Placing a modifier between the subject and the verb or between the verb and the direct object can weaken the structure of the sentence and make the sentence difficult to interpret. In general, the longer and more complicated the modifier, the more it weakens the sentence. Although you can often get away with interrupting the structure of the sentence with a short (one-word) modifier, adding a longer modifier significantly worsens the sentence.
The heron, egret, and stork colonies in Everglades National Park that once
each contained tens of thousands of birds whose bustling extravagance helped
inspire the founding in 1905 of the National Association of Audubon Societies
(later the National Audubon Society) have shrunk by 95 percent since the
1930s.
The bird colonies in Everglades National Park once each contained tens of
thousands of birds whose bustling extravagance helped inspire the founding in
1905 of the National Association of Audubon Societies (later the National Audubon
Society). These colonies of herons, egrets, and storks have shrunk by 95 percent
since the 1930s.
--Norman Boucher, "Back to the Everglades," Technology Review (modified)
If possible, avoid placing a modifier between the verb and the direct object.
Inventors unlocked more than a century ago the secrets
of turning the sun's rays into mechanical power.
Inventors unlocked the secrets of turning the sun's rays into mechanical
power more than a century ago.
More than a century ago, inventors unlocked the secrets
of turning the sun's rays into mechanical power.
--Charles Smith, "Revisiting Solar Power's Past," Technology Review
If possible, avoid splitting an infinitive with a modifier placed between to and the verb.
The ability to assemble structures at the atomic scale will require the
development of molecular assemblers: tiny, programmable robots able to
precisely provide positional chemical bonding.
The ability to assemble structures at the atomic scale will require the
development of molecular assemblers: tiny, programmable robots able to
provide precise positional chemical bonding.
--Kai Wu, "Prometheus Returns" SciTech Magazine