Subtopic 5: The Adverbial Phrase

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Subtopic 5 The Adverbial Phrase

• Tom Morton
• IV-bis 205
• tom.morton_at_uam.es

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3.5 The Adverbial Phrase
1. Classes of Adverbs

• 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

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3.5 The Adverbial Phrase
1. Classes of Adverbs

• 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)

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3.5 The Adverbial Phrase
2. Forms of Descriptive Adverbs

• Most descriptive adverbs are formed by adding ly
  to an adjective
• bad -gt badly, quick -gt quickly, probable -gt
  probably
• Some have no suffix, but correspond to
  adjectives
• She runs well, She hits hard, She arrived late.
• N -wise/-ways/-wards sidewise,sideways,forwar
  ds

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3.5 The Adverbial Phrase
3. Structure of Descriptive Adverbial Phrases

• 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 couldnt catch him.
• He runs more slowly than me (comparison)

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3.5 The Adverbial Phrase
4. Syntactic functions of Descriptive AdvPs

• In clauses
• Adjunct He studies hard. I completely forgot it.
• Disjunct Fortunately, it didnt 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.

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3.5 The Adverbial Phrase
5. Semantic Functions of Descriptive Adverbs

• 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).

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3.5 The Adverbial Phrase
5. Semantic Functions of Descriptive Adverbs

• 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).

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3.5 The Adverbial Phrase
7. Forms of Space and Time adverbs Adverbs

• 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

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Put the chairs here Push it down See you
later Watch carefully
CIRCUMSTANTIAL SPACE, TIME, MANNER STANCE
(Certainty, doubt, emphasis, judement,
attititude) DEGREE COMPARING,
INTENSIFYING FOCUSING ADVERBS RESTRICTING THE
SCOPE CONNECTIVE ADVERBS LOGICAL CONNECTION
Youre definitely right Hopefully, it wont rain
tomorrow
He looks quite happy Its kind of strange
He is just interested in money She didnt even
say goodbye
They know hes corrupt, yet they vote for him I
was tired, so I went home.
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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 Horses Mouth (in Downing Locke,
2006 505)
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Types of meanings expressed by Adverbs

• SPACE, POSITION
• where
• down
• up
• there
• behind
• about (indeterminate)

SPACE, DIRECTION away along back
DEGREE, INTENSFICATION just up all round
TIME, FREQUENCY again
FOCUSING BY REINFORCEMENT just even (2)
SCALAR ( or than expected) even (1)
TIME, RELATION yet
DISCOURSE MARKER (ATTITUDE OF ACCEPTANCE) well
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CIRCUMSTANTIAL elsewhere, anywhere MODAL
incredibly, perhaps, probably FOCUSING
especially, even, too ( also), alone DEGREE
roughly, about, approximately, enough, quite, so