Adverbials and the Present Tense

Adverbials

Adverbials play an important role in providing additional information about the actions or events described in a sentence. They can modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, and they often answer questions such as how, when, where, or why. In the context of the present tense, adverbials can further specify the time or manner of an action or event happening right now. Here are a few examples:

1. Time adverbial:
– I am currently studying for my exams.
– She is leaving for work in a few minutes.
– We are meeting for lunch later today.

2. Manner adverbial:
– He is speaking confidently during the presentation.
– They are working diligently on the project.
– The children are playing happily in the park.

3. Frequency adverbial:
– I usually exercise in the morning.
– They always arrive on time.
– We often go out for dinner on weekends.

4. Place adverbial:
– She is waiting at the bus stop.
– We are sitting in the café.
– He is swimming in the pool.

It’s important to note that adverbials can be placed at different positions in a sentence, depending on the emphasis or the intended meaning. They can come at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence. Here are a few examples of adverbial placement:

– At the beginning: Today, I am going to the cinema.
– In the middle: I am going to the cinema today.
– At the end: I am going to the cinema later today.

Adverbials add richness and detail to sentences, helping to provide a clearer picture of the present tense actions or events.

The basic function of adverbials is that of modification. Adverbial modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs. Examples

Adverbials as modifiers of the verb.

  1. John ate hurriedly (modifies ate)
  2. The children were playing in the field (modifies were playing)

As modifies of adjectives E.g.

  1. We watched a very funny film (modifies funny)
  2. This work is good enough (modifies good)
  3. The man is highly intelligent (modifies intelligent)

Other adverb that can modify adjectives are: very, pretty, rather, unusually, quite, unbelievable deeply.

As modifies of other adverbs. Examples:

  1. Amina cooks really well (modifies well)
  2. They walked fast enough to get there on time (modifies fast)
  3. Our new neighbour drinks very heavily (modifies heavily)

Present Tense

Present tense is a grammatical tense that refers to actions, events, or states happening in the current time. It is used to describe things that are happening right now, habitual actions, general truths, or scheduled events in the future.

In English, the present tense is formed differently depending on the subject and the verb. For regular verbs, the present tense for third-person singular subjects (he, she, it, or a singular noun) is usually formed by adding “-s” or “-es” to the base form of the verb. For example:

– “He walks to school every day.”
– “She eats breakfast in the morning.”
– “The cat meows when it’s hungry.”

For first-person singular (I), second-person singular (you), plural subjects, and most other verbs, the base form of the verb is used. For example:

– “I walk to work every day.”
– “You eat breakfast in the morning.”
– “We play soccer on weekends.”

It’s important to note that irregular verbs may have different forms in the present tense, and there are some exceptions to the general rules. Additionally, the present tense can be used in various ways, such as simple present, present continuous, present perfect, and more, each with its own specific usage and form.

Assignment

Write five adverbial expressions and states its functions.

See also

LEISURE

Argumentative Essay

COMPOSITION – Formal Letter

STRESS

INFORMAL LETTER II

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