Přednáška - Adverbs

already - not used in neg. sentences

• used in questions - confirmation wanted: Have you already received your invitation?

• for emphasis it can come in front of a noun: You'd better lock up. - I already have locked up.

yet - generally comes at the end of a sentence

• in negatives it can come before the main verb: The new petrol prices haven't yet come

into force.

• before infinitive similar meaning as still: Who will be appointed? It's yet/still to be decided.

• in affirmative: The first snowdrops are yet to come. There's plenty of time yet.

Prepositions introducing prep. phrases often functioning as adverbials of time

for - cannot be omitted in neg. sentences and at the beginning of a sentence

by, till, until

• with continuity verbs (stay, wait) - only till, until: I'll stay till/until Monday.

• with verbs "point of time" (finish, leave) - in positive context : by I'll have left by Monday

• in negative till/until I won't leave till Monday.

ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY

definite frequency: usually at the end of a sentence

indefinite frequency: usually mid-position

for special emphasis can be placed before aux.: It's just like Philip. He always is late.

some can come at the beginning or the end of a sent.- with neg. meaning: inversion

Never did I come late.

ADVERBS OF DEGREE (almost, altogether, enough, fairly, nearly, rather, somewhat, too, ..)

answer the question "to what extent?"

most of them go before the word they modify: quite good, quite quickly, I quite like it, quite an experience

some quantifiers can be used as adverbs of degree: a little, a lot, much

I don't like coffee very much. (degree)

X I don't drink much coffee. (quantity)

quite - with gradable adjectives and adverbs = less than He lectured quite well.

- with non-gradable adj. and adv. = better than expected. She plays quite amazingly.

- similar is true about verbs: I quite enjoy mountain holiday. I quite forgot to post the letter.

- in BrE used in understatements He's quite clever. = He's very intelligent.

hardly, barely, scarcely

• negative in meaning - do not combine with not, never

• can be replaced by almost never not by *nearly never: I almost never visit London these days.

• but we use not nearly and not * not almost: There are not nearly enough members present to hold a meeting.

INTENSIFIERS

- used with gradable adverbs and adjectives and sometimes verbs

• while adverbs of degree normally weaken or limit the meaning of the word, intensifiers normally strengthens the meaning

jolly, pretty, dead in place of very

in informal BrE jolly and weaker pretty can be used before adj. and adv. meaning very

The test was pretty easy.

pretty + well = nearly

The film was pretty well over by the time we got to the cinema.

dead - is used informally with limited section of adj. not adv.

dead certain, dead drunk, dead quiet, dead right, dead wrong, dead tired

in fixed expression also other words can mean very: badly needed, deeply suspicious, highly

respected.

FOCUS ADVERBS

some precede the word they qualify to focus attention to it: even, just, merely, only, really, simply