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Scobie watched the bearers go slowly up the hill, their bare feet very gently flapping the ground.
Adverbials modifying adjectives, statives and adverbs usually denote degree or quantity. These adverbials
modify:
a) Adjectives in their attributive
or predicative function.
It was a very long story.
The story was extremely long.
He is six feet tall.
b) Statives in their predicative function.
I am quite aware of the situation.
c) Adverbs in their main function as an adverbial.
You speak English rather fluently.
Obligatory and non-obligatory adverbial modifiers
§ 95. Adverbials are structurally more independent of the verb than objects. Their use is often optional.
However, when introduced into the sentence, adverbials are of great communicative value. Thus in the sentence
Professor Brown is leaving for London to-morrow, both adverbials for London and to-morrow give important
pieces of information, although grammatically the sentence Professor Brown is leaving is complete.
Adverbials are obligatory when the sentence structure demands one or when their absence changes the
meaning of the verb. This is the case:
a) After the verbs to behave, to act, to treat.
He behaved bravely. *He behaved has no sense.
The Murdstones treated David cruelly. - Мердстоны жестоко обращались с Давидом.
The doctor treated David - доктор лечил Давида.
b) After statal and durative verbs, such as to live, to dwell, to wait, to last, to weigh.
John lives in London. (John lives has a different meaning: ‘he exists’, ‘he is alive’.)
The lecture lasted two hours.
c) After transitive verbs implying direction, such as to put, to take, to send.
Put the book on the shelf.
Take these letters to the post-office.
d) After intransitive verbs of motion and position in space, such as
to come, to go, to arrive, to return, to step, to sit, to lie, to stand.
Brett went to the dressing-room.
Robert was standing at the window.
The absolute use of the above verbs, that is without adverbials, is possible if the speaker is interested in the
process itself or if the use of an adverbial is unnecessary because of the situation.