverbial Phrases in a Sentence

The position of adverbial phrases in a sentence is important to make your sentences clear.

General structure:

A common order is: Subject + frequency adverb (usually/often) + verb + (object) + place + time. Frequency phrases (every week/twice a month) often go at the end or at the beginning.

Examples:

• “I usually read a book at home in the evening.”
• “She often drinks coffee at the café in the afternoon.”
• “He plays football on Saturdays at the park.”
• “They rarely eat fast food at home in the evening.”
• “I always drink coffee at home in the morning.”

Tip: Frequency adverbs and the verb “be”

Frequency adverbs usually come before the main verb, except with the verb to be, where they come after the verb:

• “I am always happy at school.”
• “She is sometimes tired in the evening.”

Two common placements:

1. End of the sentence: I read at home in the evening. (place + time)
2. Start with time to focus on the time: In the evening, I read at home.