A Dictionary of Cont..

adverbs 16
that this is a genitive relationship and an
apostrophe is never used in words of this kind.
Although the construction is no longer
understood, the habit of forming adverbs on
the old genitive pattern is not entirely dead.
It shows itself in certain final s’s and substitute
of phrases, such as I work evenings and I work
of an evening. (See genitive case.) Some
grammarians object to these forms on the
grounds that the construction ought to be
dead. It is dead in England, where both types
of expression are unacceptable and the onIy
acceptable form is in the evening.
But the old genitive is very much alive in
the United States. When it leads to an extra s
on a word that is already an adverb, as in
somewheres, it is not standard, at least in written
material. But the genitive is in good repute
and thoroughly acceptable for expressions of
repeated time, such as I like to read of a rainy
afternoon and Wednesdays 2 work in the
garden. See also way and nouns as adverbs.
adverbs. A qualifying word that is not qualifying
a noun is an adverb. This means that a great
many different kinds of words with different
functions in a sentence will all be adverbs.
Adverbs are sometimes defined as qualifying
words that indicate time, place, manner, or
degree. When, now, soon, are adverbs of time,
and where, here, there, are adverbs of place.
Quickly, suddenly, sweetly, and how, are adverbs
of manner. ‘Degree” is not as clear cut
a concept as the others, but exceedingly, excessively,
very, are ordinarily adverbs of degree.
Frequently a word that is an adverb of
degree in a particular sentence has other uses
in other sentences. For example, great is an
adverb of degree in a great many people were
there, but it is an adjective in he is a great
man. Any qualifying word that indicates time,
place, manner, or degree, is being used as an
adverb. But there are some words that are
unquestionably adverbs and that do not fit
easily into any one of these four groups, such
as why, not, only, twice.
All adverbs, linguistic scholars believe, were
originally nouns, pronouns, or adjectives. They
are words that were used adverbially so much
of the time that they lost all other uses. The
word very is moving in this direction at present.
Originally it was an adjective, as it is in
this very morning, but it is now used more
often as an adverb of degree, as in he is very
tired. Eventually, it might lose its adjective
meaning entirely.
Today we use nouns as adverbs in certain
situations. Sunday is an adverb of time in we
were there Sunday, and air mail is an adverb
of manner in send it air mail. (See nouns
as adverbs.) Adjectives are frequently used
as adverbs of degree, as red in a red hot poker
and bitter in a bitter cold night. (See adjectives
as adverbs.) We may also form adverbs from
nouns by adding -ways or -wise, as in endwuys
and endwise; and from adjectives by adding -ly,
as in bitterly, artistically, thoughtfulfy. For-
merly, adverbs might be formed from adjectives
by adding s, as in backwards.
Groups of words may also function as
adverbs, as in it came at the right time, we
were waiting in the garden, he wus not in the
least worried. See clauses.
KINDSOF’ADVERBS
The ideas which are expressed by means of
adverbs can be classified approximately under
the words time, place, manner, and degree. But
in order to discuss how words of this kind are
used, we need a different grouping. They can be
handled most conveniently if they are divided
into five classes: ( 1) interrogative adverbs, (2)
relative adverbs, (3) negative adverbs, (4) adverbs
of direction, and (5) descriptive adverbs.
1. The words whezz, where, how, why, are
interrogatives when they are used to ask a
question, as in when is he coming back? These
words are also interrogatives when they introduce
an indirect, or a “buried,” question, as in
he didn’t tell me when he would be back. (It
should be noticed that these four words can
also be used without any implication of a
question, as in he told me when he wns here
and how he laughed! When that is the case
they are not called interrogatives.)
2. Any adverb that introduces a subordinate
clause is a relative adverb. This class
includes the words when, where, how, and
why (whether they are being used as interrogatives
or not); the word as; and some time
words, such as before, after, since. Relative
adverbs serve the purpose of conjunctions.
3. The negative adverbs include the obvious
negatives, such as not and never, and
also words which are negative in intention,
such as hardly and scarcely. These words are
negative because they are used to mean
“almost not,” “not quite,” “probably not.” For
example, little is a negative adverb in the
world will little note.
4. Adverbs of direction exist in pairs, such
as up and down, in and out, over and under,
buck and forth. Words of this kind were originally
the second element in a compound verb
and are still used in this way a great deal
of the time. In pick up the paper, we say that
pick up is a compound verb (similar to lift)
with a direct object the paper. But these detached
elements tend to lose their connection
with the verb and to be treated as independent
words with an “object” of their own. When
this happens the word has become a preposition.
In stand by the door, for example, stand
is considered the full verb and by a preposition
introducing an adverbial phrase of place.
When no object follows, as in stand by for
half an hour and it stands out like a sore
thumb, it is obvious that we have a compound
verb. When there is an object, the difference
between an adverb and a preposition is not
as easy to see. But in cut off an inch the last
three words do not form a prepositional
phrase. Instead, the word ofl is an adverb
qualifying cut, and an inch is the object of