Evaluation Adverbs: expressing an attitude about a situation

Evaluation Adverbs (Evaluation Stance)

Expressing an attitude about a situation

Evaluation Adverbs vs. Manner Adverbs

EVALUATION ADVERBS	ADVERBS FOR MANNER
An evaluation adverb expresses the attitude of the writer or speaker about the information in the entire clause. The adverb modifies the clause. Using an adverb to modify a clause is considered informal by some.	An adverb for manner is more directly related to the main idea of the clause. It adds information about the verb or verb phrase. (The adverb is either placed before the verb or after the verb and its object.)
HOW HE FEELS ABOUT THE SITUATION IN THE SENTENCE Hopefully, he will reach the top. I am hopeful [that he reach the top.]	HOW HE FEELS ABOUT HIS ACTION He set out hopefully to reach the top. He is hopeful [he will reach the top.]
Sadly, he couldn't make it. It is sad/I am sad [that he couldn't make it.] (reach it)	He spoke sadly about not making it to the top. He is sad [that he couldn't make it.]
Fortunately, he was able to get down. It is sad [that he dropped his tools.]	He reconsidered his plan since he fortunately knew his limits.

Also called Attitude Stance Adverbials, Evaluative Adjunct, Dangling Modifiers, Sentence Adverbs,Comment Adverbs. See Grammar Notes below.

Evaluation Adverbs (some)

absurdly	amazingly	annoyingly	appropriately	bewilderingly	curiously
disappointingly	fortunately	funnily	happily	importantly	improbably
inexplicably	ironically	luckily	mercifully	miraculously	oddly
ominously	paradoxically	predictably	regrettably	sadly	shamefully
strangely	surprisingly	thankfully	unaccountably	understandably	unfortunately
to my amazement	by good fortune	contrary to expectation

Formal Wording

CLAUSAL ADVERB	THAT-CLAUSE
Using an adverb to modify a clause is considered informal by some.	A similar meaning can be expressed in the following ways. It is__ that… or I am _ that… This usage is more formal.
Hopefully, he will reach the top.	It is hopeful that he will reach the top. I am hopeful that he will reach the top.
Sadly, he couldn't make it.	It was sad that he couldn't make it. We were sad that he couldn't make it.

Grammar Notes

Recent Past & Current

QUIRK et. al / BIBER et. al. / MERRIAM-WEBSTER	HUDDLESTON et. al. / SWAN
Quirk, Randolph and Sidney Greenbaum. A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language (1989) refer to these words as style disjuncts: "Style disjuncts convey the speaker's comment on the style and form of what he is saying, defining in some way under what conditions he is speaking as the 'authority' for the utterance. (8.123-33) Style Disjunct (a) modality and manner (e.g.: truthfully bluntly, if I may say so) (b) respect (egg: in broad terms, personally) Content Disjunct (a) degree of conditions for truth of content (egg: really, certainly, if he'd listened) (b) value judgement of content (egg: understandably, wisely, to everyone's surprise)	Huddleston et. al., The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, (2002) refer to these structures as clause adjuncts. (CaGEL 771) Evaluative adjuncts "With adjuncts of this kind the residual proposition is presented as a fact, and the adjunct expresses the speaker's evaluation of it. " (8 §17) i. Amazingly, he escaped with only a scratch. ii. He escaped with only a scratch, which was amazing. (reworded as a relative clause) iii. It was amazing that he escaped with only a scratch. (reworded with an it-clause) The term adjunct covers modifiers to the verb phrase or clause together with related supplements. (dependents).
Biber, et. al. Longman Grammar Of Spoken And Written English, (1999) refer to these words as attitude stance adverbs. (LGSWE 10.3) Stance adverbs "have the primary function of commenting on the content or style of a clause…" They fall into three categories: epistemic — It was, definitely, a waste of time. (personal belief, "truth or value of the proposition, commenting on: certainty, reality, sources, limitations and precision of the proposition.") attitude — Fortunately, it was completed on time. (expresses the speaker's attitude tor ward of evaluation of the situation) style — Frankly, it was a waste of time. (commenting on the style or form of the utterance, clarifying how the speaker is speaking, how the utterance should be understood)	Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage, (2009) refers to these words as comment adverbs, which give the speaker's opinion of an action. (Swan 22.2) Fortunately, she has decided to help us. Stupidly, I forgot my keys. Surprisingly, … I stupidly forgot my keys. (mid-position) (24.5 Comment Adverbs) Hopefully, inflation will soon be under control. "It is to be hope that" or "I hope" (251)
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, 1994. The sentence adverb is an adverb or adverbial phrase that is connected with a whole sentence rather than with with a single word or phrase in the sentence. Sentence adverbs are a common feature of present-day English, and they go by many names… The chief virtue of a sentence adverb is its compactness: it permits the writer or speaker to express in a single or short phrase what would otherwise take a much longer form. — Merriam-Webster (MWDEU 512) Some handbooks point out that conjunctive adverbs like therefore, nevertheless, and however can also be considered sentence adverbs because to the the extent they are adverbial they modify clauses rather than any particular part of the clause. To sum up: hopefully had been in sporadic American use as a sentence modifier for some thirty years before it suddenly caught fire in the early 1960s. What is newly popular will often be disparaged, and criticism followed rapidly, starting in 1962 and reaching a high point around 1975. ... You can use it if you need it, or avoid it if you do not like it. There never was anything really wrong with it; it was censured, as Bolinger 1980 notes, because it was new, and it is not very new any more. (MWDEU 837)

