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deteriorated.
" Margaret ran the office, although, officially, Trevor was the manager.
" I haven't made any plans yet, but presumably you'll want to show her
around London
mid position
Focusing adverbs (e.g. just, even), adverbs of indefinite frequency (e.g. often,
always, never) and adverbs of certainty and degree (e.g probably, obviously,
clearly, completely, quite, almost) all favour this position. Note that when
auxiliary verbs (e.g. is, has, will, was) are used, they normally go between the
auxiliary verb and the main verb:
" She's been everywhere - she's even been to Tibet and Nepal.
" Tom won't be back yet, but I'll just see if Brenda's home. I'll give her a ring.
" My boss often travels to Malaysia and Singapore but I've never been there.
" Have you finished yet? I haven't quite finished. I've almost finished.
" She's obviously a very bossy woman. ~ I completely agree!
adverb-adjective
When adverbs modify adjectives, they are placed immediately before them:
" We had some really interesting news last night. John's been offered a job in
Australia. He's absolutely delighted.
" I bought an incredibly expensive dress last week which fits me perfectly.
But John says I shouldn't wear it. He says it's too tight.
An exception to this rule is enough which is placed after the adjective or adverb that
it modifies:
" I got up quite early but not early enough to eat a good breakfast.
expressing possibility: perhaps/maybe, may/might
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Katinka Raupenstein from Germany writes:
Hi! I'd like to know when you should use maybe and when you should use perhaps.
I'm not sure, buy maybe perhaps was used only in former times. In any case, I've
never heard perhaps on the radio. All the VIPs use only maybe.
maybe / perhaps
In British English both of these adverbs are still very commonly used and have the
same meaning. You use them to say that something is possible or may be true, but
you are not certain.
They can be used interchangeably but of the two, maybe is very appropriate for
more informal contexts and perhaps is used in more formal situations. Compare the
following:
" I can't find it anywhere. ~ Perhaps / Maybe you threw it away.
" How old is Jane? ~ I don't really know. In her twenties, certainly. Twenty-
five, maybe.
" There were perhaps as many as fifty badly wounded soldiers in the hospital.
" Perhaps I should explain to you how they came to be there.
" St Paul's Cathedral is perhaps one of London's most prominent landmarks.
" Why don't you join us for the New Year celebrations? ~ Yeah, perhaps /
maybe I will.
" Maybe you are right! Perhaps it would be best if you didn't invite Johnnie
Note that perhaps is pronounced 'praps'. Note also from the above illustrations that
perhaps and maybe can be used to refer to past, present or future events.
may / might
Similarly, we can use the modal auxiliaries may or might to say that there is a
chance that something is true or may happen. May and might are used to talk
about present or future events. They can normally be used interchangeably,
although might may suggest a smaller chance of something happening. Compare
the following:
" I may go into town tomorrow for the Christmas sales. And James might
come with me!
" What are you doing over the New Year, Ann? ~ Oh, I may go to Scotland, but
there again, I might stay at home.
" If you go to bed early tonight, you may / might feel better tomorrow.
" If you went to bed early tonight, you might feel better tomorrow.
" One of my New Year resolutions is to go to the gym twice a week! ~ And pigs
might fly!
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Note that 'Pigs might fly' is a fixed expression and always uses might. It means
that something will never happen.
In the first conditional example, will perhaps could be substituted.
" If you go to bed early tonight, you may / might feel better tomorrow.
In the second conditional example, where might is an alternative for would
perhaps, may cannot be substituted.
" If you went to bed early tonight, you might feel better tomorrow.
Steven Tan from Singapore writes:
Hi Roger! My friends often argue about the meaning of the adverb quite. Webster's
Dictionary defines it as extreme or very. Am I right to say that it is the same in
British English?
In British English, quite has two different meanings. It does mean completely or
entirely, but it also means fairly or rather.
quite = completely
When it is used for emphasis with adjectives that cannot be graded, quite means
completely. The colour adjective black, for example cannot be graded. Things can't
be more black or less black. They are just black. So, if we put this into context and
look at some more examples of quite with ungradable adjectives, we may find:
" There's no trace of red in her hair - it's quite black.
" I see no hope - the future looks quite black to me.
" It's quite impossible to learn twenty new items of vocabulary each day.
" His performance on stage was quite amazing - we were just spellbound for
three hours!
" Are you quite sure? I think you're quite wrong about this.
not quite = not completely
When not is used with quite, it always means not exactly or not completely.
Study the following:
" Shall we go? ~ I'm not quite ready.
" Do you like this one?
~ It's not quite the colour I wanted.
" Have you finished that book on Che Guevara yet?
~ Not quite.
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quite = exactly / I agree
Quite can be used in an emphatic way as a one-word response, meaning exactly or
I completely agree:
" I always knew their marriage would never last.
~ Quite! / Exactly! / So did I!
" If you stay quite still, those animals won't harm you.
~ Quite! / That's absolutely right.
quite = fairly / rather
If we are using quite with an adjective that is gradable, it means fairly or rather.
The adjective easy, for example, is gradable. Things can be easier or harder. Thus,
quite, when used with easy, means fairly or rather. Study these examples:
" How did you find the maths test? ~ Oh, it was quite
easy, really. / It was quite difficult.
" What did you think of the cabaret? ~ Oh, it was quite entertaining.
" I'm quite tired but I'll try and finish this book review
before I go to bed.
quite with verbs
When quite is used to modify verbs, the meaning depends on whether the verb is
regarded as gradable or not. Compare the following:
" I wouldn't want to be on holiday with him, but I quite like him.
" How did you get on at Barry's party? ~ Oh, it was quite nice. I quite
enjoyed myself.
" I haven't quite finished decorating Jim's bedroom yet, but I will have by
Saturday.
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