Adverbial Phrase - Definition, Types and Examples

 

Adverbial Phrase - Definition and Meaning

According to Dictionary, An adverbial phrase is "a group of two or more words that function together as an adverb, as the phrase in a minute in "I'll be with you in a minute.". 

From the definition above, we learn that:

1. An adverbial is a type of phrase.

2. An adverbial phrase is a group of two or more words. 

3. An adverbial phrase functions as an adverb.

Adverbial Phrase Examples

a. Sit there in the class.

b. As a student of spoken English, you need to speak English every day. 

c. Sofia speaks French very well. 

In example (a), the prepositional phrase in the class, in example (b), the noun phrase every day and in example (c),  very well are adverbials or adverbial phrases that function as adverbs of place, time and manner respectively. 

 

How to Identify an Adverbial Phrase?

Identifying an adverbial phrase is as easy as identifying an adverb in a sentence. Like an adverb, an adverbial phrase answers why, where, when, how and how often an action takes place. 

Adverbial phrase answering why: 

Due to an internal issue, the department announced a seven-day leave. 

In the example above, the phrase in bold is an adverbial phrase that answers why the department announced the leave. The answer is due to an internal issue.

Adverbial phrase answering where:

I'll catch you at the bus stop. 

In the example, the phrase at the bus stop is an adverbial that answers where I'll catch you. The answer is at the bus stop.

Adverbial phrase answering when:

I'll be there in the classroom in ten minutes. 

In the example, the phrase in bold is an adverbial phrase that answers when I'll be there in the classroom. The answer is in ten minutes, 

Adverbial phrase answering how:

Sofia speaks German very well. 

The phrase very well in the example is an adverbial phrase that answers how Sofia speaks German. The answer is very well.

Adverbial phrase answering how often:

This meeting is conducted every week.

The phrase every week is an adverbial phrase answers how often the meeting is conducted. The answer is every week.

Adverbial Phrase Vs Adverb Phrase

An adverbial phrase, as has been mentioned earlier, is a group of words that acts as an adverb, whereas an adverb phrase is a word or a group of words containing an adverb as its head. 

Features of Adverbial and Adverb Phrases

1. Both adverbial phrase and adverb phrase describe a verb or verb phrase. 

2. Both adverbial phrase and adverb phrase answer why, when, where, how and how often.

3. An adverbial phrase is a phrase which means it contains at least two words, whereas adverb phrase can be of one word, only adverb or can be a group of words. 

4. Adverbial phrase is general, whereas an adverb phrase is specific.

5. Adverbial phrase need not necessarily contain an adverb, whereas an adverb phrase must contain an adverb.

 

Types of Adverbial Phrase and Examples 

a. Adverbial phrase of time: Adverbial phrase of time shows time and answers when an action happened, happens or will happen as in "I'll meet you on Saturday.". 

b. Adverbial phrase of place: Adverbial phrase of place shows place and answers where an action happened, happens or will happen as in "The teacher asked the students to gather at the common hall.". 

c. Adverbial  phrase of manner: Adverbial phrase of manner shows manner and answers how an action happened, happens or will happen as in "John runs very fast.". 

d. Adverbial phrase of frequency: Adverbial phrase of frequency shows frequency of an action and answers how often it took place, takes place or will take place as in "The university debating club conducts its session every alternate day.".  

Adverbial Phrase Exercises

Choose the adverbial phrases and identify their types.

1. She goes to school every day with her friend. 

2. This special meeting is held every year. 

3. Owing to heavy rain, the students couldn't attend yesterday's class.

4. I'll meet you at 1 o'clock on Sunday. 

5. As soon as he the lion, he ran away very quickly. 

6. John is going to complete his assignment by tomorrow morning. 

7. He has been reading the Arabian Nights for two hours. 

Answer keys: 

1. every day (noun phrase acting as an adverb) 

2. every year (noun phrase acting as an adverb) 

3. owing to heavy rain (prepositional phrase acting as an adverb) 

4. on Sunday (prepositional phrase acting as an adverb) 

5. very quickly (adverb phrase) 

6. by tomorrow morning (prepositional phrase acting as an adverb) 

7. for two hours (prepositional phrase acting as an adverb)

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What is an adverbial phrase example?

