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A simple rule is that you can put time expressions such as “Tomorrow,” “Last week,” or “Two days ago” at the beginning of your sentence or at the end of your sentence.
Here are some correct examples:
1 Tomorrow we’ll have an important meeting.
Or:
We’ll have an important meeting tomorrow.
Not: We’ll tomorrow have an important meeting.
And not: We’ll have tomorrow an important meeting.
2 Last week I saw Jen with Enzo.
I saw Jen with Enzo last week.
3 Two days ago I made an appointment with my dentist.
I made an appointment with my dentist two days ago.
And not: I made two days ago an appointment with my dentist.
Please note: This rule doesn’t count for always, never, sometimes, usually and rarely. For the rule of these, have a look at this article.
So to recap:
Put time expressions at the beginning or at the end of your sentence.
Easy, isn’t it?
Please have a look at some more examples:
4 Early in the evening we went for a walk on the beach.
We went for a walk on the beach early in the evening.
5 Yesterday night Alexandra worked the night shift.
Alexandra worked the night shift yesterday night.
6 At a quarter to six the bell rang.
The bell rang at a quarter to six.
7 In the summer of 1995 Desiree wasn’t born yet.
Desiree wasn’t born yet in the summer of 1995.
So now try the quiz.
Quiz
You can do the quiz online here.
Put in the time expressions according to the instructions between brackets.
Example 1:
Mat worked all day (today, end).
Answer:
Mat worked all day today.
Example 2:
Farhad did his laundry (yesterday, beginning).
Answer:
Yesterday Farhad did his laundry.
1 Robin quit smoking (last year, beginning).
2 The stars are bright (tonight, beginning).
3 Mr Eastlander is out (this afternoon, end).
4 Spring starts early (this year, beginning).
5 The sun goes down (at five o’clock, end).
6 The birds build a nest (when it gets warm, end).
7 I need to remove the clothes from the line (before it gets dark, beginning).
8 She falls asleep on top of her book (when she feels tired, beginning).
9 The neighbours will start renovating their flat (in December, end).
10 The toast will be ready (in five minutes, beginning).
Did you like this quiz? Why not order some more?
(e.g.: recently, now, then, yesterday)
Adverbs of time are usually put at the end of the sentence.
| subject | verb(s) | indirect object | direct object | time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | will tell | you | the story | tomorrow. |
If you don’t want to put emphasis on the time, you can also put the adverb of time at the beginning of the sentence.
| time | subject | verb(s) | indirect object | direct object |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomorrow | I | will tell | you | the story. |
Note that some time expressions are adverbs of frequency (always, never, usually usw.). These are usually put before the main verb (except for ‘be’ as a main verb). (see also Position of Adverbs)
| subject | auxiliary/be | adverb | main verb | object, place or time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | often | go swimming | in the evenings. | |
| He | doesn’t | always | play | tennis. |
| We | are | usually | here in summer. | |
| I | have | never | been | abroad. |
Exercise on position of time expressions
go to Position of Adverbs ►
1. Adverbs of time are usually put at the end of the sentence.
subject – verb – indirect object – direct object – time
• I will tell you the story tomorrow.
• She has an appointment with the doctor next Tuesday.
2. If you don’t want to put emphasis on the time, you can also put the adverb of time at the beginning of the sentence.
time – subject – verb – indirect object – direct object
• Tomorrow I will tell you the story.
• Later she ate the porridge.
3. Note that some time expressions are adverbs of frequency (always, never, usually, often, etc.). These are usually put before the main verb (except for ‘be’ as a main verb).
subject – auxiliary/be – adverb – main verb – object, place or time
• I often go swimming in the evenings.
• He doesn’t always play tennis.
• We are usually here in summer.
• I have never been abroad.
4. If you need to use more than one adverb of time in a sentence, use them in this order:
how long – how often – when
• I work for five hours every day.
• The magazine was published weekly last year.
• I was abroad for two months last year.
• She worked in a hospital for two days every week last year.
There are a few things that seem off with your original sentence:
I would like to meet you at 5pm this Sunday in KFC on the first floor in USA Shopping center.
First, the order of adverbials is off. As the Cambridge dictionary says, adverbials of time should follow adverbials of place.
When there is more than one of the three types of adverb together, they usually go in the order: manner, place, time.
An example from there is:
James played brilliantly [manner] in the match [place] on Saturday [time]. (preferred to James played brilliantly on Saturday in the match.)
