The adverbial modifier.Ways of expressing.Semantic classes.

Adverbials differ from the other types of secondary parts of the sentence in at least three respects:

· adv-s are usually optional,i.e. they may be omitted without making the clause unacceptable

· are not restricted in number; there may be any number of adv-s in the sentance

· are often mobile; can occur at diff. places in the sentance

1) From the point of view of structure, the use of adv. may be optional (non-obligatory) or obligatory

OPTIONAL provide additional information; they are part of the structure of the sentence, but they are not assential to the structure (Sometimes the children played by the lake)

OBLIGATORY when the sentence structure demands one or when their absence changes the meaning of the verb:

a) with predicate complements:

- after to behave, to act, to treat (He behaved bravely)

- after statal and durative verbs (to live,to wait,to last)- John lives in London

- after verbs implying direction (to put, to send)- Put the book on the shelf

- after verbs of motion and position in space (to come,to step,to sit)

Note: the absolute use of the above verbs is possible if one is interested in the process itself or the use of the adverbial is unnecessary because of the situation (He was too waek to stand)

b) when an adverbial influences the meaning of a verb ( I'm going to the library tomorrow)

c) when its absence changes the meaning of the sentence ( I've never been there since my childhooh)

2) From point of view of their relation to the modified parts of the sentence, adverbials may be non-detached and detached

DETACHED are more loosely related to the modified parts, they are never obligatory and separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.

Detachment may be caused by:

- their meaning and structure ( He saw the boat, its decks deserted- absolute construction)

- their extension or unusual position in the sentence ( Like him, she saw the danger in it)

- the speaker's desire for emphasis ( 'He was her father', said Frances, gravely)

3) From the point of view of their function, adv-s can be classified as conjuncts, disjuncts and adjuncts

· Adjunct provides additional information and is a part of the structure of the sentence ( Gwendolen did her work perfectly)

· Conjunct is an adv. whose function is to form a logical link between what is said in one sentence and what is said in the next

- additive: similarly,furthemore

- adversative: on the one hand, yet

- causal: therefore, then, because

- and temporal: finally, next, first (Yet Dwendolen always did her work)

Note: the conjunct yet begins the sentence, but the adjunct yet comes at the end ( I haven't found any mistake yet)

· Disjunctis an adv. coming at the begining of the sentence and expressing the speaker's attitude towards the statement he is about to make

- adv-s expressing subjective or objective attitude of the speaker ( Broadely speaking...)

- expressing the speaker's opinion regarding the validity of the content ( Undoubtedly...)

- expressing the relation of the clause with smth outside it ( Medically... Naturally, he liked us very much= it seems natural to me)

Note: disjunct naturally normaly begins the sentence, while the adjunct naturally ends it ( He did not speak naturally= he didn't speak in a natural way)

4) From the point of view of their semantic, adverbial adjuncts may be of several semantic classes which may be identified directly(absolutely) by their lexical meaning or indirectly(relatively) through the relationship of the adverbial to the modified part of the semtence, or through an identifying question.

Semantic classes:

1) of Place (where? where to? how far? where from?) Pro-forms: here,there - He lives far from his parents

2) of Time * (when?how long?how often?) Pro-forms: then - We owned an Alsation dog once

3) of Manner(denotes the way the action is performed, the means it's achieved by- how?in what way?by what means?) Pro-forms: so,thus,like that,like this; Prepositions: with,without,by,by means of,with the help of - Hooper danced badly,but energetically

4) of Cause(Reason) (why?for what reason for?) Pro-forms: therefore; Prepositions:because of,due to,owing to,on account of,for the reason of,thanks to - Thanks to my parents I got a decent education

5) of Purpose ** (what for?for what purpose?) Prepositions:in order, so as,for - Jane has come to help us

6) of Result - it refers to anadjective or adverb accompanied by an adverb of degree too, enough, sufficiently, so...(as)

too signals a negative result:enough suggests a neccesary amount of quality to perform the action; sometimes modifies a noun with qualitative meaning; so...as implies a realized action

It is too cold to go out

7) of Condition (in what case?on what condition?) Pro-forms:in this/that case Prepositions:but for,except for,without;conjunctions:if,unless - Without faith there can be no cure

8) of Concession(an idea that is in contradiction with what is stated in the modified part of the sentence- in spite of what?) Pro-forms:nevertheless,in spite of this/that Prepositions:in spite of,despite of,for all, with all; conjunctions:though,if - With all his faults, I like him.

9) of Attendant Circumstances and Subsequent Events (a fact that accompanies the event presented by the modified part of the sentence,an event following the event presented - We walked three miles without meeting anyone

10) of Comparison Conjunctions: than,as,as if ***,as though; preposition:like - A mountain is higher than a hill

11) Of Degree(actions,states and quality from the viewpoint of their intensity- how much?to what extend) - The story is extremely long

12) of ExceptionPrepositions:but,except,save,but for,except for,save for,apart from,aside from,with the exclusion of - These men were quite civi l save during certain weeks of autumn and winter

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1406