I certainly agree, Dick, that these adverbials have limitations. Time adverbials are limited, I suspect, to events. Martha >Martha, > >We probably should make a distinction between time/place adverbials >that are complementary (describing the subject) and those that are >non-complementary (purely adverbial, describing the predicate). For >example, in your sentence "The car is here now," "here" is >complementary but "now" is not. We can say "The car is here," but we >can't say "The car is now." > >Likewise the sentence "Emma was at the beach after final exams" >allow us to say "Emma was at the beach," but it doesn't allow us to >say "Emma was after final exams." "At the beach" is an adverbial >that complements the subject (answers "Where was Emma?). "After >final exams" is a non-complementary adverbial (answers "When was >Emma at the beach?" rather than "When was Emma?"). > >Dick >________________________________ >Richard Veit >Department of English >University of North Carolina Wilmington > >From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar >[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Martha Kolln >Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 2:58 PM >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: Prepositional Phrases as Subject Complements > >Hi Patty, > >In traditional grammar, be is classified as a linking verb. That >system leaves out sentences like Peter's second one, "Deb was in her >car," where what follows be is an adverbial. > >This is a pattern that , in my grammar book, I identify as "NP be >ADV/TP"--where be is followed by an adverbial of time or place, >rather than by a subject complement. Such adverbials are often >prepositional phrases. Here are some other examples: > > > Deb was there. > > > The car is here now. > > > The party will be tomorrow. > > > The election was on Tuesday. > > >These "completers" of the predicate don't describe or rename the >subject, as Peter's first example does. "Cornelia was in a bad mood" >is another way of saying "Cornelia was cranky." I suppose you could >call the adverbial completers complements, but they aren't subject >complements as adjectivals and nominals are. > >And note too that the adverbials that complete be sentences are >limited to time or place; adverbials of manner, for example, don't >work here. It's not that we can't say "Deb was quickly"--it's just >that we don't. > >Martha > > > > > > > >>Sincere question, here: >> >>Would it be OK/accurate to say that, in the first sentence, "in a bad mood" >>is a prepositional phrase functioning adjectivally, where in the second >>sentence, "in her car" is more of an adverbial function? >> >>Tell the truth, I'm not sure how to classify "location" as a subject >>complement. >> >>My thinking is: how would I explain this to students, who might not have had >>the exposure to this grammar list? >> >>-patty >> >>-----Original Message----- >>From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar >>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Peter Adams >>Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2008 11:56 PM >>To: [log in to unmask] >>Subject: Prepositional Phrases as Subject Complements >> >>How would you categorize the prep phrase, "in a bad mood," in a >>sentence like the following? >> >>Cornelia was in a bad mood. >> >>How about the prep phrase "in her car" in the following sentence? >> >>Deb was in her car. >> >> >> >>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/ >> > >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/ 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/