Be conscious of your adverb placement

This type of problem is really a kind of grammatical mistake, but it’s such a commonly overlooked problem that we’ll cover it under the heading of style. Certain adverbs, such asonly, should be used carefully.

Normally they modify whatever comes immediately after them. Although they are often placed before verbs, they rarely belong in that position.

Compare the following examples:

(paraphrase: “The only thing she does on Fridays is deliver newspapers”; or, “The only thing she does with newspapers on Fridays is deliver them.”)

(paraphrase: “The only thing she delivers on Fridays is newspapers.”)

(paraphrase: “Fridays are the only days that she delivers newspapers.”)

Other adverbs that are commonly misused in this way include almost, merely, and just.