The word order with the adverb 'totally' involved

[Frenger]

Hi folks,

I had a disagreement with my friend over the place of the adverb 'totally' in a sentence. Since I'm not a native English speaker, I'd appreciate help with the following case.

Firstly, is it wrong to say "Working the whole night was totally a new way to spend the Christmas Eve"? Is the 'totally' in a wrong place in the sentence? If so, where should it be?

There, I'm trying to emphasize that working through the night on that day was definitely something I've never done before. I could've replaced the word with e.g. 'certainly', 'truly' or 'definitely'.

My friend, for one, claimed it should be said this way: "Working the whole night was a totally new way to spend the Christmas Eve". I can tell this is not wrong, either, but I feel like it carries a slightly different kind of vibe.

What exactly is the difference between these two expressions? Can both be used, and if, what kind of contexts do they fit?

Thank you very much beforehand.

[J&K Tutoring]

Is it wrong to say "Working the whole night was totally a new way to spend the Christmas Eve"? Is the 'totally' in a wrong place in the sentence? If so, where should it be?

There, I'm trying to emphasize that working through the night on that day was definitely something I've never done before. I could've replaced the word with e.g. 'certainly', 'truly' or 'definitely'.

'Totally' could be used in either place and the sentence would mean the same thing. The other words you cited would not work in both places.

As a side note, we (NA) would not refer to the Christmas Eve. We would simply say ... spend Christmas Eve.

[Frenger]

'Totally' could be used in either place and the sentence would mean the same thing. The other words you cited would not work in both places.


As a side note, we (NA) would not refer to the Christmas Eve. We would simply say ... spend Christmas Eve.

Thanks for your answer. Would you have any kind of a grammar rule concerning the matter? I'd like to convince my friend. :)

[Gillnetter]

Hi folks,

I had a disagreement with my friend over the place of the adverb 'totally' in a sentence. Since I'm not a native English speaker, I'd appreciate help with the following case.

Firstly, is it wrong to say "Working the whole night was totally a new way to spend the Christmas Eve"? Is the 'totally' in a wrong place in the sentence? If so, where should it be? I would expect the speaker to be under 18 years of age. Many younger Americans will use "totally" uniquely.

There, I'm trying to emphasize that working through the night on that day was definitely something I've never done before. I could've replaced the word with e.g. 'certainly', 'truly' or 'definitely'.

My friend, for one, claimed it should be said this way: "Working the whole night was a totally new way to spend the Christmas Eve". I can tell this is not wrong, either, but I feel like it carries a slightly different kind of vibe.
This is the more common way to use "totally".
What exactly is the difference between these two expressions? Can both be used, and if, what kind of contexts do they fit?

Thank you very much beforehand.

Gil