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I generally face problem in sentence structure .

Which one is correct :-

  • Mainly he does this .
  • He mainly does this .
  • He does mainly this .
  • He does this mainly .

All the above sentences seem to be correct and carry same meaning

I being a non native speaker of English generally face this problem .

Is there any rule regarding this problem which not only applies to this particular example but for all such similar examples ?

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  • A few of them may mean the same thing in effect. However, all of them are not of the same meaning.
    – Kris
    Commented Nov 17, 2018 at 12:42
  • @Kris Which one should I treat as most appropriate ?
    – JIM
    Commented Nov 17, 2018 at 12:43
  • There are similar/related previous posts on ELU. A search may be of help. Good Luck.
    – Kris
    Commented Nov 17, 2018 at 12:43
  • All are grammatical and acceptable.
    – Kris
    Commented Nov 17, 2018 at 12:43
  • @Kris Any keyword for what I should search for ?
    – JIM
    Commented Nov 17, 2018 at 12:44

1 Answer 1

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In a sentence more specific than 'He does this', the position of 'mainly' could affect the meaning.

(As his occupation) he mainly sells antiques (but also writes for the local newspaper).

(In his shop) he sells mainly antiques (but also modern ceramics).

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  • So do all the sentences carry different meanings or are same ?
    – JIM
    Commented Nov 17, 2018 at 15:11
  • I said that the position of 'mainly' could affect the meaning (depending what the sentence is), not that all your sentences meant something different.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Nov 17, 2018 at 15:51

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