Hopefully in a sentence series#

Sentence adverbs can also be used, surrounded by commas, in the middle of a sentence. Hopefully, technology and science will bring out the best in humanity. In the sentence above, ' hopefully' is a sentence adverb (not a regular adverb). Hopefully, my son will pass the exam with the highest score. Use commas to set off a sentence adverb, such as ' hopefully' when meaning 'I hope' or 'it is hoped that'. Hopefully, Mary will come up with something that will make them happy. ' Hopefully' originally meant 'in a hopeful manner', but the long-time use of ' hopefully' to express 'I hope' legitimizes its use as a sentence adverb. 'With hope' or 'in a hopeful manner' (e.g., 'She sees the future hopefully.').'I hope' or 'it is hoped that' (e.g., 'Hopefully, it won't rain tomorrow.').The adverb ' hopefully' can have two different meanings: Hopefully, kindness and compassion will be taught instead of greed. They are an efficient way to comment directly on the content of a sentence-by reflecting the speaker's judgement, attitude, or opinion. Sentence adverbs are different from regular adverbs. Yes, ' hopefully' can serve as a sentence adverb. In this example, the word “hopefully” is part of a fronted adverbial, meaning a phrase at the beginning of a sentence that modifies the rest of the sentence. Hopefully scanning the list, she was delighted to see her name on it. Here’s an example of a sentence starting with “hopefully” when it is not followed by a comma:Īs soon as class was over, Janet ran to the auditorium. When “hopefully” begins a sentence and a comma is not needed While this could mean “I hope she looked at the list” or “She looked at the list in a hopeful way,” it seems obvious from context that it has the second meaning, as an adverb. Hopefully, she scanned the list of people chosen for the school play. You can usually tell from context whether “hopefully” is being used to mean “I hope” or to describe doing a thing in a hopeful way:Īs soon as class was over, Janet ran to the auditorium. However, it can also be used as an adverb.įind the context of “hopefully” at the start of a sentence Usually, when you see “hopefully” at the beginning of a sentence, it is a sentence adverb. More on starting a sentence with “hopefully” Most people now would probably be unaware that there could be anything controversial about “hopefully” used in this way. There is not an official body or regulator that determines whether a word can be part of the English language.Īlmost everyone uses “hopefully” in both of the above ways in English now, so most dictionaries consider it a standard part of the English language. The fact is that this is how the English language evolves. In fact, some people who are very fussy about language might tell you that “hopefully” used in this way is incorrect although very few people think this any longer. The second way hopefully is used is to mean “I hope.” In this definition, “hopefully” is known as a sentence adverb. He ran toward the pile of money hopefully, quickly, and desperately.

Hopefully in a sentence series#

It would be uncommon to string together a series of adverbs in this way, but you might do it for a slightly humorous effect. (Note that in a list like this one, the final comma after the second to last item in the list, before “and,” is optional!) He chose the colors red, blue, and green. You may already know that you need to use a comma to separate three or more words in a list. There is one way in which “hopefully” needs a comma when used an adverb in the middle of a sentence. In this definition, “hopefully” is an adverb, meaning that it modifies a verb, or gives you additional information about an action that is performed.Īs you can see, you do not need a comma when “hopefully” is used in this way. The first way is to describe someone performing an action in a hopeful way.