Craig,
Thank you for clearing up the confusion I may have caused in cutting short my explanation, in that I left out the "adverb phrase" vs. "adverbial phrase" distinction. Of course, that's why I used the term "may" in (3b).
Bruce
>>> Craig Hancock <[log in to unmask]> 02/21/08 10:41 AM >>>
Bruce,
I wonder about the confusion that might be caused by 3b) below: "A noun phrase referring to a time period may be called an "adverbial phrase."" My own tendency would be to say that it is a noun phrase functioning adverbially within this context. It is also possible for the same phrase (though it refers to a time period) to act in a different role. "Last summer was hot." (Last summer as subject). "I hated last summer." (Last summer as direct object complement of "hated".) I don't think a noun like "summer" is an adverbial noun outside of context.
He left home. He went home. The first is transitive, the second intransitive. The verb has an influence on the functional role.
We also have adverb phrases, like "so quickly" or "too often." I would call them "adverb phrases" because an adverb functions as head.
To me, a "phrase" would refer to the internal structure of the word group. Function (like adverbial) would be somewhat independent of that.
Craig
Bruce Despain wrote:
Janet,
I think that explaining "last summer" in your sentence needs to point out a number of relationships.
1) It is a phrase, in that it consists of more than a single word.
1a) The (operational) limiting adjective "last" modifies the noun "summer" designating a seasonal part of a year.
1b) "Summer" is one of those nouns that refers to a time period.
2) The phrase functions in the predicate as temporal modification.
2a) Temporal modification may be carried out by single words, which are then called "adverbs."
2b) Temporal modification carried out by phrases are called "adverbial phrases."
3) A noun that refers to a time period may often be used in the predicate by itself as temporal modification.
3a) Such nouns are often called adverbial nouns.
3b) A noun phrase referring to a time period may be called an "adverbial phrase."
The adverbial phrase in this case "last summer" is modifying the whole subject-predicate combination "Reports of flying saucers were frequent." Such phrases have been called "adverbial adjuncts" in the sense that they are not licensed by the verb phrase, as many adverbial phrases are. Such phrases are more freely attached to the sentence, much like sentence adverbs (never, sometimes, always, immediately, etc.) regularly are.
Bruce
>>> "Castilleja, Janet" <[log in to unmask]> 02/20/08 4:27 PM >>>
How do you guys handle this kind of a sentence:
Reports of flying saucers were frequent last summer.
Do you call ‘last summer’ a noun phrase functioning as an adverb or do you just call it an adverb phrase?
Janet Castilleja
Heritage University
To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list"
Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.
To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list"
Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.
|
