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Mon 21 Jun, 2004 09:00 pm
How do you feel about adverbs being used as interjections?
For example:
'Hopefully, I will be able to do this in time."
as opposed to
"The dog looked hopefully at the food on the dinner table."
Personally, I think it's fine for informal conversation, but would it be ok to use in a formal essay?
"Hopefully, I will be able to do this in time."
This is an acceptable usage. I agree that there is a bit of narrative tone intrinsic to this construction, but that does not make it necessarily casual. It is not the very most formal way in which you could put this, but it is still graceful english.
Other examples:
Curiously, the general gave the order to withdraw.
Naturally, she was to be found at the opera.
Unexpectedly, word arrived from Singapore that the platoon was at the palace.
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