Author Topic: How many types of adverbial clauses are there in English?  (Read 54992 times)

Ivan Ivanov

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How many types of adverbial clauses are there in English?
« on: October 15, 2014, 01:31:56 AM »
And, of course, a question about adverbial clauses :)
What is the best scheme for studying them and how many types of adverbial clauses exist?
« Last Edit: October 16, 2014, 01:13:49 PM by Joe Carillo »

Joe Carillo

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Re: How many types of adverbial clauses are there in English?
« Reply #1 on: October 16, 2014, 01:39:49 PM »
I’ll try to answer your question as quickly and simply as I can.

The best scheme for studying adverbial clauses is to think of them simply as modifiers of verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs—in contrast to noun clauses, which always work as nouns whether as subject, object, or complement of a sentence. Both adverbial clauses and noun clauses are functionally and structurally dependent on a main clause because even if they have a subject and predicate of their own, certain dependency markers known as subordinating conjunctions render them incapable of standing by themselves.

KINDS OF ADVERBIAL CLAUSES BY FUNCTION:

Very broadly, adverbial clauses can be classified by grammatical function into three kinds:

1. Adverbial clause as modifier of verbs. In the sentence “The lovers parted after they questioned each other’s fidelity,” for instance, the entire adverbial clause “after they questioned each other’s fidelity” modifies the verb “parted” as well as the main clause itself, “the lovers parted.” The conjunction “after” is the dependency marker that links and subordinates the adverbial clause to that main clause.

2. Adverbial clause as modifier of adjectives. In the sentence “The structural problem is so serious that we need an expert to fix it,” for instance, the entire adverbial clause “that we need an expert to fix it” modifies the adjective “serious” as well as the main clause itself, “the structural problem is so serious.” The conjunction “that” is the dependency marker that links and subordinates the adverbial clause to that main clause.

3. Adverbial clause as modifier of other adverbs. In the sentence “The petitioners accepted the court’s decision willingly even if it meant losing half of the family fortune,” for instance, the entire adverbial clause “even if it meant losing half of the family fortune” modifies the adverb “willingly” as well as the main clause itself, “the petitioners accepted the court’s decision.” The conjunction “even if” is the dependency marker that links and subordinates the adverbial clause to that main clause.

TYPES OF ADVERBIAL CLAUSES ACCORDING TO THE CONJUNCTION USED:

                 IMAGE CREDIT: EN.PPT-ONLINE.ORG

There are eight types of adverbial clauses depending on the specific kinds of conjunctions used to link them to the main clause: the adverbial clause of time, adverbial clause of place, adverbial clause of comparison, adverbial clause of condition, adverbial clause of purpose, adverbial clause of concession, adverbial clause of manner, and adverbial clause of result.

1. Adverbial clause of time. This type of adverbial clause modifies the action in the main clause by indicating when it happened or by situating its occurrence in relation to another event or activity, as in the sentence “The audience roared as the beauty contest jurors disqualified the hands-down favorite during the finals.” Used for adverbial clauses of time are the conjunctions “as,” “when,” “before,” “after,” “since,” “while,” “as long as,” “till,” and “until.” The correlative conjunctions “hardly had…when,” ‘scarcely had…when,” “barely had…when,” and “no sooner…than” also serve to link adverbial clauses of time to main clauses, as in “Hardly had the beauty contest jurors finished announcing the disqualification of the hands-down favorite when the audience roared in disapproval.”

2. Adverbial clause of place. This type of adverbial clause indicates (a) where the action in the main clause takes place or (b) indicates the position of something—whether the subject or object—in the main clause, as in the sentence “The rescuers found the missing mountain-climber in a cave where he had taken refuge for almost a month.” Used for adverbial clauses of place are the conjunctions “where,” “wherever,” “anywhere,” and “everywhere.”

3, Adverbial clause of comparison or degree. This type of adverbial clause compares an attribute that’s common to the subject of the subordinate clause and the subject of the main clause, as in the sentence “Clara can’t write business letters as well as her younger but more experienced officemate does it.” Used for adverbial clauses of comparison or degree are the conjunctions “as…as,” “than,” and “as.”

4. Adverbial clause of condition. This type of adverbial clause states an expected consequence of an assumed counterfactual condition in the main clause, as in the sentence “You will surely regret it if you don’t take this very special limited offer now.” Used for adverbial clauses of condition are the conjunctions “if,” “unless,” and “lest.”

5. Adverbial clause of purpose. This type of adverbial clause indicates the purpose or reason for the action stated in the main clause, as in the sentence “The construction company had to demolish an old, dilapidated two-storey building on that prime location so that a high-rise condominium could be built on it.” Used for adverbial clauses of purpose are the conjunctions “so that,” “in order that,” and “in order to.”

6. Adverbial clause of concession. This type of adverbial clause makes a statement that makes a usually unexpected contrast or contradictory admission regarding a declaration made in the main clause, as in the sentence “Peter still likes Jane although he is getting fed up by her volcanic temper.” Used for adverbial clauses of concession are the conjunctions “although,” “though,” “while,” and “even if.”

