An adverbial phrase is a linguistic term for a phrase with an adverb as head. The term is used in syntax. Broadly conceived, linguistics is the study of human language, and a linguist is someone who engages in this study. ... A phrase is a group of words that functions as a single unit in the syntax of a sentence. ... An adverb is a part of speech that normally serves to modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, clauses, and sentences. ... In linguistics, the head is the main part of a compound or phrase. ... In linguistics, syntax is the study of the rules, or patterned relations, that govern the way the words in a sentence come together. ...
Adverbial phrases can consist of a single adverb or more than one. Extra adverbs are called intensifiers. An adverbial phrase can modify a verb phrase, an adjectival phrase or an entire clause. A verb phrase is a phrase whose head is a verb. ... An adjective is a part of speech which modifies a noun, usually making its meaning more specific. ... A clause is a group of words consisting of a subject and a predicate, although, in non-finite clauses, the subject is often not explicitly given. ...
Examples of adverbial phrases in English: The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...
This function is called the adverbial function, and though typically taken up by adverbs, adverbials may also be realized by other forms, such as adverbialphrases or an adverbial clauses or other types of phrases or words that are not members of the adverb class.
In English, adverbs are often derived from adjectives by using the suffix -ly.
An "adverb" is a type of words that is a member of the adverb P-o-S class, while an "adverbial" is a syntactic function.
A nominal phrase may contain a "position phrase"; this may be seen as merely another nominal phrase with a preposition (or postposition) or a pronominal adverb (See German grammar#Adverbial phrases).
Predicative adjectives are not declined and are indistinguishable from adverbs.
A prepositional phrase consists of a nominal phrase and a preposition or postposition.