Adverbials and its forms

Question

I am doing a grammar assignment and one of the questions is asking me to list the adverbials and identify each one by its form. This is totally confusing to me. I believe I have found the adverbials, however, I do not understand how to identify their forms. I have a second question that is asking for the same thing, but in addition i must explain what it modifies.

Here is the first sentence that I must list the adverbials and identify each by its form:
"The world dismisses curiosity by calling it idle or mere idle, curiosity--even though curious persons are seldom idle."
I listed "seldom" as an adverb and "the world dismisses curiosity by calling it idle" as a dependent clause.
Is this correct?

2nd Sentence with adverbials and form and identify what it modifies:
"Parents do their best to extinguish curiosity in their children, because it makes life difficult to be faced every day with a string of unanswerable questions about what makes fire hot or why grass grows, or to have to halt junior's investigations before they end up in explosion and sudden death"

*** This entire thing has me so lost!!!! HELP!!!

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

This is how I analyze it:

1. "by calling it idle or mere idle curiosity" - this is a prepositional phrase that functions as an adv.; "calling it idle or mere idle curiosity", a noun-equivalent, is the object of the prep. "by." The adverb phrase, "by...curiosity," modifies the verb "dismisses."

"seldom" is a single-word adverb and modifies the verb "are" in the second clause.

2. "to extinguish curiosity in their children" is an infinitive phrase that functions as an adv., and modifies the verb "do." In addition, "in their children" is a prepositional phrase that functions as an adv. and modifies the infinitive "to extinguish."

"difficult" is a single-word adv. that modifies "makes."

"to be faced every day with a string of unanswerable questions about what makes fire hot or why grass grows" is an infinitive phrase that functions as a noun - the whole thing, "to be....grass grows," is equivalent to a noun and is the same thing as "it": "To be faced every day with....grass grows makes life difficult." Within this infinitive phrase you have adverbs: "every day" is like the single-word adv. "daily" and modifies the (passive) infinitive "to be faced"; "with a string of unanswerable questions" is a prep. phrase that functions as an adv. and modifies "to be faced".

("about what makes fire hot or (about) why grass grows" is prep. phrase that functions as an adjective and modifies "questions.")

"to have to halt junior's investigations before they end up in explosion and sudden death" is another infinitive phrase that functions as a noun and is the same thing as "it": "To have to halt....sudden death makes life difficult." Within this infinitive phrase you have adverbs: "before they end up in explosion and sudden death" is an adverbial clause that modifies "to have to halt."

BillJ · Answer

First, a definition: "adverbial" is a function and may be realised by a word or phrase that modifies a verb or verb phrase; there are many different kinds of adverbial (time, reason, concession etc). Certain kinds of adverbials, called 'supplements', don't actually modify anything, but supplement some preceding element in the sentence. So, let's apply that defintion of adverbial to your examples:

[1] "The world dismisses curiosity by calling it idle or mere idle curiosity--even though curious persons are seldom idle".

There are two adverbials (underlined) in that sentence. The first has the form of a preposition phrase (headed by the prep "by") and the function of 'adverbial of manner' - it modifies the verb phrase "dismisses curiosity". The second is a supplementary adjunct - it also has the form of a preposition phrase (headed by the prep "though") and this time it has the function of 'adverbial of concession'. It refers to (supplements) the preceding preposition phrase.

[2] "Parents do their best to extinguish curiosity in their children, because it makes life difficult to be faced every day with a string of unanswerable questions about what makes fire hot or why grass grows, or to have to halt junior's investigations [before they end up in explosion and sudden death]"

Here, there is one large adverbial (underlined) in the form of a preposition phrase (headed by the prep "because") - it has the function of 'adverbial of reason' and it modifies the verb phrase "do their best ...". Within that adverbial there is another embedded adverbial (bracketed) with the form of a preposition phrase (headed by the prep "before") and the function of 'adverbial of time' - it modifies the verb phrase "have to halt junior's investigations".

BillJ

Adverbials and its forms

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