V. The placement of adverbs

 

Adverbs that modify the emphasized adverbial or the entire situation are placed before shì是. Adverbs modifying the predicate verb are placed before the verb.

 

1.       Wǒ yě shì zài Měiguó xué de Yīngwén. 

我也是在美国学的英文。

I, too, studied English in America.

 

2.       Wǒ shì zài Měiguó xué de Yīngwén,  yě shì zài Měiguó xué de Xībānyáwén. 

我是在美国学的英文，也是在美国学的西班牙文。

It was in America that I studied English and it was also in America that I studied Spanish.

 

3.       Wǒmen dōu shì zài Měiguó xué de Yīngwén. 

我们都是在美国学的英文。

We all studied English in America.

 

4.       Jīntiān tā yòu shì jiǔ diǎn bàn huílái de. 

          今天他又是九点半回来的。

          He came back at 9:30 again tonight. /It was again 9:30 that he came back tonight.

 

5.       Jīntiān tā shì jiǔ diǎn bàn cái qǐchuáng de. 

          今天他是九点半才起床的。

          Today he finally got up at 9:30. / Today it was at 9:30 that he finally got up.