M1 lesson 3

INSTRUCTOR: LE NGUYEN NHU ANH
LINGUISTICS 2
M1 LESSON 3
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3. ADVERBIALS AND OTHER MATTERS
• Contents:
– Adjunct adverbials (VP adverbials)
– Levels of Verb Phrase
– The mobility of adverbials
– Phrasal verbs
– Ellipsis
– Sentence adverbials (S adverbials)

• Adjunct adverbials (VP adverbials)
When a constituent functions within a VP as the
PPs in [1] and [2] are functioning, it is said to
function as an ADJUNCT ADVERBIAL (or simply
ADJUNCT). They are also called VP-adverbials.
[intrans]
[trans]

• Adjunct adverbials (VP adverbials)
[3] Ed was rather extravagant in the bazaar.
[4] Oscar was in the engine-room during the
whole voyage.
[5] The king of Sicily imprisoned them for
reasons of state.
[6] William gave Millie some bleach on her
birthday.
[7] Liza kept the liquor under the bed as a
precaution.
[intens]
[intens]
[trans]
[ditrans]
[complex]

• Adjunct adverbials (VP adverbials):
– Manner
– Means
– Purpose
– Reason
– Place
– Time (duration and frequency)
• Answer questions: Where? Why? When? How? What
for? How long? How often? How many times?

• Adjunct adverbials (VP adverbials):
– PPs & AdvP can function as adjunct adverbials
– Adverbial => Function (Not included in phrase
markers)
– Adverb & Adverb Phrase => Category
– Certain NPs can function as (temporal)
adverbials: last year, yesterday, tomorrow, the
day before yesterday, the day after tomorrow,
this afternoon…
– ADJUNCTS are optional (their occurrence is not
determined by the verb and its sub-category)

• Levels of Verb Phrase
Max spotted those wildcats in the spring
Complement
=> A unit of sense
✓X
modifier

• Levels of Verb Phrase
– Adjunct adverbials are MODIFIERS of VPs =>
Sisters of VP

[17] Bevis mended his bike in the garage and Max did so in the garden.
[18] *Bevis put his bike in the garage and Max did so in the garden.
 “do so” replaces a Verb Phrase => Pro-VP
 Expressions that replace phrases to avoid repeating information are called
PRO-FORMS
 Pronouns are pro-forms because they replace NPs.

Tip from the author of the book: Having drawn the immediate
VP of S (the predicate), always ask yourself: does that VP
include an adjunct adverbial? If it does, then it must have
another VP as one of its constituents. And so on, for every
VP.

• The mobility of adverbials
– Adverbials can appear in all sorts of positions in
the sentence.
[28] Very surreptitiously, she put it under the bed.
[29] She very surreptitiously put it under the bed.
[30] She put it very surreptitiously under the bed.
[31] She put it under the bed very surreptitiously.
– They can’t come between the V and its direct
object.

She hardly slept last night.

She hardly slept last night.
=> Last night, she hardly slept.

– The position of the adverbial can make a
difference to the meaning.
They slowly answered all the questions.
=> They were slow in answering the whole batch of
questions.
They answered all the questions slowly.
=> They answered each individual question slowly.

• Phrasal verbs
– He called up the street.
– He called up the boss. => transive phrasal verb

• Phrasal verbs
– A phrasal verb consists of a verb + a particle
– Examples:
TRANS: call off, look up, put down, hand down,
hand over, sound out, drink up.
TRANS and INTRANS: give up, give in, throw up.
(These have different [trans] and [intran] senses.)
PREP: put up (with NP), go along (with NP), run out
(of NP), sign up ( for NP).
INTENS: turn out, end up, wind up.

• Phrasal verbs
– A defining characteristic of particles is that they can
appear in a position AFTER the direct object NP
He called up the boss. => He called the boss up.

• Phrasal verbs
– Particle movement provides a reliable test for
distinguishing between [phrasal verb + (direct object) NP]
and [verb + PP]
– The particle can only move over a direct object np. It can’t
move over a PP or a subject-predicative NP
He turned out a brilliant lawyer
NOT He turned a brilliant lawyer out

• Phrasal verbs
– Now decide, for each of the following VPs, whether it
includes a transitive phrasal verb + NP [1] or a
prepositional verb + PP [2]
(a) shouted out the answers (b) looked out the window
(c) hangs about the ofﬁce (d) handed over the money
(e) viciously turned on John (f) saw through the term
(g) gave in my essay (h) saw through her disguise

• Ellipsis
– [41] William gave some bleach to Millie.
– [42] William gave Millie some bleach.
– [43] William gave some bleach. <= No indirect object
The omission from sentences of grammatically obligatory
elements capable of being understood in the context of use
is called ELLIPSIS.
Syntax is concerned with the form of SENTENCES, without
taking into account the effects of UTTERING sentences in a
context.

• Ellipsis
– William gave some bleach.
E => ellipted element

• Ellipsis
– Compare
• Max played his tuba in the street.
• Max played in the street.
AND
• Jean ate the couscous rapidly.
• Jean ate rapidly.

