The adverbial modifier

1. An adverbial modifier is a secondary part of the sen­tence which modifies the verb-predicate, or a verbal in any of its functions, denoting the time, place, manner, etc. of an action:

Winter set in early and unexpectedly... (Cronin.) And she walked fast between the flowers... (Galsworthy.) The thunder rumbled and crashed, travelling east along the river.

(Galsworthy.) I saw a lizard run over the crag. (Bronte.) On arriving at the garden entrance, he stopped to look at the view. (Galsworthy.)

2. Just as a subject or object may have a number of attributes, so a verb-predicate may have a number of adverbial modifiers:

They walked on silently side by side for ten minutes... (Kingsley.) Manson leaped from the train and walked quickly down the platform, searching eagerly for some sign of wel­come. (Cronin.) Noah Claypole ran along the street at his swiftest pace... (Dickens.)

Besides modifying a verb an adverbial modifier (usually of degree) may modify a part of the sentence expressed by an adjective or adverb:

The Indian... was rowing very hard. (Hemingway.) “I think it’s pretty easy, Nick.” (Hemingway.) ...the gardens glow, and the air is delicately sweet. (Gissing.)

3. According to their meaning adverbial modifiers may be clas­sified as follows:

1. Adverbial modifiers of place:

A long, soft ripple of wind flowed over the com... (Gals­worthy.) The lines of the mountains were sharply defined against the profound blue. (Hitchens.) They were walking eastward. (Maxwell.) The door was not fastened within... (Dickens.) Outside it was getting dark. (Hemingway.)

2. Adverbial modifiers of time:

Yesterday I passed by an elm avenue... (Gissing.) The gale had freshened since noon... and now blew with the strength of a hurricane... (Conrad.) “You’ve been working too hard lately.” (Gordon.) Martin talked for fifteen minutes with him... (London.) Before switching on the electric light he pulled down the blind and drew the heavy curtain across the window. (Joyce.)

3. Adverbial modifiers of manner or attending circumstances:

...the gardeners were busily potting out spring flowers. (Aldington.) Winter set in early and unexpectedly with a heavy fall of snow. (Cronin.) She could run like an Amazon. (Lawrence.) She started the car, and, ... drove at full speed. (Galsworthy.) Around them, in the alder clumps, the prim­roses grew in great profusion. (Cronin.) She walked briskly. (Galsworthy.) Once more he passed my table without stop­ping. (Maugham.)

4. Adverbial modifiers of degree:

I was completely happy. (Galsworthy.) By this time it was getting dark and snowing pretty heavilly. (Dickens.) The sky had partly cleared, but was very gloomy... (Dickens.) The stars were very bright. (Galsworthy.) “I think it’s pret­ty easy, Nick.” (Hemingway.) I entirely agree with you. I quite understand you.

5. Adverbial modifiers of cause:

I was stiff with long sitting, and bewildered with the noise and motion of the coach... (Brontё.) I flushed simply from being spoken to... (Cronin.) He therefore gave his horsemen orders to advance. (Scott.) It was very interesting to me to see them together not only on account of their mutual affection, but because of the strong personal resemblance between them... (Dickens.) She told me we must part, and told me why... (Dickens.)

6. Adverbial modifiers of purpose:

She strained her ears to catch the words. (Mazo de la Roche.) Mrs. Pratt had driven to Winster to see her mother... (Jerome.) Dessie stopped for a moment to ease her back. (Caldwell.)

7. Adverbial modifiers of measure (time, distance, cost, weight):

He stood still a long while, surveying the hillside. (Lon­don.) He moved down the stream a few steps.. (London.) He was now a hundred yards from the water... (London.) Mauki no longer weighs one hundred and ten pounds. (L о n- d о n.)

8. Adverbial modifiers of result:

The unexpected offer of shelter was too unexpected to be resisted. (Dickens.) Ben was too busy to hear him now... (Aldridge.) The rest of the conversation is not important enough to be here related. (Fielding.)

9. Adverbial modifiers of condition:

In case of your absence I shall leave you a note.

j) Adverbial modifiers of concession:

Even Miriam laughed in spite of herself. (Lawrence.) Notwithstanding the cold weather, Henry Bosman’s face glowed like the heater in his chambers... (Gordon.) “We shall be friends in spite of separation...” (Eliot.)

к) Adverbial modifier of exclusion or substitution in­troduced by except, save, but, instead, etc. These adverbial phrases are often detached (обособлены):

She made no comment on it, except by a scornful movement of the lips. (Mazo de la Roche.) “I don’t want to move,” the man said. “There is no sense in moving except to make it easier for you.” (Hemingway.) And then instead of going to Arusha they turned left. (Hemingway.) ...the Cricket on the Hearth unheard by all but her, began to chirp. (Dickens.) There was no daybreak, till long after the due hour, no light save a pale, sad glimmer at the window. (Gissing.) ...he had chosen to make his living with something else instead of a pen and pencil. (Hemingway.) The birds were in the cage except the bulfinch, which had perched on his shoulder. (Gals­worthy.)

Some of these phrases are intermediate between adverbial modi­fiers and objects (...the Cricket on the Hearth unheard by all but her... But he could hear little save the noise of laughter...)

