How can we differentiate between an adverbial phrase and a prepositional phrase?
1. I saw the movie on Friday.
2. Holmes is on the bed.
In 1st sentence, it is clear that "on Friday" is qualifying "saw" and is an adverbial phrase. But in the second sentence, "on the bed" is also qualifying "Holmes". But usually such phrases are regarded as prepositional phrase. So, how could be differentiate between the two.
Is it possible for a clause to be both (adverbial phrase and prepositional phrase) at the same time?
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Comments
Yes, you do it through the meanings of «Friday» and «bed», not through the bare structure...
I saw him on the bed
I saw him in bad mood.
Anything adverbial means acting like an adverb.
There is nothing contradictory about these ideas. A prepositional phrase can act like an adverb, and so it may be an adverbial phrase.
on Friday acts like an adverb of time; on the bed acts like an adverb of place.
The preposition on is used figuratively in the first example, literally in the second.
CJ
1. Holmes is on the bed.
2. Holmes is with his mother.
In any case, functional grammar is far too controversial for this website; it's never been formally adopted as a coherent and viable grammar of English.
BillJ