basic question on adverb

Question

Hi,Can you please tell me how I can know if the underlined part is an adverb? It seems to be an adverb because it tell when something is happening but based on what I know, an adverb modifies a verb that indicates some movement, however miniscule that molvement might be. To see an adverb in a sentence that has a "be" verb is what makes me wonder. Is this done often. More examples possibly??This is good until tomorrow.

Avangi · Accepted Answer

I'd guess "until" is a preposition. The prepositional phrase "until tomorrow" probably modifies the [predicate adjective] "good," so the phrase is acting as an adverb, whether you want to say it modifies "good" or the verb "is."

I'm up in the air for the time being.

I'm gonna be sick all day.

I would be glad to help you under different circumstances. (Here I think the infinitive phrase modifies "glad" but the prepositional phrase goes back to the verb. Maybe both phrases modify "glad." Depends on your point of view. Either way, they're adverbial.)

I don't know about the movement thing. I suspect anything which modifies a verb, adjective or adverb is considered to function as an adverb.

CalifJim · Answer

an adverb modifies a verb that indicates some movement

Here's the part that's wrong. An adverb does not have to modify a verb that indicates movement. An adverb can modify any kind of verb or verb phrase or an adjective or another adverb. And an adverb called a sentential adverb can modify a whole sentence.

The astronomer saw the star clearly.

saw does not indicate movement, but clearly modifies saw. clearly is an adverb.
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In your example the whole sentence This is good is modified by a prepositional phrase (until tomorrow) which acts like an adverb.

CJ

basic question on adverb

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