As was said before, in certain sciences classifications
are done (as it seems) only for the purpose of creating
classification. This seems more than anywhere else true
in the social sciences. Some of the classifications
may however be really useful. For instance to understand
the position of an adverb within a conjunct of adverbs,
there are four types of adverbs.
Adverbs of Time: When?
Adverbs of Time indicate when something has happened.
After temporal adverbs you ask with WHEN?
The accident happened before
we met. When did the
accident happen? Before we
met.
Adverbs of Location: Where?
Adverbs of location indicate where something has
happened. To find the local adverb you ask WHERE?
The accident happened over
there. Where did
the accident happen? Over there.
Modal Adverbs: How?
Modal adverbs indicate how something has happened.
To find the modal adverb you ask HOW/In
which way? He certainly
does not know about this. In
which way does he not know about this?
Causal Adverbs: Why?
Causal Adverbs describe the reason for an action.
The question to find the causal adverb is WHY?
Because of being mean
he has lost everything. Why
did he lose everything? For being mean.
In English as well as in German the position of an adverb
in the conjunct of adverbs is not 100% fixed, even though
it is not totally arbitrary.
Compare these
phrases
Thursday
at eight I opened the door with an axe, because
I had lost the key.
At eight on Thursday
I opened the door with an axe, because I had
lost the key.
I opened the door on
Thursday at eight with an axe because I had
lost the key.
With an axe, at 8 a.m.,
I opened the door on Thursday, because I had
lost the key.
Probably most would say that the first phrase sounds
best.
In German the order is usually
this:
adverb of time
=> causal adverb => modal adverb => local
adverb
This order does also
apply for adverbial constructions!
Position of adverbs
adverb of time
causal adverb
modal adverb
local adverb
Ich fahre
morgen
wegen des schlechten Wetters
mit dem Auto
in die Stadt.
I go to town by car tomorrow because
of bad weather.
The phrase Ich fahre morgen
wegen des schlechten Wetters mit dem Auto in die Stadt
is grammatically correct, but it is far from
good style. If there are so many adverbial constructions
in one sentence, one is put in the beginning. Which
one is put first can be chosen freely.
Alternatives
Wegen des schlechten
Wetters fahre ich morgen mit dem Auto in die
Stadt.
Morgen fahre ich wegen des schlechten Wetters
mit dem Auto in die Stadt.
Mit dem Auto fahre ich morgen wegen des
schlechten Wetters in die Stadt.
is grammatically correct, but it is far from
good style. If there are so many adverbial constructions
in one sentence, one is put in the beginning. Which
one is put first can be chosen freely.