• Ellipsis
– Compare
• Max played his tuba in the street.
• Max played in the street.

• Ellipsis
– Compare
• Jean ate the couscous rapidly.
• Jean ate rapidly.

• Sentence adverbials (S adverbials)
– DISJUNCT ADVERBIALS
– CONJUNCT ADVERBIALS
Compare
[51a] Buster admitted everything frankly.
[51b] Buster admitted everything, frankly.
[52a] Max can only do the tango rather awkwardly.
[52b] Max can only do the tango, rather awkwardly.
[53a] Helmut interfered between you and me.
[53b] Helmut interfered, between you and me.
Disjunct adverbials

– DISJUNCT ADVERBIALS provide some comment by the
speaker/writer about what she is reporting or about how
she feels she herself is expressing what she has to say.
– The adverbial doesn’t actually modify anything within the
sentence.
– Much more natural interpretation when the adverbial
occurs at the beginning of the sentence.
[51c] Frankly, Buster admitted everything.
[52c] Rather awkwardly, Max can only do the tango.
[53c] Between you and me, Helmut interfered.

– Instead of modifying some element within the sentence,
the S-adverbial relates to the sentence as a whole,
considered as a unit.
[51a] Buster admitted everything frankly. [51b] Buster admitted everything, frankly.

– CONJUNCT ADVERBIALS indicate what kind of relation
holds between the sentences they modify and the
preceding or following discourse.
=> link distinct and grammatically unconnected sentences
into a coherent and structured discourse.
In short, you are fired.

• EXERCISES
1. Identify the sub-category of the V and the functions of the major
elements in the following sentences in terms of S, V, dO, iO, sP, oP,
PC, aA (for adjunct adverbial), and sA (for sentence adverbial).
(a) That so-called music very quickly drove him mad.
(b) Margaret and Michael celebrated their success with a bottle of
champagne.
(c) They were in the ofﬁce for twelve hours every single day.
(d) Incidentally, I sold your vests to the museum for a small fortune.
(e) The acrobats often sleep until ten o’clock.
(f ) Luckily enough, they gave in in seconds.
(g) Murdstone brought the child up too strictly, in my opinion.
(h) Few students worry about exams until the end of term.

• EXERCISES
1. Identify the sub-category of the V and the functions of the major
elements in the following sentences in terms of S, V, dO, iO, sP, oP,
PC, aA (for adjunct adverbial), and sA (for sentence adverbial).
This so-called music very quickly drove him mad
S aA
V
[complex]
dO oP
Margeret and Michael celebrated their success with a bottle of champagne
S
V
[trans]
dO aA
They were in the office for twelve hours every single day
S
V
[intens]
sP aA aA
Incidentally I sold your vests to the museum for a small fortune
sA S
V
[ditrans]
dO iO aA

• EXERCISES
2. Draw the phrase markers for sentences (a) – (f)
(a) That so-called music very quickly drove him mad.
(b) Margaret and Michael celebrated their success with a bottle of
champagne.
(c) They were in the ofﬁce for twelve hours every single day.
(d) Incidentally, I sold your vests to the museum for a small fortune.

• EXERCISES
3. The following verbs are all transitive. Try and decide for each verb
whether the absence of a direct object should be treated (a) as an
instance of ellipsis or (b) as indicating that the verb also belongs to
the intransitive sub-category (see the discussion of play in this
chapter).
read, launch, kick, jump, recall, pay.

• EXERCISES
3. The following verbs are all transitive. Try and decide for each verb
whether the absence of a direct object should be treated (a) as an
instance of ellipsis or (b) as indicating that the verb also belongs to
the intransitive sub-category (see the discussion of play in this
chapter).
▪ read, pay: instance of ellipsis
▪ kick, jump, recall, launch: transitive & intransitive

• EXERCISES
4. Look at the following sentences and decide on the sub-category of
the V and the functions of the italicised constituents. Some questions
to ask: Does appear belong to one sub-category or more than one?
Does appear have the same sense in all cases? Are any of the
sentences ambiguous? Is (e) elliptical?
(a) Hieronimo appeared rather jumpy.
(b) Hieronimo appeared a veritable tyrant.
(c) Hieronimo appeared in a ﬂurry of snow.
(d) Hieronimo appeared in a dangerous mood.
(e) Hieronimo appeared.

• EXERCISES
4. Look at the following sentences and decide on the sub-category of
the V and the functions of the italicised constituents. Some questions
to ask: Does appear belong to one sub-category or more than one?
Does appear have the same sense in all cases? Are any of the
sentences ambiguous? Is (e) elliptical?
(a) Hieronimo appeared rather jumpy.
(b) Hieronimo appeared a veritable tyrant.
(c) Hieronimo appeared in a ﬂurry of snow.
(d) Hieronimo appeared in a dangerous mood.
(e) Hieronimo appeared. [intransitive & transitive, not eliptical]
sPV
[intens]
V
[intens]
sP
V
[intens]
aA
[ambiguous]
[seem]
[seem]
[come into view]

• EXERCISES
4. (d) Hieronimo appeared in a dangerous mood.

M1 lesson 3

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M1 lesson 3