Transcript Document

Subtopic 5:
The Adverbial Phrase
Tom Morton
IV-bis 205
[email protected]
1. Classes of Adverbs
3.5 The Adverbial Phrase
• Before looking at Adverbial Phrases, lets take a quick look at
adverbs.
• Note that the label “adverb” applies to sets of words which are
very different:
– Descriptive Adverb: quickly, narrowly, madly, probably,
etc. (Adjunct, Disjunct)
– Adverbs of place and time: here, there, now, today, below,
above, east (Adjunct, Subj, Obj, etc.)
– Wh words: why, when, where, how, what.
– Intensifiers, etc. : more-less, most-least, very, particularly,
slightly, totally (Premod. for adj, adverb)
– Postmodifying adverbs: years ago, quick enough
1. Classes of Adverbs
3.5 The Adverbial Phrase
• These 5 sets appear in very different syntactic contexts, and
thus should not really be put in the same class.
• The rest of this class on “adverbial phrases” will talk only of the
descriptive adverbs.
– These adverbs typically expresses qualities of processes and
situations (while the adjective expresses qualities of people and
things)
2. Forms of Descriptive Adverbs
3.5 The Adverbial Phrase
• Most descriptive adverbs are formed by adding –ly to an
adjective:
– bad -> badly, quick -> quickly, probable -> probably
• Some have no suffix, but correspond to adjectives:
– She runs well, She hits hard, She arrived late.
• N + -wise/-ways/-wards: sidewise,sideways,forwards
3. Structure of Descriptive Adverbial Phrases
3.5 The Adverbial Phrase
• Structure of the AdvP:
(Premod) ^ Head ^ (PostMod)
– Most typical is the Head by itself: He runs quickly
– Sometimes a premodifier: very quickly
• Premodifier:
– Grade: very, unusually, quite, etc.
– Comparison: more: he runs more slowly
• Postmodifiers:
– He swam quickly enough (sufficiency)
– He swam so fast that I couldn’t catch him.
– He runs more slowly than me (comparison)
4. Syntactic functions of Descriptive AdvPs
The
• 3.5
In clauses:
Adverbial Phrase
– Adjunct: He studies hard. I completely forgot it.
– Disjunct: Fortunately, it didn’t rain.
• In phrases:
– Modifier in AdjPs, AdvPs, NPs and PPs: nearly there; the
then President; right through the wall.
– Qualifier in AdjPs, AdvPs, NPs: quick enough; quickly
enough; the journey back.
– Complement of preposition (completive): over here.
5. Semantic Functions of Descriptive Adverbs
3.5 The Adverbial Phrase
Meanings of descriptive adverbs:
• Manner (hesitantly, suspiciously),
• Respect (artistically, financially).
• Temporal: (daily, briefly, firstly).
• Modal: possibility (certainly), restriction (hardly), necessity
(necessarily), volition (unwillingly), viewpoint (healthwise),
emphasis (plainly, obviously), judgement (wisely, rightly),
attitude (hopefully, thankfully)
• Degree: comparison (more, less, most), intensification (all
alone, quite happy), attenuation (slightly, somewhat),
approximation (about / roughly 20 people).
• Focusing: restriction (merely, solely), reinforcement (even, as
well).
…
5. Semantic Functions of Descriptive Adverbs
3.5 The Adverbial Phrase
Meanings of adverbs (cont.)
• Conjunctive (logical connection): sequence, equation
(likewise), reinforcement (furthermore), conclusion
(altogether), apposition (namely), result (consequently, so),
alternation (otherwise), contrast (or rather), opposition
(instead), concession (however, nevertheless), transition (now,
then).
7. Forms of Space and Time adverbs Adverbs
3.5 The Adverbial Phrase
• Forms of Space and Time adverbs:
– These adverbs not formed by addition of –ly suffix:
– Most act as reference to some point of time or place:
• now, then, today, yesterday, tomorrow, here, there, down, up, always, never
– Some are relative to another position, formed by adding a- in
front:
– above, across, ahead, along, aside, etc.
– Adv. beginning with Adv. beginning with be- indicating
position or direction: before, behind, below, beneath,
besides, between, beyond
– Compound: downhill, elsewhere
CIRCUMSTANTIAL: SPACE, TIME, MANNER
STANCE: (Certainty, doubt, emphasis,
judement, attititude)
Put the chairs here
Push it down
See you later
Watch carefully
You’re definitely right
Hopefully, it won’t rain
tomorrow
DEGREE: COMPARING, INTENSIFYING
He looks quite happy
It’s kind of strange
FOCUSING ADVERBS: RESTRICTING THE
SCOPE
He is just interested in
money
She didn’t even say
goodbye
CONNECTIVE ADVERBS: LOGICAL
CONNECTION
They know he’s corrupt,
yet they vote for him
I was tired, so I went home.
I could see my studio from where I stood, an old boathouse down by
the water-wall. A bit rotten in places, but I had been glad to get it ...
When I had my canvas up it was two feet off the ground, which just
suited me. I like to keep my pictures above dog level.
"Well", I thought, "the walls and roof are there. They haven't got blown
away, yet. No-one has leaned up against them." I was pleased, but I
didn't go along in a hurry. One thing at a time. Last time I was locked
up, I left a regular establishment behind. Nice little wife, two kids, flat
and a studio with a tin roof. Water-tight all round.
. . . When I came back, there was nothing. Wife and kids had gone
back to her mama. Flat let to people who didn't even know my name.
My cartoons, drawings, ladders, they'd just melted. I hadn't expected
to see the fryingpan and kettle again. You can't leave things like that
about for a month in a friendly neighbourhood and expect to find them
in the same place. When I came back from gaol, even the smell had
gone.
Joyce Cary The Horse’s Mouth (in Downing & Locke, 2006: 505)
Types of meanings expressed by Adverbs…
SPACE, POSITION
where
down
up
there
behind
about (indeterminate)
SCALAR (+ or
– than
expected)
SPACE, DIRECTION
away
along
back
DEGREE, INTENSFICATION
just
up
all round
TIME, FREQUENCY
FOCUSING BY
REINFORCEMENT
just
even (2)
again
TIME, RELATION
yet
even (1)
DISCOURSE MARKER (ATTITUDE
OF ACCEPTANCE)
well
CIRCUMSTANTIAL: elsewhere, anywhere
MODAL: incredibly, perhaps, probably
FOCUSING: especially, even, too (= also), alone
DEGREE: roughly, about, approximately, enough, quite, so