Search results for 'tag:Adverbs tag:Regards' matching tags 'Adverbs' and 'Regards'

Re: adjective or adverb ? - by N88 -

Nokia88 — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:30:04 GMT

Cool Breeze
Nokia88

The axe will fall the heaviest in its financial services division, which includes banking, wealth management and insurance operations.

The heaviest = adjective or adverb?

An interesting point, Nokia! In some languages, including my mother tongue, both an adjective and an adverb could be used in your sentence - and they would be different in form. Comparison is a vague and inexact form of art in English. Logic says that it makes no actual difference whether we consider the heaviest an adjective or an adverb. Its grammatical form suggests that it is an adjective. Heavy is a disyllabic adjective ending in y, and adverbs are formed by using the ly inflection from such adjectives. Examples:

(A): It rained heavily today. It rained even more heavily yesterday. It rained [the] most heavily last week.

(B): Heavier and heaviest are adjectives: My brother is heavier than me/I. He is the heaviest man I know.

CB

Dear Cool Breeze,
I am sorry!
I didn't know what had happened to me that day when I was reading your perfect post. I must have been over tired that I comprehended the two sets of examples just opposite.
The first set you wrote:
(A): It rained heavily today. It rained even more heavily yesterday. It rained [the] most heavily last week (adverb modifies verb).
(A): I misunderstood it as (adjective modifies noun).
The second set you wrote:
(B): Heavier and heaviest are adjectives: My brother is heavier than me/I. He is the heaviest man I know (adjective modifies noun).
(B): I misunderstood it as (adverb modifies verb).

Great Post!
Thank you very much!
Best regards, Nokia88

Re: what does the adverb clause modify?

Raen — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:47:03 GMT

Thanks Philip.

According to the grammar book, the answer to the #1 question is the adjective "happy". My problem is why not the verb "seem".

I created the #2 question to mirror the question #1. But would the answer still be "happy", or the verb "act" would seem to be the more likely answer, and why and how?

I have a lot more questions about Noun clause vs. Adjective clauses, and Adverb clauses vs. Adjective clauses. But I'll wait to present them. So what do you think?

Regards

Raen

adverb clauses

Raen — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:22:59 GMT

I have a hard time deciding which word an adverb clause modifies in a sentence, examples:

1. Buy that coat now because it might be sold tomorrow.

(A: because it might be sold tomorrow modifies the verb buy)

I chos the adverb "now" because I thought the main emphasis/reason of the surbordinate clause laid on "tomorrow". If the adverb clause said: "because you need one", I would go with "buy". Compare:

Since I can spare only a few minutes, please be brief with your presentation.

(A: Since I can spare only a few minutes modifies the predicate adjective brief) The word modified is not the verb "be" rather it's the pred. adjective "brief", I'm assuming that's because its indication of time scrunch.

So my impressioin was knowing which word, along its part of speech, is modify has a lot to do with what the adverb clause main focuse is, but I must have been mistaken. I'm not doing well in the practices. Could someone be kind enough to give me some guidance in deciding what to pick, is there a rule of thumb? Thanks a lot.

Note: the grammar rules say: An adverb clause is a dependent clause that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. It usually modifies the verb.

Regards

Raen

Re: Adjective Prepositional Phrases vs. Adverb Prepositional Phrases

Raen — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:01:35 GMT

Avangi
This is exactly the point I was trying to make about the limitation of the rules. They're useful only in eliminating the adjectival function, not in asserting it. An adverbial / prepositional phrase, according to the two rules, may be placed anywhere, including directly after a noun which it does not modify. That is to say, just because a prepositional phrase follows a noun, that doesn't mean it modifies that noun.

(Yay, I got the quote thing down!) Thanks for your time Avangi, I truly appreciate it. But I must say I'm just about as depressed as can be :(, because now I'm think I, as someone learning English as a 2nd language, am.....(pardon my languaged here) screwed. I don't thik I have the ability to know what to eliminate nor asserting. You instinctively know (or feel) the right answer without fully know why is, I think, because of the fact that you are a native speaker. And I don't have the natural sense to know whether it's adverbial or adjectival, instead I have to strictly go by the grammar rules........... rules that seem to me right now not necessarily "definitive".

Thanks again Avangi, at least I know now I maybe need to be more relaxed or flexible in learning the mechanics of English grammar. Thanks, you are great!

Regards

Raen

Re: Please help me with infinitive clause

Anonymous — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:52:11 GMT

Grammar is a descriptive process. Linguists look at a language and describe how it works.
However some Linguists describe things differently to others. The end result is usually the same, but the way they organise it, and what all the parts are call varies.
eg some Linguists say pronouns are a type of noun, some treat nouns and pronouns as different parts of speech. But both systems work out the same in the end.
However, having several different grammars is however confusing for all the rest of us!!!

