6.6 Historical Evidence 183D’Lisle, I will admit , is not a fair representative of that famous order who pio-
neered the way on this continent, (1854 Hosmer, The poetical works [COHA])
d. the few rash youths who refuse to trim their sails to the wind of public opin-
ion, and thereby, I have to admit , make utter fools of themselves. (1927
Harpers [COHA])
e. you meant nothing, you admit , but to enjoy yourself! (1876 Southworth,
Ishmael in the depths [COHA])
f. its beautiful fl uted Corinthian columns cut out ... was enough, you must
admit , to disturb my composure (1787 Jefferson, Letters 1760– 1826 , To
Madame de Tessé, The Maison Terré [UofV])
I am – you must admit – the monarch of a very mixed people (1834 Jerrold,
Beau Nash [ED])
g. Yes – but that, lawyer Hammond, you will admit , would depend upon a
written contract, (1823 Neal, Errata [COHA])
all of which, you will admit , was in jarring discordance with the sermon
(1857 Townsend, The brother clerks [COHA])
h. I mean, you have to admit , they’re not bad as muscles go. (1969 Well, The
body builders [COHA])
6.6.3 Rise of Adverbial As I/ You Admit
Adverbial forms such as as I/ you admit are quite rare. COHA provides eight
examples of parenthetical forms:^14
(12) a. paper money ... issued under the sanction of State authorities in violation,
as I admit , of the spirit and intentions of those who framed the Constitution,
(1869 Spaulding, A resource of war [COHA])
b. To be sure, as I must admit , the Blue Mountains are not precisely the region
for tourists of a too conventional sort. (1891 Scribners [COHA])
c. And now you ask me, a poor lonesome man, living like Death himself, as
you admit , (1842 Mathews, The career of Puffer Hopkins [COHA])
d. It is a very natural reserve, under the circumstances, as you must admit , Le.
(1883 Southworth, Her mother’s secret [COHA])
6.6.4 Rise of Admittedly
Old English has disjunct- like truth intensifi ers ( witodlice , soþlice ) and other less
disjunct- like adverbials ( openlice , wundorlice ). In Middle English, truth intensifi -
ers ( certes , trewly , forsoothe , verily ) begin to stabilize as disjuncts, but evidentials
( clerly ) and low- probability epistemics ( peradventure ) are not yet true disjuncts.
A disjunct adverb is one that can occur with all types of verbs, especially stative
verbs, prefers initial position, is normally set off by commas, and cannot be pre-
modifi ed (González- Álvarez 1996 : 233). The modal adverb category truly comes
into existence in Early Modern English (Breivik and Swan 1994 : 19). One begins
14 Contemporary examples are even rarer, with only one example of as I must admit in COCA
(searched June 7, 2017).