Although both are classified as accessory terms of the clause, the difference between the adjunct and the adverbial adjunct lies in their respective functions:
- Adjunct: characterizes a noun.
- Adverbial Adjunct: expresses a circumstance.
What is Adjunct Adnominal?
The adnominal adjunct is an accessory term to the sentence, that is, it helps to understand the message of a sentence, but it is unnecessary. It determines, characterizes, restricts and explains a noun, and can be represented by the following grammatical categories:
- Article.
- Adjective.
- Voiceover.
- Numeral.
- Pronoun.
However, regardless of its grammatical category, an adjunct always plays an adjective function.
Example: I like classical music.
In the example above, the word “classical” (adjective) has an adnominal adjunct function as it characterizes the noun “music”.
What is an adverbial adjunct?
Like the adjoint adjunct, the adverbial adjunct is an accessory term of the clause, that is, its use is not indispensable for understanding the message of a sentence. It modifies verbs, adjectives and adverbs by indicating a circumstance that can express:
- Affirmation.
- Subject matter.
- Cause.
- Company.
- Concession.
- Condition.
- Conformity.
- Direction.
- Doubt.
- Exclusion.
- Goal.
- Frequency.
- Instrument.
- Intensity.
- Place.
- Matter.
- Quite.
- Mode.
- Denial.
- Time.
Example: I take an English course with my brother.
“Together with” is an adverbial adjunct to company.
In the table below you can find the main characteristics of an adverbial adjunct and an adnominal adjunct.
| Adjunct | Adverbial Adjunct |
|---|---|
|
|
Look at the explanatory examples below and understand the classification of the highlighted words.
1. John is a boy happy.
The word "joyful" is an adnominal adjunct, as it is characterizing; explaining the noun "boy".
An adverbial adjunct, in turn, has the function of modifying verbs, adjectives and adverbs; he does not exert any alteration in nouns.
2. Mine teacher arrived.
The word "my" is restricting the noun "teacher". This is not just any teacher, but a specific one: “mine”.
This “specification” exercised by the possessive pronoun “my” is a characteristic of adjuncts.
3. Paula works much.
The word “a lot” is modifying the meaning of the verb “to work” through a circumstance. As we read the sentence, we can understand that Paula not only works, but she works a lot.
Thus, “a lot” is an adverbial adjunct to intensity.
4. I study in the morning.
In the example above, the adverbial phrase “in the morning” is modifying the verb “to study” through the following circumstance: time. Thus, it is classified as an “adverbial adjunct”.
5. I drink soda daily.
Note that although the word “daily” is close to the noun “soft drink”, it cannot be classified as an adnominal adjunct. This is because it actually refers to the verb “drink”.
Thus, it is classified as an adverbial frequency adjunct, as it indicates the frequency at which the subject of the sentence drinks soda.
6. THE The teacher was very affectionate with the students.
Article “a” in the sentence above determines the meaning of the word “teacher”. Thus, it is classified as an adjunct.
Note that this is not just any teacher, but a specific teacher.
Restricting, determining, specifying meanings is one of the characteristics of adnominal adjuncts.
7. I was the first to arrive.
The highlighted word is an adjective numeral that is playing the role of adjunct adjunct.
Note that he characterizes the subject "I".
8. I am feeling bad why I ate too much.
In the sentence above, we can observe that "because" is indicating a circumstance relating to "being sick"; is reporting the cause; the reason.
Therefore, highlighted word is an adverbial adverbial of cause.
9. We arrived early, according the combined.
The highlighted word indicates compliance, that is, there was something previously agreed upon and fulfilled.
For this reason, it is classified as an adverbial adverbial of compliance.
10. There is only beach near my house of river.
"De rio" is describing the noun "beach", that is, it is attributing a characteristic to it.
The adjunct that modifies nouns is the adnominal adjunct. Adverbial adjuncts only modify verbs, adjectives and adverbs.
Exercises on adnominal and adverbial adjunct
1. (Unimep-SP) – In: “… the house maids leave hurried, cans and bottles in hand, to the small line of milk”, the highlighted terms are, respectively:
a) Adverbial adjunct of mode and adverbial adjunct of matter.
b) Predicative of the subject and adnominal adjunct
c) Adjunct and nominal complement
d) Adjunct adverbial of mode and adnominal adjunct
e) Predicative of the object and nominal complement
Correct alternative: d) Mode adverbial and adnominal adjunct
a) WRONG. The first classification (adverbial adverbial of mode) is correct, but the terms "from milk" do not constitute a adverbial adjunct of matter, as the word "milk" is not being used to indicate that something was done. "Milk queue" indicates that there is a queue to fetch milk, not that there is a queue made of milk.
b) WRONG. The subject's predicative attributes a quality to the subject. However, the word "hurried" indicates the way housemaids leave. Thus, the correct classification would be that of adverbial adjunct to mode. "From milk" is correctly classified as an adnominal adjunct.
c) WRONG. The adnominal adjunct characterizes a noun. In the sentence, the word "hurried" indicates the way housemaids leave. Thus, it constitutes an adverbial adjunct to mode. An adjunct, in turn, characterizes a noun. With regard to the terms "milk", they are classified as an adnominal adjunct, as they characterize the noun "fila". A nominal complement, in turn, is an integral term of the sentence, that is, it is essential for a sentence to be understood. This rules out the possibility of "milk" being classified as a nominal complement, since the phrase "... the housemaids leave hurried, with cans and bottles in hand, to the small line” continues understandable.
d) CORRECT. An adverbial adjunct expresses a circumstance. In the sentence, the word "hurried" indicates the circumstance; the way housemaids go out. Thus, it is classified as an adverbial adjunct to mode. The adjunct adjunct classification for the terms "milk" is correct as they are characterizing the noun "queue". This is not just any queue, but the milk queue (it could be, for example, the bread queue, the popcorn queue, etc.)
e) WRONG. The predicative of the object has the function of characterizing the object of a sentence. The word "hurried" is expressing a circumstance: the manner in which housemaids leave and, therefore, constitutes an adverbial adjunct to manner. "of milk" cannot be classified as a nominal complement, since a complement is indispensable for a prayer to make sense. The sentence of the exercise is still understandable even if it does not include this part: "... the housemaids leave hurried, with cans and bottles in hand, to the small line"
2. (City of Cabeceira Grande - MG/2018)
Read the following poem:
MADRIGAL
You are the plastic material of my verses, dear...
because, after all,
I never really did my verses to you:
I always make verses of you!
