Language/Multiple-languages/Grammar/Adverbial-Modifiers
Adverbial modifier
Adverbial modifiers are language agnostic.
Adverbial modifiers, by their nature, convey additional information about different aspects within a sentence, such as time, place, manner, purpose, or circumstance. While the fundamental concept and types of adverbials are universal in the sense that they exist across languages to convey similar contextual information, the specific words or phrases used as adverbials may vary among languages.
For instance, in English, an adverbial expressing “time” might include words like “yesterday,” “daily,” or “at 6 PM,” while in Spanish, the corresponding adverbials could be “ayer,” “diariamente,” or “a las 6 de la tarde.” These expressions fulfill similar roles in their respective languages, providing temporal information, but they are linguistically distinct.
So, while the basic concepts of adverbials are common across languages, the specific vocabulary and expressions used to convey these concepts can vary, making the manifestation of adverbials language-specific.
The subsequent compilation presents an exhaustive catalog of diverse adverbial classifications contingent on their pragmatic functionalities, accompanied by illustrative instances in English, Spanish, Russian, and Japanese.
1. Time-Frequency-Sequence: Provide information about both time, how often something occurs, and the order or sequence of events, encompassing points in time, the regularity of an action, and the sequence of events, such as “daily,” “yesterday,” “often,” “soon,” “first,” “then,” etc.
English: “He goes to the gym daily and finishes his workout by 6 PM.”
Spanish: “Él va al gimnasio a diario y termina su entrenamiento a las 6 PM.”
Russian: “Он ходит в спортзал ежедневно и заканчивает тренировку к 18:00.”
Japanese: “彼はジムに毎日行って、午後６時までにトレーニングを終えます。”
2. Space-Location-Destination: Offer details about place or location, for instance, “here,” “everywhere,” “in the park,” etc.
English: “She placed the book on the table.”
Spanish: “Ella puso el libro sobre la mesa.”
Russian: “Она положила книгу на стол.”
Japanese: “彼女は本をテーブルの上に置きました。”
3. Manner-Instrumental: Describe both the way or manner in which an action is performed and the means by which an action is carried out, such as “carefully,” “with a loud sound,” etc.
English: “She painted the wall carefully with a brush.”
Spanish: “Ella pintó la pared cuidadosamente con un pincel.”
Russian: “Она осторожно покрасила стену кистью.”
Japanese: “彼女は丁寧に筆で壁を塗りました。”
4. Degree-Measure: Express the level, extent, or measurement related to an action or state, such as “very,” “partly,” “completely,” etc.
English: “She was extremely tired after the long journey.”
Spanish: “Estaba extremadamente cansada después del largo viaje.”
Russian: “Она была чрезвычайно устала после долгого путешествия.”
Japanese: “彼女は長い旅の後非常に疲れていました。”
5. Cause-Reason: Depict the cause or reason behind an action, such as “because,” “due to,” “as a result of,” etc.
English: “He missed the bus because he overslept.”
Spanish: “Perdió el autobús porque se quedó dormido.”
Russian: “Он опоздал на автобус потому что проспал.”
Japanese: “彼は寝坊したためバスに乗り遅れた。”
6. Purpose: Provide information about the goal or intention behind an action, like “to achieve success,” “in order to learn,” etc.
English: “He studied hard to pass the exam.”
Spanish: “Estudió mucho para aprobar el examen.”
Russian: “Он усердно учился, чтобы сдать экзамен.”
Japanese: “彼は試験に合格するために一生懸命勉強しました。”
7. Result-Consequence: Illustrate the result or consequence of an action, such as “therefore,” “consequently,” “as a result,” etc.
English: “He didn’t study; therefore, he failed the exam.”
Spanish: “No estudió; por lo tanto, reprobó el examen.”
Russian: “Он не учился, поэтому не сдал экзамен.”
Japanese: “彼は勉強しなかったので、テストに失敗しました。”
8. Condition: Show conditions under which something happens, for instance, “if,” “provided that,” “in case,” etc.
English: “If it rains tomorrow, we’ll stay indoors.”
Spanish: “Si llueve mañana, nos quedaremos adentro.”
Russian: “Если завтра пойдет дождь, мы останемся в помещении.”
Japanese: “明日雨が降れば、室内にとどまります。”
9. Comparison: Compare actions or conditions, for example, “more than,” “as much as,” “less than,” etc.
English: “She runs faster than her brother.”
Spanish: “Ella corre más rápido que su hermano.”
Russian: “Она бежит быстрее, чем ее брат.”
Japanese: “彼女は兄より速く走ります。”
10. Concession-Interrogation: Express contrast or unexpected information, like “however,” “nevertheless,” “despite that,” etc.
English: “Despite the rain, they continued their hike.”
Spanish: “A pesar de la lluvia, continuaron su excursión.”
Russian: “Несмотря на дождь, они продолжали свой поход.”
Japanese: “雨にもかかわらず、彼らはハイキングを続けました。”
11. Attendant Circumstance or Subsequent Events: Describe events occurring simultaneously or subsequently, following the main action, offering details on what accompanies or follows the action.
English: “She ran up the stairs, opening the door as she went.”
Spanish: “Subió corriendo las escaleras, abriendo la puerta mientras subía.”
Russian: “Она поднялась по лестнице, открывая дверь по пути.”
Japanese: “彼女はドアを開けながら進んで階段を駆け上がりました。”
12. Exception-Contrast: Highlight exceptions or contrasting information related to the main action, expressing deviation from what might be expected in the given context.
English: “He eats healthy food; however, he loves chocolate.”
Spanish: “Come comida saludable; sin embargo, le encanta el chocolate.”
Russian: “Он ест здоровую пищу; однако, он обожает шоколад.”
Japanese: “彼は健康的な食べ物を食べるけれどもチョコレートが大好きです。”
13. Context-Topic-Disambiguation: Provides additional information that sets the context for the action or statement, offering background or situational details that are relevant to understanding the main point.
English: “Speaking of the devil, he just walked in.”
Spanish: “Hablando del rey de Roma, por ahí viene.”
Russian: “Говоря о черте лысом, вот он и объявился.”
Japanese: “彼奴といえば、今入ってきた。”