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  • Adverb clauses and adverbial phrases are groups of words that play the role of an adverb.

  • So lets take a look at this example sentence on the board. When I complete this task, we

  • can go. Now in the meat of this sentence, the subject and verb of this sentence, comes

  • in the later part of this sentence, we can go. We right here is the subject and can go

  • is the verb phrase. So when I complete this task could actually be removed from this sentence

  • and the sentence would still make sense. We can go, makes perfect sense by itself, so

  • when I complete this task then is an adverb because adverbs aren't necessarily important

  • to a sentence. You can remove an adverb and the sentence will still make sense without

  • it because adverbs just merely modify or further describe another word in the sentence. So

  • since we can remove, when I complete this task, from the rest of the sentence, then

  • it is probably our adverb clause, and it is. Now there's not one word in this uh adverb

  • clause right here that actually would be an adverb by itself. It's the group of words

  • right here together, that modify the verb, can go or the verb phrase, can go, cause can

  • and go together make up the verb phrase. So, when I complete this task, is our adverb clause

  • and it modifies, can go. Its answering the question, when? When can we go? When I complete

  • this task, because adverbs often answer a question. The question here is when, and it's

  • saying, when I complete this task. Now notice that it's called a clause. This is called

  • an adverb clause and that's because clauses contain both a subject and a verb. And that

  • is the case with this group of words right here. You see a subject and a verb. I is the

  • subject, and complete is the verb. All right so lets take a look at this next sentence.

  • In a moment, the pizza will be ready. Here, the meat of our sentence is again the later

  • part of the sentence. Pizza is the subject and will be is the verb phrase. So here again,

  • in a moment can be removed from the sentence. In a moment, the pizza will be ready. Now

  • lets try reading the sentence without this. The pizza will be ready. The sentence still

  • makes sense so this is probably our adverbial phrase. Now notice this time, its called an

  • adverbial phrase instead of an adverb clause. Well what's the reasoning behind that? The

  • reasoning is, a clause contains both a subject and a verb. A phrase does not contain a subject

  • and a verb and here there's no subject and there's no verb. So that's why it's called

  • an adverbial phrase. This group of words right here, in a moment, describes um or modifies,

  • will be. Again, its answering the question, when? When will the pizza be ready? It'll

  • be ready in a moment. So the important thing to remember is the main distinction between

  • adverb clauses and adverbial phrases. Adverb clauses are a group of words that modify another

  • word. But the adverbial clause or the adverb clause contains both the subject an adverb.

  • In the case of an adverbial phrase again is a group of words that modifies another word,

  • but in this case, the adverbial phrase does not contain a subject and a verb.

Adverb clauses and adverbial phrases are groups of words that play the role of an adverb.

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