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TOPIC 15. EXPRESSION OF MANNER, MEANS AND INSTRUMENT, manner is gradable,…
TOPIC 15. EXPRESSION OF MANNER, MEANS AND INSTRUMENT
2.2. EXPRESSION OF MANNER,
describe the style/way in which an action is performed. They provide additional information about the verb in a sentence, often answering the question "how?
A) REALISATIONS
ADJectives describe actions in their predicative function and also refer to the manner in which the action is performed. "The slow movement of my eyes stopped to focus on her eyes"
VERBs: differ in the denotation of the manner in which the action is performed (see, observe, glare, stare)
Adverbial clauses can be of different types: similarity/comparison/dynamic. Their meaning expresses manner. "As I do".
PREPositional phrases: manner can be expressed by with, (in)transitive verbs, unlike, as/like
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How Questions: adverbs as manner adjuncts often serve as response to these: How was my pretty girlfriend dressed that so amused the waiters? Oh, wedding-like.
N phrases with way, manner and style as head tend to have a definite article: She cooks tortilla in a way I love
B) POSITION
- Neutral: end-position: "she closed the door quietly"
- Emphatic: medial position bc they accompany other adjuncts: "she was accidentally struck with a leg by her partner"
2.3. EXPRESSION OF MEANS
A) REALISATION: giving info about what a method, technique, procedure, or mode of action was employed to complete the action in question.
possibilities:
Adverbial clauses: often in a non-finite form (She managed to get closer to me, pushing aside the crowd)
Adverbials: adverbs (-ly) to complete the action and prepositional phrases with the prep by: I decided to go to school rapidly by car.
B) POSITION
- Normally at the end of a clause (Our beds are separated intentionally)
- Means adjuncts can be elicited by how-questions: How are you travelling to Malaga? By bus
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The answer to how? includes info about manner, means and instrument, which contributes to a wider meaning of process.
- Its formal exponents are mostly adverbials, defined by
Quirk & Greenbaum (1973) as a syntactic function in a clause that realises 3 notions (manner, means and instrument). Adverbials can be realised by different words classes/phrases: ADV/prep/N phrases.
4 types of adverbials
Conjunct: CONNECTS what's said in sentences: If she closes the door, then I'm leaving.
Disjunct: shows the speaker's ATTITUDE: Sadly, she had to leave.
Adjunct: part of the basic structure of the clause or sentences, which modifies the verb, ADDING extra info: She's waiting inside
Subjunct: They modify the whole clause or sentence, often expressing modality (possibility, necessity, etc.) or commenting on the speaker's viewpoint.
- part of the basic structure of the clause that cannot be the focus of a cleft sentence. It doesn't allow for alternative interrogation or negation and they cannot be elicited by question forms. "I fairly knew what to do".
- They modify an adjunct, having a subordinate role, performing various semantic functions(intensifiers, showing the POV of the speaker thus being subjective)
Quirk, R. & Greenbaum, S. (1973). A University Grammar of English.
2.1. PROCESS ADJUNCTS are a subclass of adverbials co-occurring with verbs that allow the progressive (on-going activity)
4 subclasses: MMIA
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instrument (*with a, using a, by means of)*
Manner (casually, carefully, slowly, like, as)
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A) REALISATION OF THE PROCESS ADJUNCTS
4 types can be realised by prepositional phrases
- Manner and means adjuncts can be realised by noun phrases (with no prep: playing wireless, send the photo air mail).
- manner & instrument adjuncts are realised by adverb phrases (She did with a computer, unlike me)
- Manner adjuncts can be expressed by clauses (I'll do it as Chinese do)
B) SYNTACTIC FEATURES OF PROCESS ADJUNCTS:
they normally are predicational; they can come within the scope of predication pro-forms or predication ellipsis (My mom became a teacher so did I as well). They can be the focus of also and of only (Only because she's pretty did Mineta helped her).
when manner adjuncts are realised by adverbs, they :red_cross: cannot be the focus of a cleft sentence, but their acceptability increases if they're modified or focal clause in the interrogative/negative: It was categorically that they were told that no more oil could be bought from me.
Means, instrument and agent adjuncts can readily become focus of a cleft sentence, even as realised by single adverbs (it was with a kiss that I was surprised by her)
manner adjuncts adverbs can be the focus of clause comparison: (she writes more clearly than I do) and can be pre-modified by How(ever) and so: How beautifully she speaks in comparison with my mum
D) RESTRICTIONS ON PROCESS ADJUNCTS: adv that function only as process adjuncts cannot co-occur with verbs in stative use (know, believe, love, own). Nor can process adjuncts be used as adverbials with copular verbs (be, seem).
C) POSITION OF PROCESS ADJUNCTS: process-place-time
- They are flexible in terms of their placement but typically follow the verb they modify. However, for emphasis or stylistic reasons, they can be moved to other positions.
- They favour final position since they receive the information focus. However, with passive they are commonly placed in middle position: "Pepper spray was immediately sprayed on the protesters".
- Those realised by units other than adverb phrases often occur initially: By pressing this button you can pause the game.
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manner is gradable, means and instrument are objective thus non-gradable.
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