LoginAdjuncts
In this lesson we learn about adjuncts, which are essential parts of a sentence that add extra information about time, place, manner, and reason. Clear explanations and practice exercises to help you learn.
What Are Adjuncts?
Adjuncts (also called adverbials) are optional elements in a sentence that provide extra information. Removing the adjunct typically does not affect the basic grammatical structure of a sentence. The sentence remains grammatically correct, and its core meaning may still be understood.
Elements of a Clause
Each sentence is formed from a combination of five basic elements:
Adjuncts provide information about where, when, why, how, or for how long something took place.
Marcus helped Bill in the restaurant on Tuesday.
Where and when
Yesterday, Clara saw a ferret in the garden.
Every morning, the supermarket opens at seven o'clock.
I was late because the traffic was heavy.
Why
Adjuncts: Forms
An adjunct can be:
A Single Word
A single adverb can act as an adjunct and provide some information about the sentence. For example:
He drove away quickly.
Phrase
An adverbial phrase, a prepositional phrase, and a a noun phrase can be used as adjunct to provide more information.
The river was flowing quite quickly.
an adverbial phrase
I always buy my groceries from the market on Main Street.
a prepositional phrase
I'm going skiing next week.
a noun phrase
Clause
An adverbial clause often acts as adjunct. Finite subordinate and conditional clauses, as well as all types of non-finite clauses (except bare infinitives) can act as adjuncts.
I can still recall that day, even though it was so long ago.
a subordinate adverbial clause
Had I predicted such a reaction, I would never have said that.
a conditional clause
Having finished their homework, the children were allowed to watch TV.
a non-finite clause
Adjuncts: Functions
Here are the main functions adjuncts fulfill in the sentence:
Time adjuncts (also called adverbs of time) provide information about when something happened.
The concert started just after midnight.
Duration adjuncts specify for how long something happened or was true.
We waited for five hours.
Place adjuncts (also called adverbs of place) provide information about where something took place.
They sat around the bonfire.
Frequency adjuncts (also called adverbs of frequency) show how many times in a specific period something happens or is done.
Collin visits her grandparents every week.
Manner adjuncts (also called adverbs of manner) show how something happened or was done.
Camilla smiled happily.
Degree adjuncts (also called adverbs of degree) show the intensity or level of something.
She is very talented.
Reason Adjuncts (also called adverbs of reason) specify why something happened or was done.
She left the party because she was late.
Concession adjuncts express a contrast between two clauses.
Although it was raining, they went ahead with the plan.
Probability adjuncts show how (im)probable or (un)certain something is.
She was probably tired.
Warning
While adjuncts can be removed without affecting the sentence's grammaticality, removing some adjuncts may significantly affect the sentence's meaning. Frequency Adjuncts (e.g., "never," "always", ''rarely") and degree adjuncts (e.g., "enough," "too") can alter a sentence's meaning when added or removed. Here are some examples:
She didn't try hard enough. vs. She didn't try hard.
He rarely exercises. vs. He exercises.
Adjuncts: Positions
Adjuncts can appear in different positions within a clause, depending on the sentence structure. They can come at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a sentence. For example:
In my dreams, I saw a monster trying to kill me.
(adjunct in the initial position)
The fox quickly ran away.
(adjunct in the middle position)
I went to sleep at midnight.
(adjunct in the final position)
Adjuncts: Characteristics
Adjuncts have a number of features that distinguish them from other elements in the sentence and help to identify the adjuncts in sentences.
Removability
As mentioned earlier, adjuncts can be removed from the sentence without affecting its grammatical structure. In most cases, the meaning also remains unaffected. Look at the examples:
They are waiting at the bus stop.
In this sentence, the verb is intransitive and you can remove "at the bus stop" without affecting grammaticality of the sentence.
Coordination
Adjuncts can be coordinated with another adjunct, but not with a verb complement. Look at the examples:
You can visit us on Monday or on Wednesday.
You cannot coordinate the phrase "on Monday" with the verb complement "us".
