position of 'very often' in a sentence

[Liza]

Hi,

I've always been taught that if I use an adverb of frequency in a sentence, I should put it in front of the main verb. E.g.:
I often go swimming.

But what's the situation with this sentence?: I go swimming very often.
Is it correct or not? If, yes, why? I mean, the rule is different in case of 'very often'? I don't have to put it before the main verb, what's is more I can;t even put it there?

I know that e.g. 'sometimes' and 'usually' are adverbs of frequency of which positon is quite flexible. But I have never heard about the same rule for 'very often'

Thanks for your answer.

[Jamie (K)]

"Often" can go in any of three positions in the sentence:

"Often I go swimming."
"I often go swimming."
"I go swimming often."

There are some adverbs that go right after the position of the first auxiliary verb, some that go at the beginning of the sentence, some that go at the end, and some that can go in two of those places or all three. It's got nothing to do with it being an adverb of frequency, and everything to do with the properties of the specific adverb.

For reasons I can't figure out, ESL books have recently been changed to tell students that adverbs of that type go "before the main verb". This is wrong, though. Really, adverbs that go in the middle of the sentence go after the position of the first auxiliary verb, not before the main verb.

Telling students to put the adverb "before the main verb" causes them to produce a lot of badly ungrammatical sentences, such as:

BAD! : It would have been never finished if you hadn't helped us.
Should be: It would never have been finished if you hadn't helped us.

It also causes the students to produce a lot of sentences that don't violate the rules but are nonetheless clumsy and slightly illiterate sounding:

Clumsy: I would have never finished it if you hadn't helped me.
Better: I would never have finished it if you hadn't helped me.

[Liza]

Dear Jamie,

Thanks for your answer.

Well, it's guite clear that I have to put the adverb not in front of the main verb, but after the first aux. (when there is an aux.) in the sentence.

But how should I know about an adverb where I can put it in a sentence and where I can't? Dictionaries normally don't state it, at least not in all cases.

E.g.: what is the situation with: 'rarely' and 'always'. Which is correct from the below sentences? All of them? (Until know I've thought that just the first is OK.)

I rarely go swimming.
Rarely I go swimming.
I go swimming rarely.

I always do my homework in the evening.
Always I do my homework in the evening.
I do my homework in the evening always.

Thanks for your answer.
Liza

[Yankee]

[Jamie (K)]

[Jamie (K)]

Sorry, Amy. I repeated some of what you said. I hadn't seen your post before I put up mine. :oops: