Lesson 7 / Slide

The Semantics and Grammar of Adverbials (Greenbaum and Quirk 1990: chapter 8)


Next Friday, I will probably visit my father in San Francisco for an hour or so to see if he’s
feeling better, unless he calls me before that.




1. How many ADVERBIALS (A-elements) does the sentence consist of?


Next Friday [A1], I will probably [A2] visit my father in San Francisco [A3] for an hour or so [A4]
to see if he’s feeling better [A5], unless he calls me before that [A6].


-> multiple occurrence of adverbials within a single sentence




2. Which structures (forms) are the individual adverbials realized by?


next Friday – NP

probably – AdvP

in San Francisco – PP

for an hour or so – PP

to see if he’s feeling better – nonfinite clause

unless he calls me before that – finite clause


-> adverbial can be realized by a wide range of linguistic structures (phrases as well as clauses)




3. Which semantic roles do the individual adverbials have?


next Friday – time (position)

probably – modality (approximation)

in San Francisco – space (position)

for an hour or so – time (duration)

to see if he’s feeling better – contingency (purpose)

unless he calls me before that – contingency (condition)


-> adverbials can have a variety of meanings



4. Which positions in a sentence do adverbials normally take?


By then the book should have been returned to the library.   I

The book by then should have been returned to the library.   iM

The book should by then have been returned to the library.   M

The book should have by then been returned to the library.   mM

The book should have been by then returned to the library.   eM

The book should have been returned by then to the library.   iE

The book should have been returned to the library by then.   E

-> there are 3 main positions of adverbials in a sentence:

I = initial

M = medial

E = end


Medial position may further be subdivided into:

initial Medial = iM

primary Medial = M

medial Medial = mM

end Medial = eM


The primary Medial position is the position immediately following the operator or the copula be.


She has always loved him.

She is always in a good mood.


Where no operator is present, the primary Medial position is simply the position between S and V:


She always comes on time.



Note:


manner -> place -> time


Lucy read / quietly [A of manner] / in the library [A of place] / all afternoon [A of time].