Shifting Adverbials Aimee Lee Roderick Martin Bravo Jenny Lee

What is a shifting adverbial? An adverbial clause is a clause that functions as an adverb. In other words, it contains subject and predicate and modifies a verb. I saw Joe when I went to the store. He sat quietly in order to appear polite.

Adverbials continued Adverbials can be brisk, or they can be long and relaxed, changing the tone and pace of the sentence

Consider these examples -I haven’t been feeling well lately. -I haven’t been feeling well since September. -I haven’t been feeling well since the beginning of the semester. -I haven’t been feeling well since September, when the semester started.

Adverbials cont. Adverbials are flexible so they can be placed anywhere in a sentence. When the adverbial is the main focus, it is usually placed near the beginning or end of the sentence. Example: Sarah finished her homework yesterday. Where “yesterday” is the new information added.

Adverbial Clauses Adverbial clauses have a movable nature. Although they come up naturally in speech, they are often times misplaced in writing. Two main problems: (1) The wrong idea gets subordinated (2) the meaning of the subordinator is imprecise.

Adverbial Clauses What are some of the ways you could change the following sentences into a compound sentence without changing the meaning? (use: while, although, even though) -We worked hard for the candidates. -We suspected they didn’t stand a chance.

Answers While we worked hard for the candidates, we suspected they didn’t stand a chance. Although we worked hard for the candidates, we suspected they didn’t have a chance. We worked hard for the candidates, even though we suspected they didn’t stand a chance.

Adverbs of Emphasis One of the other purposes of a adverbials is to emphasize a particular structure and in doing so, control the pace and rhythm of the sentence.

Main Stress Read the following sentences and note where you apply the main stress: -I hardly slept last night. -I slept hardly at all last night. -My roommate never has trouble sleeping. -Some people are always looking for trouble. -Joe tells me that he rarely stays awake past midnight.

Main Stress You most likely put the emphasis on hardly, all, never, always, and rarely. These words help to emphasize a point trying to be made.

Common “Only” Only, like any other emphasizer, can change the focus of the sentence by directing the reader’s attention to a certain word.

“Only” used correctly I’m taking only twelve credits this semester. The car only looks old; it’s really quite new. Joe isn’t only handsome; he’s rich too. Paul cleans the house only on Saturdays.

“Only” used incorrectly. When you read these sentences you will find yourself putting nearly equal emphasis on “only” and the word following it. I’m only taking twelve credits this semester. Paul only cleans houses on Saturdays. We’re only going to be gone for two or three days. Jane refuses to watch the Super Bowl; she only likes baseball.

Time for Worksheets! Please try the elementary side. When you are finished, continue onto the college side!