Hi Richard,
In my description of sentence patterns (in Understanding
English Grammar), Patterns 1 to 3 are those with be as the
main verb: Pattern 1 is NP be ADV T/P, which stands for
"Adverbial of Time or Place." (The other two are be
with an adjectival and be with a nominal as subject
complements.) All other patterns can include manner adverbs--as
well as others. But Pattern 1 is nearly always restricted to
time or place, as in your examples.
I separate be from the linking verbs because of that
pattern--it's not a linking verb. It's the be version of
intransitive verbs. That's one reason. The other is
that be is a mystery to most students--but it's also one of the
most (if not the most) important verbs in the language, and I
want the students to take special note of its specialness: its use as
an auxiliary, both active and passive, as well as its frequency as a
main verb. And consider how often writing teachers make a big
deal out of "overuse" of be as a main verb.
Understanding the patterns helps students recognize the verbs that
they're using.
Martha
Prepositional phrases and
adverbs can be seen as members of the larger category of
"adverbials," and both do about the same things: when modifying a
verb they provide when, where, why, or how information about the verb
(e.g., ate in haste, ate quickly).
Adverbials can also
follow (complement) linking verbs, but only time and place (not
manner) adverbials:
Place:
· The
plane is in the air.
· The
plane is here.
Time:
· The
reception will be after the wedding.
· The
reception will be afterwards/soon/later.
But usually not
manner:
· *The
craftsmanship was with great skill.
· *The
craftsmanship was skillfully.
________________________
Richard
Veit
Department of English,
UNCW
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