# EN: usually - adverb placement



## amarok18

Hello! 

Is the sentence ! "my father usually is in the garden in the afternoon" wrong?

Thank you


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## SwissPete

No, it's fine.


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## amarok18

SwissPete said:


> No, it's fine.



That's although what I thought. Yet, I heard that "usually" can't be before "is". So, I am slightly confused.


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## Keith Bradford

amarok18 said:


> That's although what I thought. Yet, I heard that "usually" can't be before "is". So, I am slightly confused.



You're right, SwissPete's wrong.  The correct word-order is: "my father is usually in the garden" or else "usually, my father is in the garden".


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## Assurancetourix

I think that's a bit sweeping. In this sentence, without any context, _is usually _definitely sounds more natural to me - but I'm not sure there is an iron law that _usually _can't be followed by _is - e.g.:_

How did you know he would be in the garden?
Well, he usually is
Sorry?
He usually is in the garden

It's probably a good rule of thumb not to put _usually _before _am/are/is,_ but I don't think we should condemn all _usually is _sentences as ungrammatical. There is a difference of emphasis I can't quite put my finger on but it's almost as if _usually is _is used more to contradict a previous statement or insist on something, whereas _is usually _is used more as a neutral statement of fact.


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## misadro

I second Keith if I may .... The correct position, after "is" :
He is _usually (never, always, frequently, seldom, sometimes, occasionally)_ late ...

Or, with some of these frequency adverbs :  
_Usually/Sometimes/Occasionally, _he is .... (please note the comma)


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## Assurancetourix

Yes of course you may misadro... but based on what? This seems to be just an assertion, and there is already a whole catalogue of invented rules! Let the language breathe a little, I say, or at least give a reason why not.


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## misadro

Picked at random ... http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/adverbien1.htm

Says: "The position of adverbs of frequency is ... after a form of "to be" (am, is, are, was, were)"

You can let the language breathe if you are a native speaker, and you are speaking to family and/or friends ...
You cannot let the language "breathe" if you are a teacher of EFL .. otherwise .. you would be teaching .. chaos ... (just a joke .. if I may, again)


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## Keith Bradford

On second thoughts, "usually is" can be a normal construction if we want to emphasise the verb.

E.g.

"I didn't expect to see your father in the garden," she said.
"My father usually is in the garden in the afternoon," he replied.


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## lesaucisson

Hi,

Could you tell me the good placement of usually in this sentence […] Thank you

Usually what kind of contract will offer me the company? […]


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## SwissPete

No proofreading allowed, lesaucisson!

Can you be specific about one aspect of your query?


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## lesaucisson

I said it  : placement of usually, is it correct or not ?


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## SwissPete

With a *comma *after _usually_, your sentence is OK, except for the word order at the end of it.


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## lesaucisson

Usually what kind of contract the company will offer me? is it ok ?


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## SwissPete

No.


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