Placement of some adverbs

[MathiasPedersen]

Yesterday in class we had a sentence we should translate into English:

I would translate it like this: My father will probably be home in a couple of hours.

However my teacher says it is too long to stand in the middle of the sentence and must be moved in the front or the end of the text like this:

"probably my father will be home in a couple of hours"
"my father will be home in a couple of hours probably"

To me this just sound weird - Can anyone help shed some light upon the matter?

Regards Mathias

 

[Rover_KE]

I agree with you and think your teacher's versions are wrong.

A better title would have been 'Placement of probably'.

Rover

 

[Raymott]

Yesterday in class we had a sentence we should translate into English:

I would translate it like this: My father will probably be home in a couple of hours.

However my teacher says it is too long to stand in the middle of the sentence and must be moved in the front or the end of the text like this:

"probably my father will be home in a couple of hours"
"my father will be home in a couple of hours probably"

To me this just sound weird - Can anyone help shed some light upon the matter?

Regards Mathias

Adverbs can come in a lot of places in sentences. This is sometimes a matter of style - as in this sentence, it doesn't affect the meaning.
But, your sentence seems by far the most natural.

 

[MathiasPedersen]

Thanks for the answers.
I looked it up in my book of grammar, Practical English Usage, and it turns out that I am right.

If you are interested in the grammar behind it then this is what my book states: "Adverbs that can in mid-position: focusing adverbs (e.g. just), some adverbs of manner (e.g. angrily), comment adverbs (e.g.fortunately)"
example 5 in the book:
"The train will probably be late"

So I guess I will have to take it up with my quite stubborn teacher

 

[emsr2d2]

I suggest you show your teacher the relevant section from your grammar book and, if you want to, this thread. The perfect position for "probably" in your example was mid-sentence.

I will probably go to work tomorrow.
My flatmate will probably be back in about an hour.
My mum and her friends are probably going to visit me next week.

Note that we very rarely begin a sentence with the word "Probably".