SYNTAX 2

(textbook: English Syntax by Lynn Berk)

Chapter 4: MODIFICATION

Adverbs and adverbials (pp 189-200)

The presentation of this material in the book is rather confusing because adverbs and
adverbials are not differentiated. Follow the presentation below because it summarizes
the main points.

We look at phrasal verbal modifiers: adverbs (adverb phrases), noun pharses and
prepositional phrases that give information about place, time, manner, cause, reason, etc for
the activity expressed by the verb.

Adverbials of Place (pp188-191)

(not adverbs as it is in the book!

These adverbials may code 2 meanings:

1) to denote the location of an event or the participant

Brian reads books on a train. He is on a train.

2) to denote the direction, i.e. movement of the participant

(do not follow the book about these adverbials because the some adverbials may be used for
location and for direction. Follow what is said below)

PPs that convey directionality have a preposition that indicates direction. For instance there is
no movement in the meaning of in but there is in into. Therefore some Macedonian speakers
make mistakes and say *I went in Ohrid.

She drove past my house. He fell off a train. He climbed up/down the tree. He came into the
room. She got on the bus.

But most of PPs are neutral and can express both location and direction depending on the
meaning of the verb.

Brian ran across the field. (dynamic activity) vs.

Brian lives across the field. (state)

Adverbs such as upstairs/downstairs, abroad, outside can express both meaning.

Deictic adverbs here and there may be also used anaphorically.

Go over there! (deictic there, especially when pointing)

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We went to the park and had a dink there (anaphoric there, refers back to the park)

Skip page 191 (optional).

This should be discussed in the chapter with complements – with DO constructions, not here
because these constructions are complements not adverbials. There are known as connative
constructions because the preposition at denotes that the event was not performed to the full
extent.

The policeman shot the man. (entails that he wounded or killed the man)

The policeman shot at the man. (entails that he missed him)

She pulled his sleeve. (?му го повлече ракавот)

She pulled at his sleeve. (го повлече за ракавот)

Locative Inversion (p.192)

This is an important syntactic feature of English. It is known that English has a fixed word
order S+V +Adverbial, but S V inversion is possible in the case of so called locative
inversion. In these construction a locative adverbial is before the verb and the subject is
behind the verb (Locative A +V +S)

It occurs in 2 cases (this is not differentiated in the book)

a) to present a new participant in the discourse (with state verbs)

In the forest lived a wicked witch. In the room/by the window stood a large table.

b) to express someone’s appearance (with dynamic verbs), in empahatic use

Here comes John! Down the street walked Mark. There go my hopes of seeing him!

Useful videos:
1) Inversions & Emphasis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6trm7Pcbjw

2) BBC English Masterclass: Inversion 1: After Negative or Limiting Adverbs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzNxZGC-Hg0

Temporal Adverbials (pp.193- )

- answer the question when
- fall into 4 semantic groups/categories: point, duration, frequency, relation

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1. Adverbials of point

- denote a specific point on the time axis (5 o’clock, now)

- they are deictic in nature because they are understood only to the relation of the moment of
speaking (now) which always changes.

- can be realized by adverbs (now, then, yesterday, today, tomorrow, recently, lately), PPs (in
the morning, at noon etc), noun phrases (last month, next year, etc)

- the point could be a bounded time period on one end (before noon) or on the other (until
noon) or both ends are bounded (from noon to midnight)

- the point can be vague (someday, trecently)

The deictic now and then can be used anaphorically.

Come here now! (deictic use)

John was working in London then. (anaphoric- then refers to the previous context)

2. Adverbials of duration

- used to constrain the thde frame of the activity

- usually coded by PPs, but also some adverbs: indefinitely, awhile

(for 10 years, in a week, since March, from 10 to 12, etc)

3. Adverbials of frequency

 specify the frequency with which an activity occurs

 typically realized by adverbs: always, never, often, seldom, usually, etc
or derived adverbs by -ly: daily, monthly (have the same form as adjective - a daily
paper),
or with times: once, twice, three times, etc.
 sentence position: always, never, often, seldom … before the verb, after the auxiliary

4. Time relationship adverbs (these adverbials have the form of adverbs)

- express information about the relation between a time frame of an activity/state

relative to another time frame, or an event relative to another event
- coded by adverbs finally, yet, still, anymore, again, already.

John has already left. (the time frame is closed)

John hasn’t left yet. (the time frame is open)
John is late again. (the activity happened before at least once)
John still does not like me. (the state persists although circumstances have changed)

Optional videos: Adverbs of time (too easy) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttd5HniaNkQ

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Adverbs of Place and Time (too easy) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYV5Lt8