Order of adverb phrases

[wynnmyintuu]

Is there any rigid rule for ordering adverb phrases in a sentence? As far as I know, there is the rule "P, M, T, P, R" (place, manner, time, purpose, reason). Please correct me if I am wrong.

[Raymott]

Is there any rigid rule for ordering adverb phrases in a sentence? As far as I know, there is the rule "P, M, T, P, R" (place, manner, time, purpose, reason). Please correct me if I am wrong.

That might be a guideline, but it's certainly not a rigid rule.
Perhaps you could write half a dozen sentences using that "rule" and we can tell you whether they sound right, and if alternatives would also work?

[wynnmyintuu]

If there is no rigid rule, it looks as if we would have to consult a native speaker every time we write a sentence. If what I have mentioned is a guideline that often works, I'll just follow it. "Sounding right" is something that only native speakers can sense through intuition but it's completely beyond us foreign learners.

[kfredson]

If there is no rigid rule, it looks as if we would have to consult a native speaker every time we write a sentence. If what I have mentioned is a guideline that often works, I'll just follow it. "Sounding right" is something that only native speakers can sense through intuition but it's completely beyond us foreign learners.

That is unfortunately true. And is it not the same with Burmese?

With enough writing and speaking, however, you will also come to recognize what "sounds right." In the meantime, we English speakers are a very forgiving lot and enjoy the interesting sentence constructions of those who are learning. Our great poets often do the same thing, you know.