Adverbial

An adverbial in any given sentence  answers questions such as: Where?    When?    How?    Why? How often?    How long?    How much?  An adverbial is a CLAUSAL ELEMENT, but it can be realised in many different ways. Adverbials, can realised as:
  • an adverbial phrase  AdvP
  • a prepositional phrase  PP
  • a dependent clause
  • a nonfinite clause
​Adverbials can be easily moved from one part of a sentence to another without it affecting the essential message. Adverbials are a large category of grammar analysis; oftentimes being referred to as the trashcan.
​Adverbial clauses
​A wide variety of different conjunctions are used to initiate adverbial clauses which function as the adverbial part of a main clause. Some of the most common are listed below:

  • He shook my hand warmly as if / as though he had known me for years.
  • We served drinks as soon as our friends arrived.
    After we had eaten, we played cards
They provide additional information about e.g. the time, place, or manner of the action which is described in the rest of the sentence:
​
  • We have been living here in this house for over twenty years.
  • For over twenty years, we have been living here in this house
  • We have, for over twenty years, been living here in this house
  • We were sleeping peacefully in our beds when the earthquake struck.
  • When the earthquake struck, we were sleeping peacefully in our beds
More examples:

  • We moved to Cornwall because we wanted to live in the countryside. As the winters in the north east can be quite harsh, we decided to move to the south west.
  • I finished work early in order to catch the 4.30 train.
    I left work early so that I could catch the 4.30 train.
  • When I arrived home I went to see Joan although it was very late. Whereas in the 70s and 80s most men worked until they were 60 or 65, nowadays most retire when they are in their fifties.
  • You can borrow my car on Saturday, provided / so long as you return it by seven o' clock in the evening.
    Take a packed lunch with you,     in case you get hungry
This website contains all the video tutorials and information directly useful for the various chapters of the course textbook.