"Well, of course it does!" you may be thinking. Indulge me a moment, though, while I take your thinking out of the orderly sequence grammar lessons may have hammered it into.

Doubtless you are familiar with the subject, verb, predicate order of a sentence, and you are likely aware of reverse constructions that result in passive verb states and awkward sounding lines. Adjectives come before the noun they modify.

The lines get a little wavy when it comes to adverbs, however. Do they go before the verb or after? Or just under, "paving the road to hell?"

I'll just say adverb use is best kept to a minimum, but there are times when a well-placed -ly word is just the piece needed to complete the sentence and scene puzzle. But now where should it go in the order?

Well, it depends. Like adjectives, adverbs modify, but they aren't locked into sitting before their verb, adjective, or other adverb. One of the easiest ways to determine whether you are dealing with an adverb (besides the word ending) is to ask if it answers when, where, why, how, or how much, which could lead to locating the adverb after the verb. And you would still be right.

Let's look at two examples I dealt with during a recent edit that inspired this blog post: 'searching frantically' and 'I missed you already.'

In the first example, if you ask the question 'how was she searching?' the answer is 'frantically,' so the adverb would come after the verb. But you can say 'frantically searching' too, right?

Yes! What's the difference then?

Enter the line editor (and author preference). 

Line editing deals with prose at the sentence level and is tuned in to the rhythm of the sentences and paragraphs surrounding any bit of text. Notice how saying 'frantically searching' has a different cadence than saying 'searching frantically' aloud. The two phrases convey different tones even though they are made of the same two words.

'Frantically' has three syllables that lend themselves to a quick speech pattern; try saying it slow, it just doesn't feel right, does it? The word increases in pace as you say it. Go on, try. I'll wait. 

Putting this all together, 'frantically searching' has a faster, more urgent tone than 'searching frantically.' The adverb can come first if the pace and tone of the scene are rushed, intense, or frenzied. If the moment of searching is part of a pause in the action, or between dialogue sequences, 'searching frantically' may be a more appropriate tone and pace for the scene.

In the second example, 'already' is the word we are locating. Asking the question 'I missed you when?' gives the answer 'already,' so it could go after 'missed.' But it could also read 'I already missed you.'

What's the difference then? Context. (Not the Strength, but you can drink anyway, my fellow Rebels)

The character uttering the words and the situation they are in would help the line editor (or author) to determine which word order is better. 'I already missed you' puts the emphasis on time, as in 'you hadn't even made it to the parking lot, and I already missed you.'

Conversely, 'I missed you already' makes the 'missing' the principal factor, as in 'I thought I'd be fine, but no, I missed you already.' Big difference when all we are doing is swapping two words around, right? 

It's the nuances of the English language like these that make line edits my favorite level of editing. English is such a crazy hot mess, and it is never still; it evolves every day. It keeps writers and editors on their toes. 

What do you think? Do you consider word order when you write, or do you notice your line editor making suggestions such as these (and putting them on the style sheet so the copyeditor doesn't undo them!)? Hit the reply button below and let me know! Until next time, mind the word order and may the words flow smoothly! ~