An adverbial phrase is a group of words that functions as an adverb. Adverbial phrases sometimes contain an adverb as in "John speaks English very well." and some other times, they don't contain an adverb as in "He has been reading this for two hours."

Which sentence contains an adverbial phrase?

The following sentences contain adverbial phrases in them. The adverbial phrases are in bold. 

1. She goes to school every day with her friend. 

2. This special meeting is held every year. 

3. Owing to heavy rain, the students couldn't attend yesterday's class.

4. I'll meet you at 1 o'clock on Sunday. 

5. As soon as he the lion, he ran away very quickly. 

6. John is going to complete his assignment by tomorrow morning. 

7. He has been reading the Arabian Nights for two hours.

Which sentence uses a prepositional phrase as an adverbial phrase?

The following phrases in bold are prepositional phrases as adverbial phrases. 

1. He has been reading this novel for three hours. 

2. I will arrive at the station by 2 o'clock.

3. I will meet you on Wednesday. 

4. We're ready to launch our book on July 4.

5. I could not sleep well in the last night.

 

Adjectival Phrase - Definition, Types and Examples

 

Adjectival Phrase - Meaning and Definition

SEG defines adjectival phrase as "An adjectival phrase is a group of words that plays the role of an adjective: to describe a noun, noun phrase or pronoun. Adjectival phrases don't necessarily contain an adjective word in them. 

Adjective, prepositional, infinitive and participial phrases, when they play the role of an adjective, come under the category of adjectival phrase."

 

From the definition, we learn that:

1. An adjectival phrase is a group of words.

2. An adjectival phrase acts as an adjective.

3. An adjectival phrase describes a noun, noun phrase or pronoun.

4. An adjectival phrase may or may not contain an adjective word.

5. Adjective, prepositional, infinitive and participial phrases, when they act as adjectives, they're put under the category of adjectival phrase. 

Adjectival Phrase Examples:

a. John is a very good boy.

b. The girl with curly hair is my friend.

c. Our teacher has given us an assignment to complete. 

d. The unprincipled boys, playing songs loudly, disturbed the students' preparation. 

How to Identify an Adjectival Phrase? 

Identifying an adjectival phrase is not that difficult. Follow the below-given steps to identify an adjectival phrase in a sentence.

1. Look at the sentence carefully. 

2. Look for the group of words in the sentence.

3. Find out the noun or noun phrase in the sentence.

4. See if that group of words modifies the noun or noun phrase.

5. If it modifies the noun or noun phrase, it's an adjectival phrase.

4 Types of Adjectival Phrase 

There are four adjectival phrases in English including the adjective phrase. All of them function as adjectives and modify a noun, noun phrase or pronoun. 

1. Adjective phrase 

2. Adjectival prepositional phrase 

3. Adjectival infinitive phrase 

4. Adjectival participial phrase 

Adjective Phrase 

An adjective phrase consists of an adjective word and describes a noun, noun phrase or pronoun. 

Adjective phrase examples

a. He is a very intelligent guy. 

b. She is an extremely beautiful girl.

Adjectival Prepositional Phrase

An adjectival prepositional phrase is a prepositional phrase that contains a preposition and that functions as an adjective to describe a noun, noun phrase or pronoun. 

 Adjectival prepositional phrase examples

a. The boy with the red hat beat your brother. 

b. Come here, you with the curly hair. 

Adjectival Infinitive Phrase 

An adjectival infinitive phrase is a phrase that contains the preposition "to" plus a verb and that functions as an adjective.

Adjectival infinitive phrase examples

a. I have some hand-made products to sell. 

b. I have a lot of things to do.

Adjectival Participial Phrase 

An adjectival participial phrase is a phrase that contains a present participial (verb + ing) or a past ( usually a verb + ed) and that functions as an adjective. 

Adjectival participial phrase examples

a. The weeping kid is my brother's son.

b. The snow-covered mountain is really enthralling.  

Adjectival Phrase Vs Adjective Phrase

An adjectival phrase is ANY phrase (prepositional, infinitive, participial) that need not necessarily contain an adjective word and that acts as an adjective and modifies a noun, noun phrase or pronoun as in the weeping kid or you with the red hat. 

