The only reason to avoid it is that people like Brian and Janice object to it. For similar reasons, I try to avoid splitting my infinitives. After all, whoever is "right" about the proper usage, no one ever objects to a failure to split an infinitive, so one might as well toe the senseless line and not split the damn things. And by the same token, no one was ever smugly derided for not using "hopefully" in the manner under discussion. So it's the safe thing to do.
But I still haven't heard anyone explain why "hopefully" should be any more objectionable than "happily." The unspoken but clearly understood words "I say" precede each term, as well as many other adverbs, yet it's only "hopefully" that seems to have earned widespread condemnation.
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