ADVERBIALS

Adverbials

The form of adverbials

In English, adverbials most commonly take the form of adverbs, adverb phrases, temporal noun phrases or prepositional phrases. Many types of adverbials (for instance: reason and condition) are often expressed by clauses.

James answered immediately. (adverb)

James answered in English. (prepositional phrase)

James answered this morning. (noun phrase)

James answered in English because he had a foreign visitor. (adverbial clause)

An adverbial is a construction which modifies or describes verbs. When an adverbial modifies a verb, it changes the meaning of that verb. Word groups, which are also considered to be adverbials, can also modify verbs: for example, a prepositional phrase, a noun phrase, a finite clause or a non-finite clause. Prepositional phrase in a sentence may be adverbial; that is, it modifies a verb.

Types of adverbials that form sentence elements

Adverbials are typically divided into four classes:

Adverbial complements (i.e. obligatory adverbial) are adverbials that render a sentence ungrammatical and meaningless if removed.

John put the flowers in the water.

Adjuncts: These are part of the core meaning of the sentence, but if omitted still leave a meaningful sentence.

John and Sophia helped me with my homework.

Conjuncts: These link two sentences together.

John helped; therefore, I was able to do my homework.

Disjuncts: These make comments on the meaning of the rest of the sentence.

Surprisingly, he passed all of his exams.

Adverbials include adverbs, adverbial phrases, and adverbial clauses -- any group of words functioning as an adverb within a sentence. The three types of adverbials are:

• Adjuncts - early this morning, once upon a time, every other Friday, etc.
• Conjuncts or Conjunctive Adverbs - therefore, however, thus, etc.
• Disjuncts or Sentence Adverbs - Seriously, I can't. Hopefully, we'll survive. These are also called sentence modifiers, adverbial disjuncts, and sometimes even disjunctive adverbs.

A. Conjunctive Adverbs. Conjuncts

Conjunctive Adverbs

They are often used as a linking device between ideas. They show logical relationships expressed in clauses, sentences or paragraphs.
Conjunctive adverbs are very emphatic, so they should be used sparingly.

Similar to And: also, besides, furthermore, likewise, moreover.

Similar to But: however, nevertheless, nonetheless, still, conversely, instead, otherwise, rather.

Similar to So: accordingly, consequently, hence, meanwhile, then, therefore, thus.

Location of a conjunctive adverb in a sentence

 1. A conjunctive adverb (e.g., accordingly, indeed, in fact, instead, otherwise, likewise, namely, that is (to say), again, also, besides, finally, for example, further, furthermore, hence, thus, however, nevertheless, then, therefore, moreover, likewise, furthermore, consequently, etc.) can be used at the beginning, middle, or end of a single independent clause. The beginning or middle is preferred to the end position.

English conjuncts often have the following functions

• Listing (indicating that what follows is a list of propositions)

To begin with, first off,

• Enumerative (indicating items on a list of propositions)

First, we have to buy bread. Second, we need to take the car to the garage. Third, we have to call your dentist and make an appointment.

• Additive (indicating that the content of the sentence is in addition to the preceding one)

He has no money. In addition, he has no means of getting any.

• Summative (summing up, or concluding, on the preceding sentence(s))

A is B. A is C. To sum up, A is several things.

• Appositive (rephrasing the preceding sentence)

The French love music. In other words, music is appreciated in France.

• Resultative/inferential (indicating that the content of the sentence is a result of the events expressed in the preceding sentence)

Miss Gold lost her job. She, therefore, had no money.

• Antithetic (indicating that the content of the sentence is in contrast to the content of the preceding sentence)

It is said that water flows up hill. On the contrary, it flows downhill

• Concessive (indicating that the content of the sentence "exists" despite the content in the preceding sentence)

It is very cold. I went for my morning walk, however.

• Temporal (indicating temporal relation between the content of the sentence and the preceding sentence)

I had lunch. Meanwhile, my wife had her hair cut.

Commas with conjunctive adverbs

2. Use a comma after a conjunctive adverb when it starts a single independent clause.

I wrote for ten hours. However, I didn't finish my composition.

I wrote for ten hours. Nevertheless, I didn't finish my composition.

I was tired. Therefore, I went to bed.

I was tired. Consequently, I went to bed.

3a. Use commas around a conjunctive adverb when it comes between a subject and main verb in a single independent clause.

I wrote for ten hours. I didn't, however, finish my composition.

3b. Use a comma before a conjunctive adverb when it ends a single independent clause.

I wrote for ten hours. I didn't finish my composition, however.

 Semi-colons with conjunctive adverbs

4. A conjunctive adverb can be used to join two independent clauses. In this case, a semi-colon is used instead of a period after the first independent clause.

I wrote for ten hours; however, I didn't finish my composition.

I was tired; consequently, I went to bed.

 EXAMPLES OF CONJUNCTS

B. Disjunctive adverbs. Disjuncts or phrase adverbs

DISJUNCTIVE VERBS. DISJUNCTS OR PHRASE ADVERBS 

Sentence adverbial / adverb: Disjuncts make comments on the rest of the sentence.

In linguistics, a disjunct is 1. a type of adverbial adjunct that expresses information that is not considered essential to the sentence it appears in, but which is considered to be the speaker's or writer's attitude towards, or descriptive statement of, the propositional content of the sentence, "expressing, for example, the speaker's degree of truthfulness or his manner of speaking."
A specific type of disjunct is the sentence adverb (or sentence adverbial), which modifies a sentence, or a clause within a sentence, to convey the mood, attitude or sentiments of the speaker, rather than an adverb modifying a verb, an adjective or another adverb within a sentence.
More generally, the term disjunct can be used to refer to any sentence element that is not fully integrated into the clausal structure of the sentence. Such elements usually appear peripherally (at the beginning or end of the sentence) and are set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma (in writing) and a pause (in speech).

Examples of disjuncts that are Sentence adverbs / Sentence adverbials

• Honestly, I didn't do it. (Meaning "I'm honest when I say I didn't do it" rather than "I didn't do it in an honest way.")
• Fortunately for you, I have it right here.
• Frankly, this whole paragraph needs work.
• Interestingly, the comment made for a great topic of its own.
• Luckily, the amount of sugar the recipe called for was in stock in the pantry.
• Clearly, the mail did not come today due to it being a national holiday.
• Unfortunately, by the time she reached the bus stop, the bus had already left.
• Sadly, not one of them survived.

Sometimes, the same word or phrase can be interpreted either as a disjunct or as a simple adjunct:

They seriously worked in an underground diamond mine run by Barbara.

Disjunct meaning: I'm serious when I say that they worked in an underground diamond mine ...

Adjunct meaning: They worked with seriousness...

An example of a sentence adverb modifying a sentence is: Unfortunately, when I got to the supermarket it had run out of the vegetable I like. An example of a sentence adverb modifying a clause within a sentence is: I liked the red car in the forecourt, but unfortunately, when I got to the dealer it was already sold.
"Unfortunately" thus communicates the regret or disappointment the speaker experiences and so manifests as a sentence adverb the sentiments of the speaker.
"Unfortunately", however, is only one of many sentence adverbs that can modify a speaker's attitude. Others include "mercifully," "gratefully," "oddly," "admittedly," etc.

EXAMPLES

for all I know adv (possibly, even though I do not know), ...


C. SHORT REPLIES

D. Expletives

Often ignored, expletives may take up many adverbial syntactic functions. Pragmatically and semantically, they often serve as intensifiers, boosting the content of the clause they appear in.

• What the hell are you talking about?
• I didn't bloody well do that!
• You're freaking lying!
• You bloody well know that smoking's not allowed here!
• He got sodding killed.