副词摆放的位置，大致上可以分成如下几类：首位、中位、尾位、修饰位、表语位。

首位是指句子的开头：Happily, they watched TV until dinner.

中位是指主语和谓语之间：They happily watched TV until dinner.

尾位是指放在宾语和表语的后面。注意上面两个例句中的until dinner是状语，所以happily既可放在它的前面也可放在后面：

They watched TV happily until dinner.

They watched TV until dinner happily.

副词有时可以用来修饰名词词组：

We specialize in principally the following three areas.

We were faced by easily the worst situation we had ever seen.

副词偶尔可以作表语，但这种结构很罕见：

The only way to do it is very very slowly.

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在这些位置中，修饰位和表语位是很少会用错的，因为它修饰的对象是名词词组而非动词。下面只介绍副词作状语的情况。

一般来说，副词是不能插在谓词和宾语（或表语）之间的，但如果宾语是一个从句或直接引语，则是可以的：

错误：They watched happily TV until dinner.

正确：He denied categorically that he had spoken to her.

正确：He said immediately, "That's exactly the kind of patient we take."

对于非限定从句，副词可以在中位也可在尾位；当采用中位时，副词既可在to前面也可在to后面：

For him never to play again would be a great pity.

For him to never play again would be a great pity. （这种情况有时称为分裂不定式）

He complained about the staff never receiving any support from the boss.

错误：He complained about never the staff receiving any support from the boss.

对于祈使句，副词可以放在首位或尾位：

Close the door slowly.

Slowly close the door.

对于有助动词的句子（这里的助动词是指满足NICE特征的动词，传统语法谓之“操作词”），中位一般是助动词之后，实义动词之前，但如果强调助动词，则一般放在助动词之前：

It was certainly very good.

It certainly WAS very good.

这两种位置一般语义上无差别，但是如果not与助动词合并，那么就可能产生否定范围的问题：

They aren't always available. 他们不总是有空。

They always aren't available. 他们总是没空。

如果把副词放在从句的尾位，那么有时会产生歧义，此时应当避免使用尾位：

He told me you wanted it yesterday. （是“昨天告诉我”，还是“你昨天想要”？）

He told me that yesterday you wanted it. （你昨天想要）

He told me yesterday that you wanted it. （昨天告诉我）

状语的语义对状语位置的选择有很大影响，这个问题非常大而复杂，Quirk等人据此把状语分成了四大类几十小类讨论，此处没有位置展开来细讲了。

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你问了几个小问题，我可以说一说。就语义而言，副词可以分为两大类：修饰分句的，修饰谓语的。修饰分句的副词一般放首位或尾位：

Generally, the country is always turbulent.

Necessarily, this is very rare.

Luckily, this did not happen.

Frankly, I'm just not interested.

First of all, he did not apologise.

但对于系动词，放在中位也可以：

This is necessarily rather rare.

副词的位置对语义一般无影响，只有强调的不同。比较：

(1) Still, I love you.

(2) I still love you.

(3) I love you, still.

(1)句的still一般用来转折，例如孩子犯了错，父母骂了一顿，然后说“这一切都是为你好！Still, I love you.”

(2)句一般用来强调still：快回来吧！我仍然是爱你的！

(3)句一般强调重点是love，still是用来补充的。