Tuesday, October 28, 2014
All adverbs (including adverbial clauses) can usually be
categorized as one of the following:
Adverbs of Time
An adverb of time states when something happens or how
often. An adverb of time often starts with one of the following subordinating
conjunctions: after, as, as long as, as soon
as, before, no sooner than, since, until, when,
or while. Here are some examples:
- After the game has finished, the king and pawn go into the
same box. (Italian Proverb)
- I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took
me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph. (Shirley
Temple)
- As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.
(Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
Adverbs of Place
An adverb of place states where something happens. An adverb
of place often starts with a preposition (e.g., in, on, near) or
one of the following subordinating
conjunctions: anywhere, everywhere, where, or wherever. Here
are some examples:
- In a world where there is so much to be done, I felt
strongly impressed that there must be something for me to do. (Dorothea Dix)
- I am not afraid of the pen, the scaffold, or the sword. I
will tell the truth wherever I please. (Mother Jones)
Adverbs of Manner
- He acts like it is a joke.
- We don't have conversations. You talk at me the way a teacher
talks to a naughty student.
- Except for an occasional heart attack, I feel as young
as I ever did. (Robert Benchley)
Adverbs of Degree or Comparison
Here are some examples:
· A
vacuum is a hell of a lot better than some of the stuff that nature
replaces it with. (Tennessee Williams)
· He
is as smart as he is tall.
· She
is not so bright as she thinks she is.
Adverbs of Condition
- If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts. (Albert
Einstein)
- If the English language made any sense, a catastrophe would
be an apostrophe with fur. (Doug Larson)
- If all the rich people in the world divided up their money
among themselves, there wouldn't be enough to go around. (Christina Stead,
1903-1983)
Adverbs of Concession
An adverb of concession offers a statement which contrasts
with the main idea. An adverb of concession often starts with one of the
following subordinating conjunctions: though, although, even
though, while, whereas, or even if. Here are some examples:
- Although golf was originally restricted to wealthy,
overweight Protestants, today it's open to anybody who owns hideous clothing.
(Dave Barry)
- A loud voice cannot compete with a clear voice, even if
it's a whisper. (Barry Neil Kaufman)
Adverbs of Reason
An adverb of reason offers a reason for the main idea. An
adverb of reason often starts with one of the following subordinating
conjunctions: as, because, given, or since. Here are some
examples:
- I don't have a bank account, because I don't know my
mother's maiden name. (Paula Poundstone)
- Since you are like no other being ever created since the
beginning of time, you are incomparable. (Brenda Ueland)
Properties of an Adverbial Clause
Here are the properties of an adverbial clause:
- An adverbial clause is an adjunct. This means it can be
removed without the sentence being grammatically wrong.
- An adverbial clause is a dependent clause. This means
it cannot stand alone as meaningful sentence in its own right.
- An adverbial clause usually starts with a subordinating
conjunction (e.g., although, because, if, until, when)
- An adverbial clause will contain a subject and a verb. (This
is what makes it a clause as opposed to a phrase.)
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