The first english language faculty the department of english phonetics and phonology

I don’t agree with that last comment.
During the last hour the storms have been getting worse.
Last saw her three years ago.
How did your boys sleep last night?
Last year the company made a profit of also million dollars.
We went to the play the night before last.

2. 
   happening or coming at the end after all the others:
   

Fry the onions until crisp, so them last.
That’s the last time I’ve ever going out with them.
The last of the guests had arrived.
Baker finished next to last in the 1500 metres.

3. 
   remaining after all the rest have gone:
   

Who wants the last of the ice cream?
He is the last great writer of his generation.

4. 
   used for emphasizing that someone or something is not at all likely, suitable or wanted:
   

I’m the last person you should be asking for advice.

5. 
   to continue happening for a particular period or until a particular time:
   

The conference will last two weeks.
The party lasted until the early morning.

6. 
   to continue to be available or to be enough for what people used:
   

The water won’t last long.
Thirty pounds usually lasted him about a week.
The semantic structure of the word last shows that one so the same word an also be the word belonging to different parts of speech such as a noun so a verb. Words denoting time frequently can be an adverb. There are many adverbs in English which are called adverb of time. Adverbs of time generally are originated from adjectives. For instance, the adverbs late so later were adjectives. The semantic structure of these words can be shown in the following way:¹⁸
Late:

An object may also be separated from the predicate by a parenthesis so a clause of time: She had seen, of course, when she spoke, only Tristram. (BUECHNER)

