Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

-ward(s)

-wise

homeward(s)

clockwise

northward(s)

lengthwise

onward(s)

edgewise

outward(s)

A number of adverbs have the same form as adjectives (e.g. hard, outside, right,

straight

, late, well). A number of adverbs (e.g. just, quite, so, soon, too, very) are

not related to adjectives at all.

Some adverbs may inflect for comparative and superlative forms:

soon – sooner – soonest

hard – harder – hardest

little – less – least

far – farther/further – farthest/furthest

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539 Glossary for any unfamiliar terms

Introduction to word classes and phrase classes | 311

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ADVERB PHRASES

163

Adverb phrases: forms

163a

An adverb acting as the head of an adverb phrase may be modified by another

adverb (in bold) and/or followed by a complement (in bold):

It all happened 

rather suddenly

.

Funnily

enough

I didn’t notice it.

Most surprisingly for her

, she decided to emigrate to Australia. 

Complement patterns of some adverbs may be the same as the complement

patterns of their related adjectives:

It was 

unfortunate for us

that we got there too late.

(adjective)

Unfortunately for me

, they’d closed early that day. 

(adverb)

Adverb phrases occur as the complement of be, typically indicating location:

Is

the dog 

upstairs

?

Your glasses 

are 

there

, on the table.

Adverb phrases frequently occur as modifiers of verbs:

She 

works 

really slowly

. 

I 

swim 

regularly

.

Adverb phrases frequently modify adjectives and other adverbs:

It was 

extremely cold

out there. 

They did the test 

very competently

. 

Adverb phrases can also modify noun phrases (including pronouns) and

prepositional phrases:

That was 

quite a match

. 

(adverb + noun phrase)

Didn’t he manage to speak with 

nearly everyone there

? 

(adverb + pronoun)

We followed the path 

right to the end

.

(adverb + prepositional phrase)

Adverb phrases may also modify determiners, especially quantifiers:

Almost all

of those books are useless.

There’s 

very little

chance of that happening.

Hardly any

of his colleagues believes him.

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Adverb phrases: functions

163b

As well as giving information on the time, place, manner and degree of an action,

event or process, adverb phrases can also have a commenting function, indicating

the attitude and point of view of the speaker or writer towards a whole sentence

or utterance. In such cases they are referred to as sentence adverbs:

Actually, it’s nearly midnight.

Officially, I can’t tell you the results but I’ll find a way.

Adverb phrases can often indicate a relationship between two clauses or

sentences (e.g. one of cause and effect, one of concession, one of temporal

sequence). In such cases they are called linking adverbs:

Although in principle agriculture ought to be a net producer of energy,

converting the sun’s energy into the calorific value of food, modern agriculture

is actually a net consumer. We are 

consequently eating up our energy resources.

Philip got the sack and 

then we heard Liam was sacked too.

Adverb phrases can occupy a range of positions at the front, in the middle and at

the end of a clause. 

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242–249 Adverbs and adverb phrases