So in your sentence, the order of the adverbs needs to be reversed:
I would like to meet you in KFC on the first floor in USA Shopping center at 5pm this Sunday.
That is immediately much better. The two sets of adverbials are in the right order (place, then time).
Within each set, you have already arranged each of them from most specific to most general: 5pm is more specific than this Sunday, for example. You could choose to arrange from most general to most specific too: this Sunday at 5pm. But in that case you should probably rearrange the place adverbs too, to go from most general (USA Shopping Center) to most specific (KFC). That is a matter of preference and style rather than a rule per se. The way you have them arranged is fine.
The rest of the tweaks don’t have to do directly with your question about the arrangement of adverbials, but are needed to make the sentence idiomatic. Consider the following conversation:
«Where did you eat?»
«KFC.»
«The one on Foo Road?»
«No, the one in USA Shopping Center.»
When you are specifying which KFC, you need the definite article. You can say I’ll see you in KFC, but once you’re narrowing it down to a specific one, you have to say I’ll meet you in the KFC on the first floor.
I would like to meet you in the KFC on the first floor in USA Shopping center at 5pm this Sunday.
Next, idiomatically we say the nth floor of a building rather than in:
I would like to meet you in the KFC on the first floor of USA Shopping center at 5pm this Sunday.
Finally, is the name of the mall USA Shopping Center? If so, capitalize accordingly:
I would like to meet you in the KFC on the first floor of USA Shopping Center at 5pm this Sunday.
If the shopping center is called just USA, and you’re adding the shopping center for disambiguation (the first floor of USA seems, um, rather vast) then you need to lose the capital S and add a definite article. It’s a bit tricky to explain, but I’ll try. Suppose I’ve been trying to choose between Harmon-Kardon and Bose speakers. Once I am sure, I might say:
I’ve decided to buy the Bose speakers.
Here, I’m using Bose to specify which speakers among the ones I was considering. Since it’s a specification, I need the definite article. It works just like the green bag or some other specification using an adjective.
Similarly, if the mall is just named USA, you are specifying which shopping center, and its name functions adjectivally. So you would need the definite article:
I would like to meet you in the KFC on the first floor of the USA shopping center at 5pm this Sunday.
Time Order Words or Phrases tell when events happen and in what order. Here are some useful time order words in English.
List of Time Order Words
These are time-order transition words in English you should know…
BEFORE
- Earlier
- Formerly
- In the past
- Not long ago
- Once
- Preceding
- Previously
- Prior to
- Up until that time
- Yesterday
FIRST
- At first
- At the beginning
- At the onset
- Before
- Commence
- Embark
- From this point
- In the first place
- Starting with
- To begin
NEXT
- After
- After a few days
- After a while
- After that
- As soon as
- Consequently
- Following
- Henceforth
- In time
- In turn
- Later
- Momentarily
- Not long after
- Right after
- Second
- Third
- Shortly
- Since
- Soon
- Soon after
- Then
- Tomorrow
- When
- Presently
SOMETIMES
- At times
- From time to time
- Gradually
- Occasionally
- Periodically
- Rarely
- Seldom
- Some of the time
LAST
- Afterward
- At last
- At the end
- Eventually
- Final
- Finally
- Hereafter
- In conclusion (In Conclusion Synonym)
- In the end
- Last of all
- Later on
- Thereafter
- To conclude
- To finish
- Until
Time Order Transition Words Examples
- In the past, the exam had been overemphasized.
- He was cross at first, but later he relented.
- The general had served as a soldier in the earlier war.
- Smocks were formerly worn by farm workers.
- We’re going to Japan at the beginning of July.
- Franco began to prepare the ground, starting with the Falange.
- Henceforth I expect you to be punctual for the meeting.
- She started to sing, and then the others chimed in.
- After a while, we naturally started talking about the children.
- I like to buy myself little luxuries from time to time.
- Let’s go to the theatre first and eat afterward.
- To conclude, I’d like to express my thanks to my family.
- To begin with, I don’t like his attitude.
- Not long ago I had read that each atom was a sort of solar system.
- As soon as we can afford it, we’ll move out to the suburbs.
- Periodically, Congress has made half-hearted attempts at finance reform.
- Eventually, Roberto backed down and apologized.
- Presently, a young woman in a white coat came in.
- From this point, we can apply our usual analysis.
Time Order Transition Words | Infographic
Useful List of Time Order Words in English
Last Updated on August 16, 2019