Plain English

by Marian Wharton

USED AS ADVERBS

301. These phrases may be used in the place of single adverbs also. You remember an adverb is a word that modifies a verb or an adjective or another adverb. Let us see if we can not use a phrase or a group of words in the place of a single adverb. For example:

• The man works rapidly, or, The man works with rapidity.
• The man works now, or, The man works at this time.
• The man works here, or, The man works at this place.

In these sentences rapidly, now and here are single adverbs modifying the verb work. The phrases, with rapidity, at this time, and at this place, express practically the same ideas, conveyed by the single adverbs, rapidly, now and here. These phrases modify the verb in exactly the same manner as the single adverbs. Therefore we call these groups of words used as single adverbs, adverb phrases.

We also use adverbs to modify adjectives. Let us see if we can use adverb phrases in the same way:

• Rockefeller is excessively rich; or, Rockefeller is rich to excess.
• He is bodily perfect, but mentally weak; or, He is perfect in body but weak in mind.

In the sentences above, the adverb excessively modifies the adjective rich; the same meaning is expressed in the adverb phrase, to excess. In the sentence, He is bodily perfect, but mentally weak, the adverb bodily modifies the adjective perfect and the adverb mentally modifies the adjective weak. In the last sentence, the same meaning is expressed by the adverb phrases, in body and in mind. These phrases modify the adjectives perfect and weak, just as do the single adverbs bodily and mentally.

302. We can use a phrase in the place of almost any adverb or adjective. It very often happens, however, that there is no adjective or adverb which we can use to exactly express our meaning and we are forced to use a phrase. For example:

• He bought the large house by the river.
• The man on the train is going to the city.
• He came from the country.

It is impossible to find single words that express the meaning of these phrases, by the river, on the train, to the city, and from the country. You could not say the river house; that is not what you mean. You mean the large house by the river, yet the phrase by the river modifies and describes the house quite as much as the adjective large. It is an adjective phrase used to modify the noun house, yet it would be impossible to express its meaning in a single word.