Ad|unct {grammar]

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1hls arLlcle needs add|t|ona| c|tat|ons for ver|f|cat|on lease help lmprove Lhls arLlcle by
addlng clLaLlons Lo rellable sources unsourced maLerlal may be challenged and removed (Aptll
2007)
1hls arLlcle ls abouL ad[uncLs ln llngulsLlcs lor Lhe Lerm used ln Lhe brewlng of beer see Ad[uncL (beer)
lor Lhe Lype of professor see rofessor

Look up odjunct ln WlkLlonary Lhe free dlcLlonary
In linguistics, an ,/:3.9 is an optional, or structurally dispensable, part oI a sentence that, when
removed, will not aIIect the remainder oI the sentence except to discard Irom it some auxiliary
inIormation.
|1|
A more detailed deIinition oI an adjunct is its attribute as a modiIying Iorm, word,
or phrase which depends on another Iorm, word, or phrase, being an element oI clause structure
with adverbial Iunction.
|2|

A simple example oI this is as Iollows:
Take the sentence John killed Bill in Central Park on Sunday. In this sentence:
ohn ls Lhe 5object
2 |||ed ls Lhe 9teJlcotot
3 ||| ls Lhe bject
4 |n Centra| ar ls Lhe flrsL AJjooct
3 on Sunday ls Lhe second AJjooct
3

An adverbial adfunct is a sentence element that usually establishes the circumstances in which
the action or state expressed by the verb take place.
The Iollowing sentence uses adjuncts oI time and place:
tdoy lotoo sow tbe Joq in th qodn
otice that this example is ambiguous between whether the adjunct "in the garden" modiIies the
verb "saw" (in which case it is Lorna who saw the dog while she was in the garden) or the noun
"the dog" (in which case it is the dog who is in the garden).
This deIinition can be extended to include adjuncts that modiIy nouns or other parts oI speech
(see noun adjunct):
@be oq Joq in th qodn ls vety ftleoJly
Adjuncts are always extranuclear; that is, removing an adjunct leaves a grammatically well-
Iormed sentence. It is Ior this reason that "is very Iriendly" in the sentence above is not an
adjunct; though it is adjectival, it acts as the predicate and its removal would render the sentence
meaningless. However, optional complements are also oIten removable, so not all removable
elements are adjuncts. They are contrasted with complements, which are elements directly
selected by another element.
[ntents
O lorms
O 2 SemanLlc funcLlon of adverblal ad[uncLs
O 3 Adverblal ad[uncL and adverblal complemenL dlsLlngulshed
O 4 See also
O 3 8eferences
edit] F[rms
An adjunct can be a single word, a phrase, or a clause.
|4|

Slngle word
5be wlll leove tomoow
hrase
5be wlll leove in th moninq
Clause
5be wlll leove oft h ho hod bokfot
edit] Semantic functi[n [f adverbial ad|uncts
Adverbial adjuncts establish circumstances Ior the nuclear part oI a sentence, which can be
classiIied as the Iollowing:
1emporal
1emporal ad[uncLs esLabllsh when for how long or how ofLen a sLaLe or acLlon happened or
exlsLed
3

