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This question may sound simple, but I have never actually seen anyone define it. Where is the mid-position in a sentence? Is it between the subject and the predicate (everything other than the subject, for those who consult a different grammar from me)?

Take these examples:

[1] Jake, walking his dog, enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the park.

[2] The man, confident and narcissistic, faced the crowd without a care.

[3] He quickly ran down the corridor.

These bold elements are in mid-position — nobody would dispute that — but I'm wondering if there are any other constructions that break this rule and aren't placed at the end or beginning.

For example, a conjunctive adverb:

[4] He was, however, the greatest doctor in the village.

[5] He, however, was the greatest doctor in the village.

These are considered 'clause adjuncts', so I imagine that there's a different set of rules concerning them.

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    It's loosely defined, and usually as woolly as 'neither initial nor terminal' as if sentences never had more than 3 slots. Parentheticals only have one comma, dash etc if in sentence-initial or terminal position. // [3b] He quickly ran down the corridor. / [3c] He ran quickly down the corridor. ([3a] and [3d] have the adverb in sentence-initial (with a comma) and terminal positions respectively.)
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Apr 25, 2022 at 15:38
  • I don't understand. What is the rule that they break? Where is the term "mid position" used?
    – John Lawler
    Apr 25, 2022 at 16:42
  • @JohnLawler Typically, when people describe the places in which an element such as an adverb or a participle clause can be placed, they use terminology like 'front', 'end', and 'mid'. The initial two are obvious, but the latter isn't. I say 'rule' because you can't place these elements anywhere.
    – MJ Ada
    Apr 25, 2022 at 16:49
  • Really? That's too bad, because there is much more precise terminology available; I wouldn't listen to grammatical advice from people who know so little about grammar. In fact the most common position for most adverbs is following the first auxiliary verb, or immediately before the main verb if there are no auxiliaries. But usually there are.
    – John Lawler
    Apr 25, 2022 at 16:53
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    @EdwinAshworth As usual, resources online love to make up their own meaningless terms. It seems that this is just another example. Cheers. Edit: By resources online, I don't mean you, just in case the direction in which my comment was aimed isn't clear.
    – MJ Ada
    Apr 25, 2022 at 16:53

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