Notional grammars traditionally verbs as “words that denote actions and states of being.” A verb phrase consists of a verb plus any auxiliary verbs, particles, modifiers, complements, and objects.
In grammar, an adjunct adverbial is a word, phrase, or clause that modifies or describes an entire clause by providing additional information about time, place, manner, condition, purpose, reason, result, and concession. Verbs and verb phrases sometimes function as adjunct adverbials in English. Examples of adverbs and adverb phrases as adjunct adverbials include the following:
- Dancing, Margie broke her ankle.
- Sam found a lost wallet walking to the store.
- Running on the ice, the child slipped and fell.
- To bake cookies, begin with butter, sugar, and flour.
- She opened the window to let in some fresh air.
- Fill your tank with gas to keep your engine running better.
Verb Phrase as Adjunct Adverbial
References
Brinton, Laurel J. & Donna M. Brinton. 2010. The linguistic structure of Modern English, 2nd edn. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Hopper, Paul J. 1999. A short course in grammar. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Huddleston, Rodney. 1984. Introduction to the grammar of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
