structure of the advp

7/29/2019 Structure of the ADVP

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LING 100 McGarrity 1

Today

Structure of the ADVP

Degree Words

Evidence for ADVP

Syntax of Adverb Phrases

Positions

Reading: pp. 182-185


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Syntax of the Adverb Phrase

Like ADJ, Adverbs can be introduced byDegree words

Comparison: more/most, less/least

Intensity: too, very, so, quite

Franz walks more quickly than Hans.

Sora ate her lunch too fast.Nika speaks so quietly.


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Can ADV introduce other ADV?

Franz walks amazingly quickly.

Sora ate her lunch incredibly fast.Nika speaks extremely quietly.

No, these are also Degree words.Heres why


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The meaning of an -ly word shifts from

Mannerto Degree when it introduces ADV

She sings terribly (= in a terrible manner)ADV.

She sings terriblywell (= very)

DEG


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Also, manner adverbs cannot introduce

other manner adverbs

*She sings carefully terribly.


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Phrase structure rule:ADVP (DEG)ADV

ADVP ADVP

DEG ADV ADV

very quietly well

extremely softly


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She sings very quietly.

S

NP VP

N V ADVP

she sings DEG ADV

very quietly


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Evidence that a DEGREEword goes

with anAdverb to form a phrase:

WH-Movement

Pronominalization

Coordination


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WH-movement

Charlie drives very carefully.

Charlie drives howcarefully?Howcarefully does Charlie drive___?

*How does Charlie drive ___carefully ?

= how carefullyis a constituent = ADVP


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Pronominalization

Wh-proforms can also pronominalize for

entire ADVP in a way that it often cant forAP:

Ricky drives [ADVP

very fast].

How does Ricky drive __? (very fast)

Charlotte is [APreally nice].

*What is Charlotte? ( really nice)


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Coordination

The soprano sang softly.

The soprano sang very beautifully.The soprano sang softly and very beautifully.

= [softly] and [very beautifully] are both ADVPs


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softly and very beautifully

ADVP

ADVP conj ADVP

ADV and DEG ADV

softly very beautifully


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The soprano sang [ADVP

very [softly and beautifully]].

S

NP VP

DET N V ADVP

the soprano sang DEG ADV

very ADV conjADV

softly and beautifully


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Positions of the ADVP

There are five positions in the sentence

where ADVPs can occur


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#1: Sentence-initially

Probably,we wont eat the spinach.Unfortunately, we ate the spinach.


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#2: Before the first AUX

We most likely will not eat the spinach.We certainlyare eating the spinach.


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#3:After the first AUX

We willseldom eat spinach.I amnevereating spinach again.


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#4: Before the main verb

We might have begrudginglyeaten spinach.Popeye willingly eats spinach.


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#5: Sentence-finally

He ate the spinach quickly.We ate the spinach, unfortunately.


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S

NP VP

VP

DET N AUX V V NP#1 #2 #3 #4 #5

S (ADVP) NP (ADVP) (AUX) (ADVP) VP (ADVP) ??


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Not all classes of adverbs can occur in all five

positions

The boy has been petting the dog.


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With a manner ADV


*Gently the boy has been petting the dog.


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With a manner ADV



*The boy gently has been petting the dog.


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With a manner ADV




The boy has gently been petting the dog.


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With a manner ADV





The boy has been gently petting the dog.


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With a manner ADV





The boy has been gently petting the dog.

The boy has been petting the dog gently.


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With a manner ADV


Conclusion:

Manner ADV go best in positions 3, 4, 5 but

not in positions 1, 2

WHY?


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S

NP VP

VP

DET N AUX V V NP

Manner ADV modify V; must branch from VP


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S

NP VP

VP

DET N AUX V V NP

Why cant they go before first AUX?


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S

NP VP

VP

DET N AUX V V NP

Why cant they go before first AUX?

Because branches cannot cross


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S

NP VP

VP

DET N AUX V V NP

ADV in positions 1,2 branch from S


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ADV that branch from S


Unfortunately, the boy(attitude)


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The boy unfortunately has been petting the

dog.


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S

NP AUX VP

the boy has V VP

been V NP

petting the dog

1 2

3

5Attitude ADV are

sentential ADV,modifying S

But cant they

appear in other

positions, too?


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S

NP AUX VP

the boy has V VP

been V NP

petting the dog

1 2

3

5

ADV of diff. types may

have the same linearpositions, but they will

have diff. structures


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The boy unfortunately has been petting the dog.

The boy has unfortunately been petting the dog.


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The boy has been petting the dog,

unfortunately.


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Inaugural adverb flub

Roberts: I will __ execute the office of the Pres. of

the U.S. faithfully

Obama: I will execute (pause)

Roberts: faithfully

Obama: I will execute the

office of the POTUS

faithfully

(From the US constitution: I will faithfully

execute the office of the Pres. of the U.S. )



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Inaugural adverb flub

I will (faithfully)1execute the office of POTUS (2)

S

NP AUX VP

N will (1) V NP (2)

I execute the office

of the POTUS



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The waiter carried the coffee carefully.



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The waiter carried the coffee carefully.

S

NP VP

DET N V NP ADVP

the waiter carried the coffee ADV

carefully



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S

NP AUX VP

the boy has V VP

been V NP

petting the dog

3

4

5

3 = the boy has unfortunately been4 = *has been unfortunately petting

5 = been petting the dog, unfortunately


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*The boy has been unfortunatelypetting the dog.

structure of the advp

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