QUIRK et. al / BIBER et. al. / MERRIAM-WEBSTER

HUDDLESTON et. al. / SWAN

Quirk, Randolph and Sidney Greenbaum. A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language (1989) refer to these words as style disjuncts: "Style disjuncts convey the speaker's comment on the style and form of what he is saying, defining in some way under what conditions he is speaking as the 'authority' for the utterance. (8.123-33)

Style Disjunct

(a) modality and manner (e.g.: truthfully bluntly, if I may say so)
(b) respect (egg: in broad terms, personally)

Content Disjunct

(a) degree of conditions for truth of content (egg: really, certainly, if he'd listened)
(b) value judgement of content (egg: understandably, wisely, to everyone's surprise)

Huddleston et. al., The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, (2002) refer to these structures as clause adjuncts. (CaGEL 771)

Evaluative adjuncts
"With adjuncts of this kind the residual proposition is presented as a fact, and the adjunct expresses the speaker's evaluation of it. " (8 §17)

i. Amazingly, he escaped with only a scratch.
ii. He escaped with only a scratch, which was amazing. (reworded as a relative clause)
iii. It was amazing that he escaped with only a scratch. (reworded with an it-clause)

The term adjunct covers modifiers to the verb phrase or clause together with related supplements. (dependents).

Biber, et. al. Longman Grammar Of Spoken And Written English, (1999) refer to these words as attitude stance adverbs. (LGSWE 10.3)

Stance adverbs "have the primary function of commenting on the content or style of a clause…" They fall into three categories:

epistemic — It was, definitely, a waste of time. (personal belief, "truth or value of the proposition, commenting on: certainty, reality, sources, limitations and precision of the proposition.")
attitude — Fortunately, it was completed on time. (expresses the speaker's attitude tor ward of evaluation of the situation)
style — Frankly, it was a waste of time. (commenting on the style or form of the utterance, clarifying how the speaker is speaking, how the utterance should be understood)

Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage, (2009) refers to these words as comment adverbs, which give the speaker's opinion of an action. (Swan 22.2)

Fortunately, she has decided to help us.
Stupidly, I forgot my keys.
Surprisingly, …
I stupidly forgot my keys. (mid-position) (24.5 Comment Adverbs)
Hopefully, inflation will soon be under control. "It is to be hope that" or "I hope" (251)

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, 1994. The sentence adverb is an adverb or adverbial phrase that is connected with a whole sentence rather than with with a single word or phrase in the sentence. Sentence adverbs are a common feature of present-day English, and they go by many names… The chief virtue of a sentence adverb is its compactness: it permits the writer or speaker to express in a single or short phrase what would otherwise take a much longer form. — Merriam-Webster (MWDEU 512)

Some handbooks point out that conjunctive adverbs like therefore, nevertheless, and however can also be considered sentence adverbs because to the the extent they are adverbial they modify clauses rather than any particular part of the clause.

To sum up: hopefully had been in sporadic American use as a sentence modifier for some thirty years before it suddenly caught fire in the early 1960s. What is newly popular will often be disparaged, and criticism followed rapidly, starting in 1962 and reaching a high point around 1975. ... You can use it if you need it, or avoid it if you do not like it. There never was anything really wrong with it; it was censured, as Bolinger 1980 notes, because it was new, and it is not very new any more. (MWDEU 837)

Resources and Works Cited

Practice 1

A "Personal" Conversation

Add the adverb to the sentence using formal wording.

1. Edit the sentence adding the adverb.

2. Compare your edit with the feedback.

#	YOUR RESPONSE	FEEDBACK
1.	My aunt is not doing too well. ADD: unfortunately Edit 1: My aunt is not doing too well.
2.	She told me she is getting a divorce. ADD: regrettably Edit 2: She told me she is getting a divorce.
3.	She has two kids to care for. ADD: sadly Edit 3: She has three kids to care for.
4.	My uncle has been running around town with someone else. ADD: shamefully Edit 4: My uncle has been running around town with someone else.
5.	She is twenty years younger. ADD: to our amazement Edit 5: She is twenty years younger.
6.	My aunt wants us to keep this quiet. ADD: understandably Edit 6: My aunt wants us to keep this quiet.
7.	She'll tell everyone first. ADD: absurdly Edit 7: She'll tell everyone first.
8.	It is a waste of time. ADD: ironically Edit 8: It is a waste of time.
9.	Word gets around and then everyone knows. ADD: miraculously Edit 9: Word gets around and then everyone knows.
10.	No one can keep a secret. ADD: predictably Edit 10: No one can keep a secret.

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