Words I fail to use.

[Mwita Chacha]

I read somewhere them being called sentential adverbs, and I find getting the grasp of them so crucial to my writing skills improvement. Since I've tried vainly to perfectly employ them in my prose, I'm asking about them here so you can bring to an end  my lingering confusion regarding their usage. Not all of them, of course, that I find it difficulty to apply perfectly. Here are those that remain elusive no matter how hard I try to learn and practise them: certainly, indeed, at least, assuredly, on the whole and naturally. If you've already discussed them in one of your past postings, you just show me the link to it and will follow it.

[Mwita Chacha]

I will be pleased, Sir, if you find time to attend to this particular question of mine that you've apparently left in limbo. If it's because the question is too unreasonable to be answered, I will similarly be pleased to know about that so I start to be extra careful when making questions to the Forum. I haven't helped making this follow-up due to the fact the Forum has indeed been of much help to me and always has been my sole recourse when it comes to seeking clarifications related to grammar matters.

[Joe Carillo]

Sorry for the oversight! I totally missed reading this posting of yours.

I haven’t discussed sentential adverbs at all in the Forum; in fact, you’re the very first to ask about them.

As I’m sure you already know, a sentential adverb is a rhetorical device consisting of a single word or short phrase that usually interrupts normal syntax to give emphasis to certain words proximate to the adverb. As examples, the phrases “in truth,” “indeed,” and “of course” function as sentential adverbs in the following sentences:

“We have, in truth, not taken breakfast yet.”
“She’s a ravishingly beautiful woman indeed!”
“Your presence is, of course, a must in the opening ceremonies.”

It does take some doing to get the hang of using sentential adverbs; with enough practice, however, they should soon become second nature to your English. To get started in earnest, click this link to the “Virtual Salt” website of Robert A. Harris. He does a very comprehensive discussion of the uses of sentential adverbs and the various forms and positions they can take in a sentence.