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Where should the word "also" appear in the sentence:

I've been in Paris.

Google result count:

  • "i've been also" 2,090,000
  • "i've also been" 76,000,000

It seems like the second is more common, but why is that so?

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In:

I've also been in Paris.

have is an auxiliary verb and also is an adverb. been is the main verb of the sentence. In general, we put the adverb before the 'main' verb, the verb it is describing, and here "also" is modifying "been". In the same way that we don't put adjectives after nouns, we don't put adverbs after verbs.

I've been also in Paris.

This sounds extremely awkward. In English we never put the adverb between the verb and the object.

In general there are three rules for placing adverbs in a sentence:

  • At the end of the sentence

I go to Paris often

  • At the beginning of the sentence

Often, I go to Paris.

  • In the middle, between the subject and the verb, or the auxiliary verb and the main verb.

I often go to Paris.

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    +1 because I think your analysis is correct, and there's no doubt it's at least 'non-standard' to put also after the verb. But it is more 'do-able' if the object ("in Paris") is omitted as being just an echo of the previous statement. And if we substitute too for also, the positional grammar reverses.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jun 7, 2011 at 16:35

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