Adverb position in "Listen carefully to what I say" [closed]

I've come across the phrase "Listen carefully to what I say" and I'm really not sure why carefully has gone in between listen and to. It doesn't happen with other verbs; you don't "switch carefully on the light", for example.

When can an adverb follow a verb, and when can it not?

I think I've isolated the problem here.

Carefully (or some other adverb) sounds "natural" when it follows intransitive verbs, and "unnatural" when the verbs are transitive.

According to this wikipedia article:

Some verbs allow for objects but do not always require one. In other words, a verb may be used as intransitive in one sentence, and as transitive in another:

Compare:

• I drink happily
• I drink happily to your health
• But not I drink happily the beer. It's I drink the beer happily

JR's comment mentions look carefully before... sounding right and place carefully the souffle sounding wrong. The latter sounds wrong because it has a direct object.

Listen is always intransitive _(Oxford). So no worries there.

Also, the adverb can't split phrasal verbs, I think. Listen to isn't one _{(contrary to what you state in your question, see the Oxford definition above);} switch on is _(Oxford).

You can say "Harry and Ginny gladly made out", or 'made out gladly'; but not "Harry and Ginny made gladly out"

EDIT: As Greg Lee points out in the comments, the right used informally in cases like You're gonna fit right in is not an adverb, but a modifier for the preposition or the prepositional phrase, and doesn't violate this rule.