e ottlveJ ytdoy (Llme polnL)
e stoyeJ fo two wk (duraLlon)
5be Jtloks lo tbot bot y doy (frequency)
LocaLlve
LocaLlve ad[uncLs esLabllsh where Lo where or from where a sLaLe or acLlon happened or
exlsLed
5be sot on th tob (locaLlve)
ModlcaLlve
ModlcaLlve ad[uncLs esLabllsh how Lhe acLlon happened or Lhe sLaLe exlsLed or modlfylng lLs
scope
e too with difficuty (manner)
e stooJ in inc (sLaLe)
e belpeJ me with my homwok (llmlLlng)
Causal
Causal ad[uncLs esLabllsh Lhe reason for or purpose of an acLlon or sLaLe
@be loJJet collopseJ bcou it wo od (reason)
5be weot oot to buy om bod (purpose)
lnsLrumenLal
lnsLrumenLal ad[uncLs esLabllsh Lhe lnsLrumenL of Lhe acLlon
,t 8lbby wtote tbe lettet with o pnci
CondlLlonal
CondlLlonal ad[uncLs esLabllsh Lhe condlLlon ln whlch a senLence becomes Lrue
woolJ qo to 9otls if l hod th mony
Concesslve
Concesslve ad[uncLs esLabllsh Lhe conLrary clrcumsLances
lotoo weot oot othouqh it wo oininq
edit] Adverbial ad|unct and adverbial c[mplement distinguisbed
An adjunct must always be a removable, i.e. extranuclear, element in the sentence. In the
sentence below in the park can be removed and a well-Iormed sentence remains.
obo Jtook o beet in th pok (locaLlve ad[uncL)
In the sentence below, however, in the park is part oI the nucleus oI the sentence and cannot be
removed. It is thus not an adjunct but an adverbial complement.
obo ls in th pok (locaLlve complemenL)


[n|unct
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noL Lo be confused wlLh Con[uncL (muslc)
In linguistics, the term .43:3.9 has three distinct uses:
O A con[unct ls an ad[uncL LhaL adds lnformaLlon Lo Lhe senLence LhaL ls noL consldered parL of Lhe
proposlLlonal conLenL (or aL leasL noL essenLlal) buL whlch connecLs Lhe senLence wlLh prevlous
parLs of Lhe dlscourse 8are Lhough Lhls may be con[uncLs may also connecL Lo Lhe followlng
parLs of Lhe dlscourse
o t wos tololoq @hfo we JlJot qo swlmmloq
o t wos soooy ow we stoyeJ loslJe
o oo ote socb o Jotk ti love yoo ftom tbe bottom of my beott
O A coordlnaLlon sLrucLure connecLs Lwo words phrases or clauses LogeLher usually wlLh Lhe help
of a coordlnaLlng con[uncLlon
o retchen and her daughter boughL motor o|| spar p|ugs and dynam|te
o @ae two of these and ca|| me |n the morn|ng
O A verb form for example Lhe con[uncL verb endlngs of Cld lrlsh or Lhe con[uncL mood
(someLlmes called Lhe sub[uncLlve mood) of Lhe Algonqulan languages
This article discusses the Iirst kind oI conjunct.

edit] Tbe semantic functi[ns [f c[n|uncts
nglish conjuncts oIten have the Iollowing Iunctions
O LlsLlng (lndlcaLlng LhaL whaL follows ls a llsL of proposlLlons)
@o bqin with bove to tell yoo tbot m most JlspleoseJ wltb yoot petfotmooce lo tbe sbow
olso tblok yoo JlJ o boJ job polotloq tbe boose oote o loosy cook oo smell oot bot ls etc
O numeraLlve (lndlcaLlng lLems on a llsL of proposlLlons)
it we bove to boy bteoJ cond we oeeJ to toke tbe cot to tbe qotoqe @h|rd we have Lo
call your denLlsL and make an appolnLmenL
O AddlLlve (lndlcaLlng LhaL Lhe conLenL of Lhe senLence ls ln addlLlon Lo Lhe precedlng one)
e bos oo mooey ln oddition be bos oo meoos of qettloq ooy
O SummaLlve (summlng up or concludlng on Lhe precedlng senLence(s))
A ls 8 A ls c @o um up A ls sevetol tbloqs
O ApposlLlve (rephraslng Lhe precedlng senLence)
@be lteocb love moslc ln oth wod moslc ls opptecloteJ lo ltooce
O 8esulLaLlve/lnferenLlal (lndlcaLlng LhaL Lhe conLenL of Lhe senLence ls a resulL of Lhe evenLs
expressed ln Lhe precedlng senLence)
,lss ColJ lost bet job 5be thfo boJ oo mooey
O AnLlLheLlc (lndlcaLlng LhaL Lhe conLenL of Lhe senLence ls ln conLrasL Lo Lhe conLenL of Lhe
precedlng senLence)
t ls solJ tbot wotet flows op blll n th contoy lt flows Jowoblll
O Concesslve (lndlcaLlng LhaL Lhe conLenL of Lhe senLence exlsLs desplLe Lhe conLenL ln Lhe
precedlng senLence)
t ls vety colJ weot fot my motoloq wolk how
O 1emporal (lndlcaLlng Lemporal relaLlon beLween Lhe conLenL of Lhe senLence and Lhe precedlng
senLence)
boJ loocb ,onwhi my wlfe boJ bet bolt cot
edit] See als[