The team worked quickly but carefully.
Multiplicity
While the number of verb complements is limited to a maximum of two, the adjuncts have no such limitation. A sentence may have many adjuncts.
In the morning, she exercised at the gym with her friends to stay healthy.
Yesterday at the party, John gave his sister a beautiful gift to surprise her.
This sentence has two verb complements and three adjuncts.
Distance from the Head
While complements tend to stay close to the word they are modifying, the adjuncts usually appear farther from the main elements of the clause. So, if there is a complement and an adjunct in the same clause, the complement most likely stays closest to the verb or a noun being modified, while the adjunct is likely to be found at the end of the clause.
She was worried about her exams at the end of the semester.
Here, "about her exams" is a complement for the adjective "worried" so it stays close to it while "at the end of the semester" is an adjunct and comes at the end of the sentence.
Adjuncts Vs. Complements
Adjuncts and complements are not the same things:
Adjuncts are not necessary, and add extra information to the sentence.
Complements are necessary in order to complete the meaning of the sentence.
Take a look at the examples:
He put the toys in the box. (complement)
The verb 'put' must have a complement indicating a place. Without the complement (in the box), the clause would not be complete. We cannot just say 'He put the toys.'
I sat in a chair and started reading a book.
The verb 'sit' does not need a complement to complete its meaning. Therefore, 'in a chair' is an adjunct and can be omitted.
Adjuncts vs. Post-modifiers
The differences between an adjunct and a post-modifier are that:
An adjunct adds extra information to a clause.
A post-modifier gives information about the noun.
I went to the café on 5th Street and ate a sandwich.
'On 5th Street' is a post-modifier and it is a part of the object noun phrase. It tells us which café we are talking about.
I went to the café at noon to have lunch.
'At noon' is an adjunct and it can be omitted from the clause without harming the overall meaning of the sentence.
Dangling Modifiers
Dangling (also called misplaced) modifiers are the adjuncts that are either placed too far away from the word or phrase they are modifying or too close to another word or phrase. In such cases, it can be unclear what the adjunct is modifying. Look at these examples:
Taking long walks frequently improves health.
In this sentence, it is difficult to tell if 'frequently' is modifying 'taking long walks' or 'improving health.'
Frequently taking long walks improves health.
If we place the adjunct in a better position, we can clarify the meaning of the sentence.
We drank the beers that we had brought slowly.
This sentence suggests that we brought the beers slowly.
We slowly drank the beers that we had brought.
Noun Adjuncts
A single noun can be an adjunct. Noun adjuncts (also called noun modifiers) are nouns that modify other nouns. It is sometimes used as a way of creating a compound noun. For example:
Melissa made some chicken soup for dinner.
In this sentence, 'chicken' is the noun adjunct, and it modifies the word 'soup', creating the compound noun 'chicken soup'. If we left out 'chicken', only the meaning of the sentence would change, but the sentence would still be grammatically correct.
Noun adjuncts can also create single-word compound nouns, as in businessman, where the word 'business' modifies the word man.
Review
Adjuncts are words, phrases, or clauses that are added to sentences to give more information. They can often be removed from the sentence with no change in the structure or meaning.
Quiz:
Which sentence does not contain an adjunct?
They danced under the stars.
He named his dog Max.
She reads every morning.
The train arrived late.
Match the adjunct in each sentence to its correct function.
Fill the blanks by identifying the adjunct in each sentence. The first one is done as example.
The students submitted their essays before the deadline. → before the deadline
The chef chopped the vegetables quickly and precisely. →
She finished her presentation before the meeting ended. →
Because of the thunderstorm, she canceled the picnic. →
The children quickly finished their homework. →
Sort the words to form a grammatically correct sentence with multiple adjuncts:
Which sentence has a dangling adjunct?
While jogging, a cat startled Maria.
At midnight, the library closes.
After finishing her shift, Lena ate pizza at home.
Quietly, the baby slept in the crib.
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