The position of adverbial modifiers in the sentence is known to be comparatively more free than that of other parts. However, there is some difference here between types of modifiers. Those which are most closely linked with the part of the sentence they modify are the ones that denote the frequency or the property of an action. They come between the subject so the predicate, or even inside the predicate if it consists of two words — an auxiliary so a notional verb, or two elements of a compound predicate.
We cannot, however, say either that adverbial modifiers of these types cannot stso elsewhere in the sentence, or that adverbial modifiers of other types cannot occupy this position. Occasionally an adverbial modifier-of frequency will appear at the beginning of the sentence. Occasionally, on the other hso, an adverbial modifier of another type appears between subject so predicate: Catherine, for a few moments, was motionless with horror. (J. AUSTEN) Now 'Meiklcjohn, with a last effort, kicked his opponent's legs from under him... (LINKLATER)¹⁹
The more usual 'position of the adverbial modifiers of time so place is, however, outside the group "subject -f- predicate + object", that is, either before or after it. Which of the two variants is actually used depends on a variety of factors, among which the rheme plays an important part. If the main stress is to fall, for instance, on the adverbial modifier of time, i. e. if it contains the main new thing to be conveyed, this adverbial modifier will have to come at the end of the sentence, as in the following extract: "Only think, we crossed in thirteen days! It takes your breath away." "We'll cross in less than ten days yet/" (FITCH) If, on the other hso, the main thing to be conveyed is something else, the adverbial modifier of time can come at the beginning of the sentence. It would, however, be wrong to say that the adverbial modifier, when not bearing sentence stress, must come at the beginning. It can come at the end in this case, too, so it is for the intonation to show where the semantic centre of the sentence lies. This may be seen in sentences of the following type: Fleda, with a bright face, hesitated a moment.²⁰
These are problems of functional sentence perspective, which we have briefly discussed above (p. 197 ff.). The position of adverbial modifiers of time so place has also to be studied in the light of this general problem.
An adverbial modifier can also occupy other positions in the sentence; thus, the auxiliary do of the negative form can be separated from the infinitive by a rather lengthy prepositional group acting as a loose secondary part of the sentence, which is probably best classed as an adverbial modifier of cause: He was perhaps the very last in a long line of people whom Steitler at this time did not, for an equally long line of reasons, want to see, but, half perversely, half idly, he turned his steps in the direction of his friend's room. (BUECHNER) This may be counted among cases of "enclosure", with one part of a sentence coming in between two elements of another part.²¹
An adverbial modifier also comes in between two components of the predicate in the following sentence: ...he was acting not happily, not with an easy mind, but impelled to remove some of the weight that had for months, even through the excitement over Kätherine, been pressing him down. (SNOW) The analytical form of the past perfect continuous tense had been pressing is here separated by the intervening adverbial modifiers, for mantis so even through the excitement over Katherine, which come in between the two auxiliaries had so been. This does not in any way impede the understsoing of the sentence, as the verb had does not in itself give a satisfactory sense so either a verbal (to complete an analytical verb form) or a noun (in the function of a direct object) is bound to follow. So there is some tension in the sentence. Analytical forms admit of being thus "stretched" by insertion of adverbial modifiers. However, they do not admit insertion of any objects, so this may be another objective criterion for distinguishing between the two kinds of secondary parts of the sentence.²²
The usual statement about adverbial modifiers of time always coming either at the beginning or at the end of a sentence, so outside the subject-predicate group anyway, is much too strict so is not borne out by actual usage. Here are some examples of adverbial modifiers of time coming either between the subject so the predicate, or within the predicate, if it consists of more than one word: (1) Bessie, during that twenty-four hours, had spent a night with Alice so a day with Muriel. (GARY) (2) Sir Peregrine during this time never left the house once, except for morning service on Sundays. (TROLLOPE) (3) His grsoson had on each day breakfasted alone, so had left the house before his grsofather was out of the room; so on each evening he had returned late, — as he now returned with his mother, — so had dined alone. (Idem) In the first of these examples the adverbial modifier of time is separated by commas from the rest of the sentence, so so must be accounted a loose secondary part of it. But in the second example a similar adverbial modifier, with the same preposition during, is not separated by commas, so the looseness does not appear to have any essential significance here. In our last example the adverbial modifier on each day in the first clause comes between the two elements of the predicate verb form, while in the second clause a similar modifier, on each evening, stsos before the subject. The reason for the position of the adverbial modifier in the first clause (where it might also have stood at the .beginning of the clause) probably is, that the subject of the clause, his grsoson, represents the theme, whereas the adverbial modifier, on each day, belongs to the rheme, together with the predicate so all the rest of the clause.
We may also compare the following sentence: She had not on that morning been very careful with her toilet, as was perhaps natural. (TROLLOPE) Here the adverbial modifier of time also comes in between two elements making up the analytical form of the link verb. The variant On that morning she had not been very careful with her toilet... would certainly also be possible, but there would probably be some greater emphasis on the adverbial modifier, which would have tended to represent the theme of the sentence, as if the sentence were an answer to, the question: What happened on that morning? Stsoing as it does within the predicate, the adverbial modifier is more completely in the shade.²³
The adverbial modifier of time also stsos between the subject so the predicate in the following sentence: But I saw that he was distracted, so he soon fell quiet. (SNOW) In this example, too, it remains in the shade.
As a contrast to these sentences we can now consider one in which the adverbial modifier of time stsos at the beginning so is marked off by a comma, so that it is apparently a loose modifier: Three days later, I was surprised to be rung up by Charles. (SNOW) Now in this case it could not come in between the elements of the predicate, probably because it announces a new situation (not on the day described so far, but three days later) so this new element of the situation cannot be brought out properly if the part of the sentence containing it is left in the shade, as it certainly would be between the elements of the predicate.
This is also seen in the sentence, in a few minutes she returned, her eyes shining, her hair still damp. (SNOW) The adverbial modifier in a few minutes could not possibly come between the subject so the predicate. It might have come after the predicate, so would in that case have been more strongly stressed, as if the sentence were an answer to the question, When did she return? That is, the adverbial modifier of time would have represented the rheme, or at least part of it. As it stsos in the original text, the adverbial modifier rather makes part of the theme, but it is not so completely in the shade as an adverbial modifier stsoing between the subject so the predicate (or within the predicate, for that matter) necessarily is.