Which sounds better/is correct, "highly value" or "value highly"?

1. 0

   girly_girl09posted 14 years ago

   Which sounds better/is correct, "highly value" or "value highly"?
   
   Used in the context, "I would highly value an opportunity...." or, "I would value highly an opportunity..."
   
   I think I prefer the first styling, but what do you think? Any technicalities to be aware of that make the second grammatically incorrect? Thanks for the help; it is 1am and I have a brain freeze!!

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   1. 38

      Solomon Burnsposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Being married to a phrase is the death of a paragraph. How many bad ads have you seen where the copywriter was locked into a slogan, logo or motto?
      "I appreciate the high value of the opportunity... "
      feels smoother and more fluid to me.

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   2. 60

      hirisecameraposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Cool

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2. 71

   Tusitala Tomposted 14 years ago

   I would say the latter:  "I would value highly an opportunity..."   Both seem right.  Go with the one that suits you.   I don't pretend to be a expert in grammar.  What I have found though is if it sounds right when read out aloud, it generally is.

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3. 61

   bettanywireposted 14 years ago

   For me highly value sounds good, highly value and value highly perhaps have different meaning.

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4. 70

   Sullen91posted 14 years ago

   The better answer to my ear is highly value. "Value highly" is likely to cause a "split infinitive."
   
   Example: Miserable people value highly the misery of others.
   
   Miserable people highly value the misery of others.
   Miserable people value the misery of others, very highly.
   
   It's usually better not to separate the action and target.
   I chose not to include this in my hub on grammar, because it is a contentious issue among grammar-heads.

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5. 61

   MickSposted 14 years ago

   Get rid of the highly, and you solve the problem; it's unnecessary and only leads you to the trap of over emphasis.

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6. 60

   tinawehaposted 14 years ago

   I would say, "I would highly value..."  I think it is a split infinitive or one of those things I never learned in school, but it sounds better to my ear.
   
   I'm no flipping expert but I think that you want to keep "would value"...the two verbs together if you wanted to avoid a split infinitive. On the other hand, I believe that people should use the words in the way that makes the most sense and sounds right.  To me, the "wrong way" is better.  I would say "would highly value".
   
   In my opinion, splitting up the two verbs is a way to place more emphasis on what you are saying.  And IMHO splitting the verbs gives added emphasis to the word "highly".  Crap, now I have to go look this up.

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7. 75

   JT Waltersposted 13 years ago

   I think highly valued would be my answer.

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8. 74

   poshcoffeecoposted 13 years ago

   In my opinion in contex, value highly would be the way that I would use it, but what do I know. Sometimes you have to go with your gut feeling and to hell with it. You are damned if you do and damned if you don't.

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9. 75

   Nancy Owensposted 8 years ago

   Saying, "I would highly value an opportunity..." would probably be most clear to the receiver. It all depends on the tone you use and how you emphasize your words. In formal conversations, it is usually best to be clear and to the point. Things to think about before choosing your words: To whom are you speaking? Is this person an authority figure? What type of personality does this person have? Try to emulate the other person's linguistic style. Does he or she speak formally or casually? Does this person use simple words, or do they have a large vocabulary?

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10. 70

    Larry Fishposted 7 years ago

    A lot of times I come across the same thing when I am writing. Should those two words be this way or that way. I will read it over and over and after a few times the obvious usually comes to me. It is most often on how it is appearing in the sentence. What fits best,
    what sounds the best, what is the most proper, all questions that need to be answered. I usually write with the program, Grammarly, that often picks up mistakes.

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11. 61

    fpherj48posted 7 years ago

    Depending on where the other words are placed in the sentence...in other words, "the sentence structure."
    "I would highly value an opportunity."  or  That's an opportunity I would value highly.  I believe either way you have shown is correct & it's a matter of preference choice. How does it sound to you?
    IMHO, I say each sentence to my self at least once or twice and then use the one that sounds the best.

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12. 0

    RTalloniposted 7 years ago

    Seems like the responses here pretty well cover the topic but I'll add that I might choose value highly for a written dialogue and highly value in a business letter.

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13. 87

    annartposted 7 years ago

    To say 'I would value highly' is technically correct as you do not have a split infinitive.  However,  'I would highly value' can sound better in general conversation as it flows well.  It is also used to emphasise the 'highly' element.  So I think it's a personal choice.  These days, generally you can go with your own gut feeling.
    These grammar questions often cause arguments but we need to 'hang loose' I think; rules were made to be broken!

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