Compare with Russian constructions in which a noun or pronoun is introduced by the prepositions кроме, вместо, etc. which can only conditionally be regarded as objects:

...Валя была не болтлива, никому не поверяла тайн, кроме своего дневника, мечтала о подвигах... (Фадеев)²

4. An adverbial modifier may be expressed by:

1. An adverb:

I had slept unusually well... (Gissing.) They walked si­lently side by side... (Kingsley.) ...just then she heard a quick footstep on the stairs. (Eliot.) Hand in hand with read­ing he had developed the habit of making notes... (London.)

2. A noun with a preposition (a prepositional phrase):

...the old man spoke with a quiet earnestness... (King­sley.) ...he could not eat for happiness. (Joyce.) He walked away slowly into the forest. (Kingsley.)

Note that the same prepositional phrase may be used as an adverbial modifier, an object or an attribute depending on its rela­tion to the other words in the sentence:

He takes his exercise in the open air (an adverbial modifier of place to the verb takes). Exercise in the open air is healthy (attribute to the noun exercise). He lives at the end of the village (an adverbial modifier of place to the verb lives). The house at the end of the village is a shop (an attribute to the noun house). I received a letter from my brother yesterday (a prepositional object to the verb received). The letter from my brother gave me much pleasure (an attribute to the noun letter).

3. A noun without any preposition expressing ex­tent, distance, definite and indefinite time, price, etc.:

...she had been hours in the attic... (Eliot.) It had not been light aiS day. (Dickens.) I halted there a minute... (Brontё.) He wandered miles and miles.. (Lawrence.) She was silent a moment. (Cusack.) She walked a short distance up the road. (Cusack.)

4. A participle:

...he would stroll, watching the roses open... (Galswor­thy.) He went upstairs again, tiptoeing past the door, andj entering his room, switched on the light. (Galsworthy:) Having gazed cautiously round him, and listened intently, he gently undid the fastenings of the door... (Dickens.) Having finished dinner, he sat with his cigar in a somewhat deserted lounge, turning over weekly papers... (Galsworthy.)

5. A gerund with a preposition:

On arriving at the garden entrance, he stopped to look at the gate view. (Galsworthy.) After taking her elderly cous­in across, Fleur did not land at once... (Galsworthy.) Af­ter tearing the envelope open she pored over the contents for a while, absorbedly. (Henry.)

6. An infinitive:

She rose and went to the doorway to wave good-bye to him as he passed through the gate. (Lawrence.) Paul went to meet his friends the next afternoon. (Lawrence.) The old gardener... came with a little basket to feed the doves. (Gals­worthy.) He was too tired to go any farther. (Heming­way.)

7. A whole syntactical word-combination:

We went home early in the evening. (Dickens.) ...the sun had set three hours before... (Dickens.) ...she had once before seen it long ago. (Bront§.) ...all about the meadows shine in pure gold of buttercups. (Gissing.) We had started from Yarmouth at three o’clock in the afternoon, and we were due in London about eight next morning. (Dickens.)

Notice that the indication of hours precedes the parts of the day.

A Complex Adverbial Modifier. An adverbial modifier may be expressed by an infinitival, participial or ger- undial complex:

Dusk dropped down without his noticing... (Galsworthy.) (attending circumstances.) He opened the study door, and held it for her to pass in... (Voynich.) (purpose.) ...it was too chilly for him to stay there in the open. (Snow.) (result.) “How did you get out without his seeing you?” (Voynich.) (attending circumstances.)

8. Adverbial Modifiers Introduced by Subordi- native Conjunctions:

Adverbial modifiers (usually extended, but sometimes also unex­tended) may be introduced by subordinative conjunctions (than, if, unless, though, as if, as though, till, when, while, wheth­er... or).

Participial phrases are often used in this function. Adverbial modifiers introduced by conjunctions are usually de­tached adverbial modifiers (обособленные обстоятель­ства) (See “The Detached Secondary Parts of the Sentence,” p. 389) They express the following adverbial relations:

1. Time:

...while working so hard he needed sea air... (Galswor­thy.) When travelling, I have now and then watched the sun­rise... (Gissing.) Few children can eat when excited with the thoughts of a journey... (Вгоп1ё.)

2. Comparison:

He walked as softly as the Ghost of Hamlet, and more slow­ly. (Dickens.) ...then came another flash of lightning, bright­er than the other, and a second peal of thunder louder than the first... (Dickens.) He studied me, ...as though weighing up my points. (Cronin.) She rose as if to leave the room; but sat down again... (Dickens.)

3. Condition:

“Take a month, if necessary, combine business with pleasure. You owe yourself a holiday.” (Cronin.) Nobody spoke, unless spoken to... (Dickens.) ...I found great, if temporary, comfort in Grandpa’s society. (Cronin.) The sound of heavy, if uncer­tain, footsteps above my head caused me, once or twice, to pause... (Cronin.)

4. Concession:

They stood around her though at a little distance... (Dick­ens.) “It is fair to-night, ... though not starlit... (Вгоп1ё.) It was not a bright or splendid summer evening, though fair and soft: and the sky, though far from cloudless, was such as promised well for the future... (Вгоп1ё.)

Note.—Some grammarians consider adverbial modifiers introduced by subordinative conjunctions to be elliptical subordinate clauses.