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For example:

The word rarely turns up outside of those contexts.

The word turns up rarely outside of those contexts.

Which one is correct and why?

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3
  • 1
    Rarely, the word turns up outside of those contexts. The word turns up outside of those contexts rarely.
    – GEdgar
    Mar 7 '13 at 20:40
  • The word turns rarely up for Yoda.
    – marcellothearcane
    Jul 24 '19 at 15:03
  • There's a big difference between main verbs and auxiliary verbs with regard to adverb placement, among other things.
    – John Lawler
    Oct 3 '20 at 22:39
9

Both correct, I don't think it's supposed to be limited here. Maybe the creative usage "turns rarely up" would also be used in some cases.

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  • "turns rarely up" could be uncomfortable for a phrasal verb in the sense of appearing, but perhaps more reasonable in a prepositional verb in the sense of changing direction
    – Henry
    Dec 6 '19 at 12:20
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Positioning adverbs is a complex affair. There are some rules of thumb, but for many adverbs, it is quite acceptable to place it before or after the verb. In this case, I think either way is acceptable, though I would probably find the former more natural, i.e.

The word rarely turns up outside of those contexts.

but the following is also acceptable, if a bit less natural:

The word turns up rarely outside of those contexts.

Two side notes: a) you want those (the plural of that), since contexts is plural, b) of is required in both cases here, as it belongs with the word outside.

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  • Or, of course, just change "contexts" to "context".
    – Mark Hurd
    Jan 24 '11 at 3:53
  • @Mark Hurd: Yes, though I think it's much more likely he made the mistake with the adjective rather than the noun. :)
    – Noldorin
    Jan 24 '11 at 14:43
3

Frequency adverbs such as rarely go before the verb or divide the verb phrase, as in "I have seldom seen such outrageous behavior." Other examples of frequency adverbs are seldom, occasionally, often, sometimes.

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1

In the first version, the word "rarely" seems to be the subject, rather than "The word," so the meaning is ambiguous.

As in:

The word "rarely" turns up outside of those contexts.

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0

"Turns up rarely" appears to describe the way it turns up rather than how often. "Rarely turns up" shows how often.

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1
  • They both describe the way it turns up — being adverbs attached to the verb phrase "shows up" — and in both cases that relates to how often.
    – Jon Hanna
    Jan 18 '13 at 18:12

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