is|unct {linguistics]
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In linguistics, a /8:3.9 is a type oI adverbial adjunct that expresses inIormation that is not
considered essential to the sentence it appears in, but which is considered to be the speaker's or
writer's attitude towards, or descriptive statement oI, the propositional content oI the sentence.
Here are some examples (note: the disjuncts that Iollow are also termed 'sentence adverbs'):
O ooestly l dldnL do lL (Meanlng lm honesL when l say l dldnL do lL raLher Lhan *l dldnL do lL
ln an honesL way)
O lottoootely fot yoo l have lL rlghL here
O o my oploloo Lhe green one ls beLLer
O ltookly Lhls whole paragraph needs work
O otetestloqly Lhe commenL made for a greaL Loplc of lLs own
O locklly Lhe amounL of sugar Lhe reclpe called for was ln sLock ln Lhe panLry
O cleotly Lhe mall dld noL come Loday due Lo lL belng a naLlonal hollday
O Dofottoootely by Lhe Llme she reached Lhe bus sLop Lhe bus had already lefL
$ometimes, the same word or phrase can be interpreted either as a disjunct or as a simple
adjunct:
1hey setloosly worked ln an underground dlamond mlne run by 8arbara
uls[uncL meanlng m setloos wbeo soy tbot tbey wotkeJ lo oo ooJetqtoooJ JlomooJ mloe
Ad[uncL meanlng @bey wotkeJ wltb setloosoess
ore generally, the term disfunct can be used to reIer to any sentence element that is not Iully
integrated into the clausal structure oI the sentence. $uch elements usually appear peripherally
(at the beginning or end oI the sentence) and are set oII Irom the rest oI the sentence by a comma
(in writing) and a pause (in speech).
A speciIic type oI disjunct is the sentence adverb (or sentence adverbial), which modiIies a
sentence, or a clause within a sentence, to convey the mood, attitude or sentiments oI the
speaker, rather than an adverb modiIying a verb, an adjective or another adverb within a
sentence.
An example oI a sentence adverb modiIying a sentence is: Unfortunately, when I got to the
supermarket it had run out of the vegetable I like. An example oI a sentence adverb modiIying a
clause within a sentence is: I liked the red car in the forecourt, but unfortunately, when I got to
the dealer it was already sold.
"UnIortunately" thus communicates the regret or disappointment the speaker experiences and so
maniIests as a sentence adverb the sentiments oI the speaker.
"UnIortunately," however, is only one oI many sentence adverbs that can modiIy a speaker's
attitude. Others include "merciIully," "grateIully," "oddly," "admittedly," etc.
|1|