An infinitive clause is the same as an infinitive phrase, however different systems of grammar are being used.
In the first clause contain any type of verb, in the second they contain a finite verb (not infinitive)

Infinitives (clauses or phrases - as you link)
Gerunds (clauses or phrases)
and
participle (clauses or phrases)
are all phrases that contain a verb.
They are clauses in some grammars and not in others.
My personal preference is to regard all phrases with a verb as a clause.
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Gerund phrase Getting the promotion is my only hope.

Infinitive phrase I wanted to leave.

Participle phrase Flying high in the air, the rocket exploded.

1024x768 Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 These phrases or clauses as vary depending on whether they are replacing nouns, adjectives or adverbs.
The Infinitive comes in two froms, the to-infinitive shown above and the bare infinitive.
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bare infinitive. All I did was touch it

Re: LIKE NOTHING WRONG

Avangi — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:47:15 GMT

Hi Sn, It's natural enough, except that you don't need two conjunctions to connect two clauses; and verbs of sense (like feels and seems and smells) act like verbs of being, and take adjectives rather than adverbs.

Although outside he behaves like nothing is wrong, deep down inside he feels very nervous. OR Outside he behaves like nothing is wrong, but deep down inside he feels very nervous.

Best regards, A.

Re: Punctuation

Clive — Sat, 24 May 2008 12:30:17 GMT

Hi,

Please tell me if they are punctuated correctly.

1. He is unable to move; thus, it will be hard for him to come to your house today. OK, but I'd prefer a period to a semi-colon.

2. He has hurt himself in a traffic accident. It will thus be hard for him to come to your house today. OK

3. Josh is from a farm country. He however likes the life of city. -- What difference would it make if I enclose the adverb 'however' with commas? I see it as necessary.

With regard to the use of commas when such adverbs, I'd say it's really a question of native speaker instinct. ie In a particular context, do I feel that a pause before and after the word is required?

4. You should cover all the chapters for the exam, or you will otherwise face difficulty when you take exam tomorrow. -- What difference would it make if I enclose the adverb 'otherwise' with commas? It will make the listener think a bit more about the word 'otherwise'.

Since you have said 'or', do you feel that 'otherwise' is also necessary?

5. The bus is packed with people daily. It will therefore be very difficult for you to spot her in the bus. -- What difference if I enclose the adver 'therefore' with commas? It will make the listener think a bit more about the word 'therefore'.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: adjective phrases

Velimir — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:09:33 GMT

Hello Anonymous,

In your sentences there is no adjective phrases.A phrase is a name used in the english grammar to label a group of words which acts as a single unit in the syntax of a sentence,which means that you need at least two words to label some part of the sentence a phrase. Words,phrases and clauses are three building blocks of speech and proper distinction between these elements is an essential step and the starting point in every analysis.
Adjective phrase consists of the head of the phrase,i.e adjective, and various pre-modifying and postmodifying elements.For example,

It is too hot for this time of the year.

In this sentence the whole phrase "too hot for this time of the year" is an adjective phrase which functions as a subject complement. We could say this same in a brief manner :

It is hot.

but we felt like we wanted:

1. to accentuate the meaning of hot by premodifying the head "hot" with the intensifying adverb "too"

2. and also to specify that we refer our assertion to some particular part of the year

Therefore,you get adjective phrases when you're trying to convey more information about what you mean or feel about the matter in question.

The first sentence you've quoted for example should be analysed like:

1. Carnivores are eaters of meat.

Carnivores - plural form of noun ,acts as the subject of the sentence

are - linking verb

Eaters of meat - noun phrase ,acts as a subject complement

The other two sentences follow the same syntactic pattern : subject -> linking verb -> subject complement

Best regards

Re: Help needed!

Avangi — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:35:13 GMT

Your examples all call for adjectives. The one you said you were sure about is "educational." If the other option is "education" it wouldn't work because it's a noun. "It was a very education experience"?

The ones you were unsure of each seem to be a pair of (1) an adjective, and (2) a [psuedo] adjective, or an incorrect or nonexistent form of the word, often incorrectly used by many people. (Sorry, both ironic and ironical are acceptable as adjectives. Ironically is the adverb.)

As Philip suggests, your dictionary should make it clear which one exists as an adjective and which one is either some other part of speech, or doesn't exist at all.

For example, idiotical and narcissistical don't exist. The adjectives end in "c" and the adverbs go to "cally." Egotist, on the other hand, allows both egotistic and egotistical as adjectives, with egotistically as the adverb. Irony works the same way as egotist. You just have to look them up.

Perhaps if you need a rule of thumb, when you're trying to decide between a short one ending in "c" and a longer one ending in "l", go for the short one.

Best regards, - A.

Questions

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:05:11 GMT

Dear teacher,

May I use the 'ING' form with any verb to create adjectives or nouns?

The adjective 'Telephonic' has it an adverb to be 'Telephonically'?

When I can use 'The', 'a', 'an' before nouns?

Best regards,