Adverbs of manner

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Please, can anyone help me?
What is the difference between the following two sentences?

  1. They secretly decided to leave the town.(the decision was secret)
  2. They decided to leave the town secretly.(leaving was to be secret)

Am I correct the above meaning?[/b]

2

That’s right, Ooshoha.

3

Thanks Beeesneees and another question: When I watched “Kung-fu Panda”, there was such construction “Never before had a panda been so feared and so loved”. Can you explain me that construction.

4

‘Never before have I…’ is a kind of inverted form of ‘I have never before…’. It is not used very frequently, but it is not obsolete either. It is often used in traditional folk tales and fairy stories.

‘had a panda’ indicates any other panda, so

No panda had ever been so feared and so loved before (in the way that this panda is feared and loved now).

Other examples:

Never before had a girl seen such a thing in that house. (No girl had previously seen anything like that in that house)
Never before had a cat grown to such a size. (No cat had previously ever been so big)

5

Thanks a lot for your explanations. And I notice that after inverting to that construction it requires question sentence.

I really appreciate your attention, thanks.

6

Hi,

The word order in an inversion is similar to a question form but of course it isn’t a question. Towards the end of my notes on the Adverb I have written about inversion.

english-test.net/lessons/50/index.html

Alan

7

Thanks, Alan. But are there only these adverbs “never, seldom, scarcely … when, no sooner … than, nowhere, in no circumstances, on no account, only then, not only” that inversion requires?

8

Hi,

There may well be others but I think what I have given is I think a fairly substantial list.

Alan

9

Thanks for your answer. So, Neither/nor is also used in that construction like question but doesn’t make question sentence. Are they also adverbs which is used in inversions?

10

Hi,

This inversion is used within short answers or responses as in;

I don’t like flying.

Nor/neither do I.

I love flying.

So do I.

Alan

11

Oh, with your help I can finally understand inversion.

Thanks a lot

12

Hi ! Mr. Alan -
Thanks your giudeline about all sorts of adverbs

If I write ,

‘He is yet to immature to understand the all Grammatical terminology at this moment .’

Is this correct ?

13

Not quite:

At this moment, he is still too immature to understand all the grammatical terminology.

14

Thanks .

But If I write ;

‘He is yet to understand for his immaturity-----’ What about ?

15

Hi,

Remember the difference between ‘to’ (preposition) and ‘too’ (adverb). You need something like ‘because of’ in place of ‘for’.

Alan

16

Thanks Sir .

Sorry, I believe , You would not have missed if you had much attentive .

‘Roger has yet to learn the prcticality’ - same - ‘Roger has not learned the practicality yet’

17

Roger has yet to learn the practicality of .
Roger has not learned the practicality of yet.

18

Thanks Beeese.

Is this too necessary after’ practicality ’ adding more words as I mean ‘prcticality’ object can be an ending ?

19

You have to explain somewhere what you are speaking about. If you end on ‘practicality’, then you will have to have already made it clear what ‘practicality’ or ‘practicalities’ relates to.

20

Thanks.

Never before had we seen the enthusiasm to learn the English language as it did happen now a days since few weeks .

Does here exist any inconsistency ???