Phrases(71) a. We eagerly waited for our turn.
b. After it began to snow, we left.
Sometimes a short (1-2 word) adverbial will appear within the verb phrase:
(72) a. We do occasionally eat out.
b. She must have often donated her legal services.
Noun phrase adverbials, such as a lot in (73a), may be confused with direct
objects. However, they will never become the subject of a corresponding
passive sentence, as the ungrammaticality of (73b) shows:
(73) a. Harry entertains a lot.
b. *A lot is entertained by Harry.
The adverbials that modify verbs can be grouped semantically according
to the semantic roles that they express. The most common appear in Table
- These roles should remind you of the meanings associated with adverbs
and prepositions listed in our chapters on Major and Minor Parts of Speech.
semantic role examples
Time He left early.
We left on Monday.
I’ll leave when the moon turns green.
Place She stopped there.
She relaxed on the sofa.
She stopped where the victim was found.
Manner The troupe exited gracefully.
The troupe exited with grace.
Reason He left out of spite.
He left because he was miffed.
Purpose He left to milk the cow.
table 10: some semantic roles of adverbials
Exercise
Draw brackets around each VP in the sentences below. Underline the
headword and indicate the type of object, complement, or modifier
that accompanies the headword.