Adverbials
Rhetorical Grammar (7ed)
Chapter 8--Choosing Adverbials
Introduction to Part III: Form and Function
Form
Word
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Phrase
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noun
verb
adjective
adverb
noun phrase
verb phrase
o gerund
o infinitive
o participle
prepositional phrase

Clause
 independent clause (sentence)
 dependent clause
o adverbial clause
o adjectival clause
o nominal clause
Function
Adverbial
 modifier of verb (time, place, reason,
manner)
Adjectival
 subject complement
 object complement
 modifier of noun
Nominal
 subject
 subject complement
 direct object
 indirect object
 object complement
 object of preposition
 appositive
Adverbials indicate time, place, reason, and manner of the sentence, particularly the verb. Think of
the "reporter's questions"--When? Where? Why? How?
Opening Adverbials
Set the Scene (time, place)
Discussion (p. 143)
Provide Cohesion (the “known-new contract”)
Adverbs
placement and emphasis (-ly adverbs serve a lot as adverbials of “manner”—why?)
 My roommate is seriously thinking about changing her major
 My roommate is thinking seriously about changing her major.
 Seriously, my roommate is thinking about changing her major.
How is the third one different from the other two?
Prepositional Phrases
Probably most common adverbial
Problems
 Overuse (especially of and in)
 Phrasal verbs (idiomatic)
 Redundancy—interrupts sentence rhythm, violation of “known-new” contract
o Readers can find a complete list of all references to the author’s works in the
appendix in the back of the book.
o The appendix contains a complete list of all the author’s works.
Adverbials

Revise the following passage to make it more concise by eliminating prepositonal phrases:
o Plaque has almost become a household word in this country. It is certainly a
household problem for most people. But even though everyone is affected by
it every day few people really understand the seriousness of plaque in their
daily lives or the importance of controlling it. Plaque is an almost invisible
sticky film of bacteria that in the case of all of us continuously forms
throughout the day and night. Plaque germs are constantly multiplying and
building up on the teeth. Any dentist will tell you that controlling plaque from
forming is the single most important step to better oral health for people
everywhere.
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Ambiguity
o Justin and Yvonne discussed their problem with the teacher. (adverbial or
adjectival?)
o Cricket and Zach lost the assignment sheet they received last week. (which verb?)
o “One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas.”
Noun and Verb Phrases
Noun Phrases (p.146)
 often appear as objects of a "missing" preposition
o I hope the weather is nice Saturday.
 occasionally look like direct objects
o The hikers walked single file up the steep slope.
o The Buffalo Sabres play every Sunday night at 7pm.
Infinitive/Verb Phrases (p.147)
 almost always answers the why question (reason)--test by including in order to
o The subject of the adverbial infinitive is also the subject of the sentence or clause in
which the infinitive appears. (“dangling infinitive”)
o An infinitive phrase that opens a sentence is always set off by a comma.
Samples:
o To make the playoffs, the Buffalo Sabres' power play has to be more
effective. (dangling)
o To make the playoffs, the Buffalo Sabres must improve on the power play.
o A strong power play is necessary to win the Stanley Cup. (dangling)
o Hockey teams need a strong power play to win the Stanley Cup.
Dependent/Subordinate Clauses (p. 148)


great for including information
consider placement for cohesion (known-new contract)
Normally,
o subject=known information-->best at the beginning of the sentence
 serves as a transition
 unstressed
 subordinating conjunctions (p. 149)-->indicates the relationship of the dependent adverbial
clause to the independent clause/sentence
Problems
 subordinating the wrong idea
 imprecise meaning, especially with the conjunction
Ex. 25, p.150
Punctuation/Grammar
 Comma always goes after the subordinating clause that opens a sentence
Adverbials
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No comma before the subordinating clause that ends a sentence when the idea in the main
clause is conditional on the idea in the subordinating clause.
o Pat will go to Sue's party if you promise to be there.
o Pat is going to Sue's party, even though she knows she will be bored.
o I think that the Buffalo Sabres won last night because they are desperate to make
the playoffs.
o I think that the Buffalo Sabres won last night, because I watched the first two
periods of the game.
Beware sentence fragments
Movability
 When he was four years old, my brother drove the family car for about a block.
 My brother drove the family car for about a block when he was four years old.
 My brother, when he was four years old, drove the family car for about a block.
Exercise #26, p. 154
Ellipticals (p. 154)
Subordinates
 tightens the adverbial clause a bit
o While baking a loaf of bread, I watched the Buffalo Bills crush the Dallas Cowboys.
o While I was baking a loaf of bread, I watched the Buffalo Bills crush the Dallas
Cowboys.
 The subject of the main clause is always the understood subject of the elliptical clause.
 When this is messed up by the writer, we call the elliptical “dangling."
o While baking a loaf of bread, the Buffalo Bills crushed the Dallas Cowboys.
Comparisons
 Make sure the main clause has only one possible noun phrase for the subordinate clause to
be compared with (discussion p. 164)
Explain why both are correct and the difference in meaning:
o Jennifer liked our dog better than me.
o Jennifer liked our dog better than I.
Note how the objective forms of pronouns help above but don't help below:
o Joe likes Tracy more he likes Pat.
o The Sabres beat the Capitals worse than the Bruins.
Exercise #27, p. 156
EXAMPLE:
a.
b.
c.
As soon as the guests left, we collapsed in a heap on the couch.
a) subordinate clause with time information
b) prepositional phrase giving manner information
c) prepositional phrase giving location information
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To save money, I often eat lunch at my desk.
The ceremony started late that night.
The legislature held a special session last week to consider a new tax bill.
If the team moves to another city, the stadium will be demolished.