Peter, Here's my take on it: - They are adverbs in that they can move about within their clauses without requiring any alteration to the existing structure. - They are conjunctions in that they indicate a relationship between the clause in which they occur and another clause, usually preceding it. To use one of your example sentences: Ed believes in innate knowledge, and Phil, therefore, agrees with him. - The word "and" is a conjunction signaling a plus relationship to the previous clause. It is not, however adverbial: it cannot be moved. - The word "therefore" is also a conjunction signaling a cause / effect relationship to the previous clause. It differs from "and" (and other coordinate or subordinate conjunctions) in that it is movable, so it's called adverbial. I agree with Geoff, however: it's a term that I do not use with my students because it is so meaningless to them. John On 9/10/06, Peter Adams <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > Everyone seems to agree, even Martha Kolln and the Cambridge Grammar, that > conjunctive adverbs are, indeed, conjunctions. I still don't see why they > are not just considered adverbs. Does anyone see it my way? > > > > Peter Adams > 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/ > 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/