Module 6: Verbs and Related Stuff
Module 6: Advanced Unit
Contents of Advanced Unit:
1. Adverbials
Just as we talked about adjectives and adjectivals—things that function like adjective phrases, in that they modify nouns or noun phrases—we can talk about adverbs and adverbials. We think of adverbs as single words that fit the definition of adverb: they modify verbs or adjectives, and they can be modified by degree adverbs; an AdvP has an adverb as its head. Some AdvPs:
quickly
surprisingly quick
really quickly
really surprisingly
What are adverbials, then? Phrases functioning adverbially, modifying a verb or verb phrase, or an adjective, by adding information about location, reason, manner, time, and so on. Often an adverbial is our old, multi-functional friend the prepositional phrase:
I walked with Sharon to class.
He ate pizza in the restaurant.
She voted at her polling location.
These prepositional phrases provide adverbial information, related to understanding the verb phrase. But importantly, none of these is necessary for the verb phrase or sentence to be grammatical. Instead–like regular AdvPs–they are “optional” or “extra.” So removing them does not affect grammaticality (though of course it affects the meanings expressed):
I walked.
He ate pizza.
She voted.
Noun phrases sometimes also function adverbially, especially to provide time or location information:
I walked home.
He ate pizza every day.
She only voted one time.
Words that seem at other times to be adjectives can also be used adverbially:
It was a fast car. (adjective)
She drove the car fast. (adverb)
In (a), fast is an adjective, modifying car. In (b), fast is an adverb, modifying drive. Sometimes adverbs like fast are called “flat adverbs“–because they lack the {-ly} characteristic of adverb morphology. And some people have prescriptive rules against them, but there is no good reason for such a rule! Really:
“Ask the Editor” at Merriam-Webster about flat adverbs.
Finally, a whole clause can function adverbially:
I walked with Sharon whenever we had class at the same time.
He ate the pizza because he was hungry.
She only voted to satisfy her mother.
We will deal with such embedded clauses later!
A final note: in all of the examples so far, adverbials have come at the end of a sentence. This need not be the case! In fact, one feature of adverbs and adverbials is that they often can be found in different parts of the sentence—highlighting the fact that they are “extra,” not crucial to the overall structure:
Steve tirelessly campaigned.
Steve campaigned tirelessly.
Whenever we had class at the same time, I walked with Sharon.
I walked with Sharon whenever we had class at the same time.
Every day, he ate pizza.
He ate pizza every day.
2. Test Yourself: Quiz for Module 6, Advanced Unit
Complete this before moving on to the next unit.