7. Adverbial clause of manner. This type of adverbial clause specifies how something is done or accomplished by comparing it to the manner or way a similar action in the main clause is done or accomplished, as in the sentence “Amelia’s overly strict father always hated her stubbornness the way her grandfather also hated her father’s stubbornness when he was Amelia’s age.” Used for adverbial clauses of manner are the conjunctions “the way,” “as,” and “like.”

8. Adverbial clause of result. This type of adverbial clause indicates the result or outcome of an action or event stated in the main clause, as in the sentence “The inheritance the entry-level stock clerk got from his wealthy grandparents was so substantial that he never had to seek employment ever again.” Used for adverbial clauses of result are the conjunctions “so…that,” “such that,” and “inasmuch as.”

I am confident that this quick overview of the basics and workings of adverbial clauses will start you off on the right foot in mastering them.
« Last Edit: July 09, 2021, 11:26:36 PM by Joe Carillo »

Ivan Ivanov

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Re: How many types of adverbial clauses are there in English?
« Reply #2 on: October 16, 2014, 09:54:52 PM »
Thank you very much, Joe! A lot of new information, so now I have to study it carefully.

Ivan Ivanov

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Re: How many types of adverbial clauses are there in English?
« Reply #3 on: October 27, 2014, 04:20:13 PM »
Joe, I have a question. Some grammarians put “Adverbials of reason’ on the list as a separate kind. Do you think that it is also correct?

Joe Carillo

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Re: How many types of adverbial clauses are there in English?
« Reply #4 on: October 28, 2014, 10:45:51 AM »
Yes, the term “adverbials of reason” is also correct. It’s just another term used for “adverbial clauses of purpose,” which indicates the purpose or reason for the action stated in the main clause. However, “adverbials of reason” is in practice more inclusive than “adverbial clauses of purpose” because it can also cover adverbial phrases and just any group of words that work as an adverb in the sentence. The noun “adverbial,” by the way, means any word or group of words that relate to or have the function of an adverb.

Ivan Ivanov

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Re: How many types of adverbial clauses are there in English?
« Reply #5 on: October 28, 2014, 05:16:35 PM »
But then I am not sure that I understand why adverbials of reason and adverbials of purpose are in one group. I would say that “reason” and “purpose” are not the same thing.

Jack succeeded because he worked hard. (reason)
Jack opened the window, so that the neighbors could hear the music. (purpose)

What do they have in common?

Joe Carillo

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Re: How many types of adverbial clauses are there in English?
« Reply #6 on: October 28, 2014, 06:34:55 PM »
There are indeed perceptible shades of difference in the meaning of the nouns “reason” and “purpose,” but they are practically synonymous in the sense of “intention,” which is the determination to act in a certain way. By definition, “reason” is a statement (often tending towards the abstract) offered in explanation or justification for an action, situation, or condition; “purpose” is something set up as a particular object or end to be attained, but it can also be the very intention or means for achieving that end; and “intention,” which is the more subjective term among the three synonymous words, implies a stronger resolve to achieve what one has in mind to do or bring about (this is what’s more commonly known as a “motive”). On the whole, though, all three words—“reason,” “purpose,” and “intention”—are made of the same semantic cloth, varying only in degree and texture.

To demonstrate these very close similarities in meaning and sense, let’s take a look at possible—and logical—variations of the two sentences you gave as examples. Your “reason” sentence, “Jack succeeded because he worked hard,” can very well be also expressed by its equivalent “purpose” sentence, “Jack achieved his purpose of succeeding by working hard.” Conversely, your “purpose” sentence, “Jack opened the window so that the neighbors could hear the music,” can very well be also reconstructed as a “reason” sentence, “The reason Jack opened the window is to allow the neighbors to hear the music.”

This, I think, is the aspect that the words “reason” and “purpose” have very much in common.
« Last Edit: October 29, 2014, 08:11:31 PM by Joe Carillo »

Ivan Ivanov

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Re: How many types of adverbial clauses are there in English?
« Reply #7 on: October 29, 2014, 07:10:05 PM »
Thanks a lot, Joe! Now I can continue my studying the adverbial clauses :)

Kal

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Re: How many types of adverbial clauses are there in English?
« Reply #8 on: July 22, 2016, 10:51:26 AM »
Hello Jose,

I stumbled onto your forum when I was looking for information on adverbial clauses. I am a native English speaker and I love grammar. I have found your site to be a treasure trove. I have read your explanation on the types of adverbial clauses and how detailed your explanation was. However, It seems that you missed a few.

What do you think about adverbial clause of reason, adverbial clause of contrast, adverbial clause of means, adverbial clause of distance, adverbial clause of frequency, adverbial clause of proportion, adverbial clause of preference, etc.?

What are the subcategories of each adverbial clauses?

Could you provide a comprehensive or near complete list of conjunctions for each semantic classes?

Since noun clauses, adverbial clauses, and relative clauses can look similar in structure, could you explain the differences between them in regard to structure or construction?

Many subordinating conjunctions, relative adverbs and/or relative pronouns can belong to multiple or function in different semantic classes of adverbial clauses, could you provide a list of those that can have many semantic roles in adverbial clauses?


I hope that I have not bombarded you with my questions. You seem to be right who would explain grammar thoroughly, which is why I am asking all these questions. Also, your explanation will benefit other learners of the English language or those who love the English language like I do. By the way, feel free to add many more that was not mentioned in my message.