An adjective phrase, on the other hand, is a phrase that must contain an adjective word and that modifies a noun, noun phrase or pronoun as in Very good boy.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What is an adjectival phrase?

An adjectival phrase is a group of words that plays the role of an adjective: to describe a noun, noun phrase or pronoun. Adjectival phrases don't necessarily contain an adjective word in them. 

What does an adjectival phrase?

Like an adjective, an adjectival phrase modifies a noun, noun phrase or pronoun. That is an adjectival phrase gives more information about a noun or pronoun.

How would you describe an adjectival phrase?

An adjectival phrase is described as group of words or phrase (prepositional, infinitive or participial) that plays the role of an adjective: to modify or describe a noun, noun phrase or pronoun.

 

Adverb Phrase - Definition, Types and Examples

Adverb Phrase - Meaning

Cambridge Dictionary defines adverb phrase as "an adverb phrase consists of one or more words. The adverb is the head of the phrase and can appear alone or it can be modified by other words."

According to Collins Dictionary, "An adverb phrase or adverbial phrase is a group of words based on an adverb, such as 'very slowly' and 'fortunately for us'. An adverb phrase can also consist simply of an adverb."

From the above-mentioned definitions, we learn that:

1. An adverb phrase can be of one word, only an adverb.

2. An adverb phrase can be a group of words.

3. In an adverb phrase, the adverb is the head word.

4. Like an adverb, an adverb phrase describes a verb or verb phrase.

5. In a general context, adverb and adverbial phrases are the same, but in a principled sense, they are, to some extent, different from each other.

Adverb Phrase Examples 

a. Walk slowly.

b. John runs very fast.

c. I listen to my teacher very carefully.

Common Types of Adverb Phrase

1. Adverb phrase of time: It shows time and answers when an action happened, happens or will happen as in You came very late.

2. Adverb phrase of place: It shows the place where an action happened, happens or will happen as in John is waiting there for you.

3. Adverb phrase of manner: It shows the manner how action took place, takes place or will take place as in The students walked very carefully.

 

4. Adverb phrase of duration: It shows the duration and answers for how long an action happened, happens or will continue to happen as in This wine shop will be closed permanently. 

5. Adverb phrase of frequency: It shows how frequently an action took place, takes place or will take place as in John is so hardworking that he studies almost all the time.

Adverb Phrase Vs  Adverbial Phrase 

An adverb phrase, as has been mentioned, is a word or group of words that has an adverb as its head word. An adverbial phrase, on the other hand, is any phrase or group of words, containing or not containing an adverb, that acts an adverb.

Similarities and Differences Between Adverb and Adverbial Phrases

1. Both adverb and adverbial phrases describe a verb or verb phrase.

2. Both adverb and adverbial phrase answer questions like when, where, how, how often, how long, etc. 

3. An adverb phrase is specific; adverbial phrase is general.

4. An adverb phrase must contain an adverb, while an adverbial phrase need not necessarily contain an adverb.

Adverb Phrase Worksheets and Exercises

Before looking at the answer keys, look at the sentences in order to find out the adverb phrases yourself. Once you've gotten the adverb phrases, try to find out their types whether they are adverb phrases of time, place, manner, etc.

Select the adverb phrases, not adverbials in the below-given sentences and identify their types.

a. Listen to me very carefully when you're in my class.

b. The police firing took place right there in front of the library.

c. My uncle's shop closed temporarily.

d. He almost never attends the classes. 

e. John walked into the room very slowly.

f. Here comes the king.

g. John will arrive at the station very soon.

Answer keys:

a. Very carefully = adverb phrase of manner

b. Right there = adverb phrase of place

c. Temporarily = adverb phrase of duration

d. Almost never = adverb phrase of frequency 

e. Very slowly = adverb phrase of manner 

f. Here = adverb phrase of place

g. Very soon = adverb phrase of time

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What is an adverb phrase?

An adverb phrase consists of an adverb only or a group of words that describes a verb or verb phrase by answering why, when, where, how, how often, how long, etc.

Adverb phrase definition with examples

Cambridge Dictionary defines adverb phrase as "an adverb phrase consists of one or more words. The adverb is the head of the phrase and can appear alone or it can be modified by other words." as in He listens to his teacher very attentively.