edit] H[pefully
In the last Iorty years or so, a controversy has arisen over the proper usage oI the adverb
hopefully.
|2|
$ome grammarians began to object when they Iirst encountered constructions like:
"HopeIully, the sun will be shining tomorrow." Their complaint stems Irom the Iact that the term
"hopeIully" dangles, and is intended to describe the speaker's state oI mind, rather than the
(grammatically more pure) manner in which the sun will shine.
One oI the reasons the sentence adverb usage seems more acceptable these days is that its
semantics are reminiscent oI the German hoIIentlich ("it is to be hoped that") which implies (in
the context oI the Iirst example) that the speaker hopes the sun will shine. Furthermore, it is
because oI their conciseness, avoiding the need to put into several words what can be said in one,
that the use oI sentence adverbs is establishing itselI more and more in colloquial speech.
erriam-Webster gives a usage note on its entry Ior "hopeIully" in which the editors point out
that the disjunct sense oI the word dates to the early 18th century and had been in Iairly
widespread use since at least the 1930s. Objection to this sense oI the word, they state, only
became widespread in the 1960s. The editors maintain that this usage is "entirely standard."
|3|

The American Heritage Dictionary oI the nglish Language warns that "writers who use
hopefully as a sentence adverb should be aware that the usage is unacceptable to many critics,
include a large majority |73| oI the Usage Panel". This is up Irom 56 in 1969.
|4|


Ceneral Rule:

Adverbs and adjectives oIten have Iorms which indicate degrees oI comparison. The positive
Iorm, the type we have already looked at, does not express comparison.
Examples:

They chose a dark brown paint. (adjective)
The dancer moved gracefully. (adverb)
%e Comparative Form

The comparative Iorm, which is made be adding 07 or a preceding 2470 to the positive Iorm,
shows either a greater degree than the positive Iorm or a makes a comparison between two
persons or things.
Examples:

They chose a darker brown paint than their neighbours.
The dancer moved more gracefully than the actor.
%e Superlative Form

The superlative Iorm, which is made by adding 089 or a preceding 2489 to the positive Iorm,
shows the greatest degree oI a quality or quantity among three or more persons or things.
Examples:

They chose the darkest brown they could find.
The dancer moved the most gracefully of all the performers.
Forming te Comparative or Superlative

Choosing between the suIIix 07 or 089 and the preceding 24702489 depends on the number oI
syllables in the positive Iorm oI the adjective or adverb. Usually, adjectives and adverbs oI one
syllable take the suIIix (07089) and those oI more than one syllable take the preceding
24702489. $ometimes adjectives with a second syllable which is not very distinct, take the
suIIix. (e.g., pretty, prettier, prettiest)
!ositive Comparative Superlative
big bigger biggest
lousy lousier lousiest
merciful more merciful most merciful
quiet more quiet or quieter most quiet or quietest
astounding more astounding most astounding
%ip:

The best way to be certain whether the comparative and superlative Iorms oI a particular
adjective or adverb are Iormed by the -er/-est endings or by the words more/most is to consult a
college dictionary. II there are no comparative and superlative Iorms listed with the endings, then
that word takes more/most.

$ome comparatives and superlatives have irregular Iorms:
!ositive Comparative Superlative
Adjectives:

good better best
well better best
bad worse worst
far farther/further farthest/furthest
little less least
many more most
much more most
some more most
Adverbs:

badly worse worst
ill worse worst
well better best
%ip #2:

Be careIul not to create a double comparative or superlative.
Examples:

Adjective - comparative:
3correct - Today is more colder than yesterday.
correct - Today is colder than yesterday.
(The day can be either colder or not, it cannot be more colder.)

Adverb - superlative:
3correct - She is the most fastest runner.
correct - She is the fastest runner.
(She is either the fastest runner or she is not, she cannot be the most
fastest.)

$ome adjectives and adverbs do not have comparatives or superlatives because they are already
absolute in meaning:
Examples: unique, Roman, dead, favorite, empty.

3correct: The tour gude was very Fre3ch.
The tour guide has to be either a French person or not,
so cannot be described as "very" French.

3correct: The a3t6ue was the most u36ue.
Unique means one of a kind. Something cannot be more one of a
kind than it already is.

3correct: Ths s my most favourte toy.
Again, favourite means something you like above all others.
If it is your favourite, how can it be any more so than it already is.