SYNTAX 2

(textbook: English Syntax by Lynn Berk)

Chapter 4:

- Adverbials of Manner, Reason, Purpose, Result (ADJUNCTS)

- Disjuncts and Conjuncts

Follow this presentation in order to choose what to read in the textbook.

Adverbials of Manner

Indicate the manner in which the agent subject performs the activity. Can be realized by

 Adverbs (AdvP), formed by -ly suffix (badly, loudly) but fast is uninflected.
 By PPs (like a princess, with a pen)

In pseudopassive constructions adverbs of manner are obligatory.

The room cleans easily. The eggs peel well.

Adverbials of Means:

 Means: coded by a PP (by+NP) by bus, by train

 Instrument (can me abstract means), coded by a PP (with+NP)
with a hammer, with her charm.

 Do not confuse them with sociative (or accompaniment) with-phrases which refer to
people and denote a participant in an event (thus a complement in a sentence)
I went there with him.

These similar adverbials are not synonymous:

She got the goods illegally (adverb of manner)

She got the goods by illegal means (adverbial of instrument/means)

Adverbials of Reason and Purpose

Both types look the same as they can be realized by the same form - PPs (for+NP)

The difference between them is that adverbials of reason answer the question why (therefore
use the paraphrase with because), while adverbials of purpose answer the question for what
purpose so the paraphrases is in order to do smth.

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I did this for love > because I love you (reason)

I begged for mercy > in order to get mercy (purpose)

Do not mix them with benefective or temporal for-phrases

I did it for you – for you in not an adverbial but a benefactive complement as it is a
participant in the event.

I made it for dinner – for dinner is a temporal adverbial.

Adverbials of Result

Realized by PPs (to+NP. He starved to death (

This means that the result of the activity is coded in the adverbial.

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Mobility of Adjuncts

Adverbials, as verb modifiers, occupy 3 sentence positions: final, initial and preverbal.

Final/Initial and: Last month we stayed at home. We stayed at home last month.

Preverbal – with adverbs of frequency (never, always, often etc): I have never spoken to him.

Never and seldom occur in preverbal position: She seldom washes dishes. When under
emphasis they take initial position which causes subject-verb inversion.

Never/seldom have I seen such a thing!

Adverbs of manner can occupy all three sentence positions:

(quietly) She (quietly) closed the door. (quietly)

Skip the next page up to Adjunct adjectives

This is not an accurate title because the adjectives that perform these 3 functions are not
adjuncts but complements. They are obligatory parts of the sentence, and cannot be omitted
(as adjuncts)

1. Secondary predicative constructions

These complement adjectives have resulted from the reduction of a second clause in which
they were predicates before the reduction. These clauses were reduced to one member only

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(its adjectival predicate or SC). Therefore we call them secondary (because they originate
from the second predication which was reduced)

a) He arrived drunk. (while he was drunk)

b) She entered the room angry (while she was angry)

2. Resultative constructions

The adjective specifies the resultant state of the predicate in the sentence. Again they result
from the reduction of a temporal clause with a subject complement - until something
becomes a new state (predicate adjective).

The river froze solid (it froze to the degree until it became solid)

I slammed the door shut (slammed it to the degree it became shut)

I wiped the table clean. (clean is the resultant state of the wiping)

In Mac they can be translated with different forms:

- adverb (ширум ја отвори вратата- he opened the door wide),

- adverbial prepositional phrases with do (do sjaj, do solzi)
- with a whole unreduced clause (dodeka ne svetna)
-

3. Reflexive- resultative constructions

Similar to the previous type as it involves a reduction of a second temporal clause. The
reflexive object refers to the same subject participant.

Jane cried herself sick < She cried to the point when she became sick (placheshe do nesvest)

He drank himself unconscious < He drank to the point when he became unconscious.

SENTENCE ADVERBIALS

- Modify the whole sentence

- Classified into 2 types according to their function

1) DISJUNCTS

The name comes from the fact that these elements are not part of the sentence structure, but
stand apart from the rest of the sentence. This is signaled by a pause (comma in writing).
They usually take sentence initial position. They can be classified into 4 semantic types.

a) Attitude disjuncts

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express the speaker’s attitude towards the proposition contained in the sentence. They are
adverbs such as hopefully, luckily, incredibly, surprisingly, amazingly, etc

Some adverbs can be both verbal and sentence modifiers (disjuncts)

He looked at me hopefully. (How did he look at me?)

Hopefully, he looked at me. (It was nice that he…)

Sometimes they can occur before the verb: He stupidly loaned them some money.

b) Style disjuncts

- express the way the speaker says something: truthfully, honestly, seriously, frankly, in strict
confidence: I am speaking to you ……..

Frankly/seriously/honestly, she rarely goes to out. (I am saying to you frankly…)

The same adverbs may be used in 2 functions described above (with different meaning):

He did not speak to him honestly. (adverb of manner)

Honestly, he did not speak to him. (style disjunct)

c) Epistemic disjuncts

- express the way the speaker’s assessment of the truth of the proposition (coded in the
sentence). These are epistemic adverbs: obviously, certainly, supposedly, perhaps, etc.

d) Point of view disjuncts

- express the perspective of the speaker from which s/he says smth

Ethnically, NY is a diverse city.

Geographically, the islands are isolated.

2) CONJUNCTS

Adverbs or PPs that help organize the discourse, they connect sentences into a text, so they
are cohesive devices that unite the text.

a) sequencing: first, next, finally, meanwhile…

b) adding and reinforcing: moreover, furthermore, what is more, on top of…

c) resulting: therefore, as a result, so, hence,…

d) transitional: by the way, incidentally, as for Peter, he…

e) concessive: however, in spite of.., even so