The syntactic function of the terms highlighted in the poem is, RESPECTIVELY:
a) Indirect object and nominal complement.
b) Indirect object and adverbial adjunct.
c) Nominal complement and adnominal adjunct.
d) Nominal complement and adverbial adjunct.
Correct alternative: b) Indirect object and adverbial adjunct.
a) WRONG. “To you” is correctly classified as an indirect object; it complements a direct and indirect transitive verb: the verb to do. Who does, does something to/for someone. However, the classification of “from you” is wrong. A nominal complement is an integral term of the sentence, that is, it is essential for a sentence to make sense. In the example of the exercise, the phrase is still perfectly understandable without the “from you”: “I always write verses”.
b) CORRECT. “A ti” is an indirect object because it is linked to the verb by the preposition “a”, and completes the sense of a verb that is both direct and indirect transitive, the verb “to do”. Who did I write my verses to? To you. That is, whoever does something, does something for/to someone. Thus, this "something" would be "my verses" (direct object), and the "for/to someone" would be "to you" (indirect object). The second highlighted part (“from ti”) is an adverbial adjunct, as it has a direct impact on the verb “to do”: it indicates what the verses were made of: from ti. In this way, "de ti" is an adverbial adjunct to matter.
c) WRONG. “A ti” cannot be classified as a nominal complement, as the phrase still makes sense even if these elements are eliminated. Nominal complements are essential for understanding a sentence; if they are deleted, the phrase becomes meaningless. “De ti”, in turn, does not constitute an adnominal adjunct, as it does not modify any noun.
d) WRONG. The classification of “nominal complement” for “a ti” is incorrect because the phrase still makes sense even if “a ti” is eliminated. A nominal complement is an essential term of the sentence, that is, without it the phrase is meaningless.
The classification of “adjunct adverbial” is correct. "De ti" is an adverbial adjunct to matter, which explains what the verses are made of.
3. (Institute of Excellence/2017) The adverbial assistant relates to the circumstance expressed by him. Check the alternative that indicates the sentence that contains an adverbial cause:
a) Never doubt God.
b) Mail the letter.
c) Due to bad weather, he did not leave the house.
d) None of the alternatives.
Correct alternative: c) Due to bad weather, did not leave the house.
Alternative c) is the only one that presents a cause, that is, a reason why someone did or did not do something. In the sentence, the cause of the individual not having left the house was bad weather.
In the sentence, the adverbial of cause is "due to bad weather".
4. (EAM/2011) Review the underlined terms, comments on each, and tick V for true statements and F for false statements.
( ) "You asked me the young journalist..." (1st § ) - is an adnominal adjunct and attributes a characteristic to the name to which he refers.
( ) ".. .one of the gains that the passage of time me granted" (2nd § ) - is a direct object and complements the idea of granted gains.
( ) "Without them, I probably wouldn't be on here"(3rd § ) - is an adverbial adjunct and alludes to a place.
( ) "...I never had the courage to tell him, at that point, that life is a building..." (5th § ) - is a predicative, as it presents a characteristic of life, subject to which it refers.
Check the correct sequence.
a) (T) (F) (T) (F)
b) (V) (F) (V) (V)
c) (F) (V) (V) (V)
d) (F) (V) (V) (F)
e) (F) (F) (V) (F)
Correct alternative: b) (V) (F) (V) (V)
Check below the explanations that justify the answer:
(V) "Ask me the young journalist..." (1st § ) - is an adnominal adjunct and attributes a characteristic to the name to which he refers.
The word "young" is giving characteristic to the name "journalist".
(F) ".. .one of the gains that the passage of time me granted" (2nd § ) - is a direct object and complements the idea of granted gains.
The underlined word constitutes an indirect object: whoever grants, grants something The "somebody". Note that an indirect object is always associated with a preposition, and in the sentence, "granted me" is the same as "granted me", where "a" is the implied preposition.
(V) "Without them, I probably wouldn't be on here"(3rd § ) - is an adverbial adjunct and alludes to a place.
An adverbial adjunct is an accessory term to the clause, which indicates circumstance. The word "here" indicates circumstance of place, that is, it specifies the place related to the verb. In the sentence, the adverbial adjunct of place indicates the place where the sender of the message would not be: here.
(V) "...I never had the courage to tell you, at that point, that life is a building..." (5th § ) - is a predicative, as it presents a characteristic of life, subject to which it refers.
"A construction" is a predicative of the subject.
The subject's predicatives have the function of assigning properties to the subject (in the sentence above, to the word "life"). In the sentence, the predicative indicates a feature linked to the sentence by a connecting verb ("is" - inflection of the verb "to be")
Also read the contents below to complement your studies:
- Adjunct
- Adverbial Adjunct
- Adjunct exercises with commented template
- Exercises on adverbial adjunct (with commented feedback)
- Accessory terms of prayer