An adverbial modifies the action, but its position doesn’t determine its usefulness.
I learnt something about grammar that I probably wasn’t supposed to turn into a life lesson.
But here we are.
I recently watched a video by Lai Wasabi… well I had watched it before, but it came up again on my Fyp and I knew there was a message there. He was talking about an ‘Adverbial’. He explained that it is a verb that can be moved about to either the start, middle or end of the sentence and still be meaningful.
Take the sentence:
“He kicked the ball fearfully.”
Now move the adverbial.
“He fearfully kicked the ball.”
Move it again.
“Fearfully, he kicked the ball.”
The sentence changes.
The rhythm changes.
The emphasis changes.
But something doesn’t.
“Fearfully” is still useful.
And for some reason, that made me think about life.
Maybe we should all learn to be adverbials.
Because sometimes, we become too attached to our position.
We think we have to be at the beginning to matter.
We think we have to be at the centre to be important.
We think if we aren’t where we expected to be, then somehow we have become irrelevant.
But perhaps that’s not true.
Maybe you’re not supposed to be at the beginning of someone’s story.
Maybe you’re the person who comes somewhere in the middle and changes everything.
Maybe you’re not the star.
Maybe you’re the person behind the scenes who makes the star’s work possible.
Maybe you’re not where you thought you’d be at twenty.
Maybe you’re not in the department you wanted.
Maybe you’re not in the friend group you imagined.
Maybe you’re not holding the position you thought you’d have.
Maybe life moved you somewhere you didn’t plan for.
And?
Your position changed.
Your purpose doesn’t have to.
That’s the thing about an adverbial.
You can move it around.
Beginning.
Middle.
End.
It still adds something to the sentence.
It still matters.
And perhaps that’s something we need to remember when life rearranges us.
Because we often confuse position with purpose.
We think:
If I’m not there, I’m not useful.
If I’m not leading, I’m not important.
If nobody notices me, I’m not making an impact.
But some of the most important words in a sentence aren’t sitting at the front.
Some aren’t even sitting in the middle.
They’re quietly doing their job at the end.
And the sentence wouldn’t quite be the same without them.
Maybe that’s you.
Maybe you’re currently at the end of somebody else’s sentence.
Maybe you’re somewhere in the middle.
Maybe you’re waiting for your turn to move.
Don’t let your position convince you that you have no purpose.
Because where you are placed isn’t always a reflection of how valuable you are.
Sometimes you’re moved because the sentence needs you somewhere else.
And sometimes the sentence you’re currently in isn’t even your final sentence.
So move.
Adapt.
Learn.
Grow.
Be useful.
Be the person who can walk into a new environment and still find a way to contribute.
Be the person who doesn’t need the perfect position before becoming valuable.
Because life will rearrange you.
People will move.
Circumstances will change.
Doors will open.
Doors will close.
You will go from beginning to middle to end and sometimes back again.
But through all of it, try to remain useful.
Be an adverbial.
Put me anywhere in the sentence.
Beginning?
I’ll contribute.
Middle?
I’ll contribute.
End?
I’ll contribute.
Because maybe the goal isn’t always to be in the right place. Maybe the goal is to be the right person wherever you are placed.
