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A Friendly Tip For Non-Native English Writers
Learning a foreign language fluently is no easy task. But learning to write like a native can sometimes be as difficult as losing one’s accent.
No matter how long we’ve been technically fluent, we sometimes slip and instinctively force our native language’s syntax into our second language.
For instance…
In English, placing the adverb after the verb, but before an object, can blow quickly a non-native’s cover.
However, placing the adverb before the verb can avoid quickly blowing a non-native’s cover.
One of the quickest ways to show one’s non-nativeness while speaking or writing English is to place the adverb after the verb, but before an object. These are sometimes called “transitive adverbs” because they modify transitive verbs (verbs with direct objects).
Some languages, particularly those Latin-based, force the adverb close to, and sometimes directly after, the verb it modifies. This actually makes more sense and makes sentences less confusing. Unfortunately, this just doesn’t flow in English.
For instance, “He kicked the ball hard” vs “He kicked hard the ball.”
This is not to say that adverbs must always follow direct objects. If the speaker or writer wishes to show emphasis, they will…
