Grammar-Quizzes › Adverbials › Stance Adverbs › Speech-act Adverbs
Speech-act Adverbs
Express the conditions under which something is being said
| SPEECH-ACT RELATED ADVERBS |
|---|
A speech-act related adverb expresses the situation or terms under which the statement is being made. The adverb does not actually relate to the information in the clause, but to something understood between listener and speaker. |
| SPEECH ACT RELATED ADVERBS |
Frankly, I don't think your plan will work. Let me tell you frankly/honestly that… |
Briefly , we had to reinstall everything to make it work. I am telling you this briefly that… / Let me say briefly that… |
Confidentially, Ed is having some money problems. I am telling you confidentially that … / Let me say confidentially… |
| ADVERBS FOR MANNER |
|---|
An adverb for manner relates to content within the clause. The adverb modifies the predicate. |
| MANNER ADVERB |
He told me frankly about his problems. honestly |
He spoke briefly to us about his plan. in a shortened version |
He mentioned confidentially to me that he's having money problems. honestly |
Also known as style stance adverbials, speech-act related adjuncts, situational adjunct, discourse markers. See Grammar Notes below.
As it were¹, |
Briefly, |
Confidentially, |
Frankly, |
Honestly, |
If I may say, |
If I might ask, |
If you must know, |
If you will¹, |
In brief², |
In other words², |
In truth, |
Just between us, |
Since you asked, |
Truthfully |
Literally,³ |
¹ figuratively speaking (See below.)
² I will summarize more simply or clearly.
³ word-for-word, (1) actually happening, without exaggeration or inaccuracy; (2) almost, just about, virtually (for the most prt)
Literally and Virtually
Express truth or near truth
Literally True vs. Virtually True
| LITERALLY TRUE |
|---|
Literally is a speech-act adverb intended to let the listener know that the information that follows (1) is true and without exaggeration; (2) may be hard to believe but is exactly as stated (3) is being emphasized. Literally expresses a meaning of word-for-word true, without exaggeration, actually. |
| ACTUALLY / NOT AN EXAGGERATION |
Jack literally had to stand on the bike pedals to get up the hill. Jack actually had to stand on the bike pedals to get up the hill. Jack *virtually had to stand on the bike pedals to get up the hill. |
The cyclist literally was standing at the edge of a cliff with a panoramic view of the valley below. |
The view literally gave us a 360º view of the surrounding valley. The view literally made our jaws drop. (Wow!) |
The climb was so difficult that our legs literally ached. The trail ended literally at the edge of the cliff (mesa). |
| VIRTUALLY TRUE |
|---|
Virtually is a speech-act adverb intended to let the listener know that the information that follows (1) is exaggerated, not really accurate; (2) is metaphorical, figurative, an expression; (3) is being emphasized. Virtually expresses a meaning of nearly, almost, for the most part, just about. |
| NEARLY, AN EXAGGERATION |
Jack virtually had to jump on the bike pedals to get up the hill. Jack nearly had to jump on the bike pedals to get up the hill. Jack ~literally had to jump on the bike pedals to get up the hill. |
The cyclist virtually stood at the edge of the world.
|
The view virtually allowed us to see half of Utah. The view virtually took my breath away. (I couldn't breathe.) |
The climb was so difficult that our legs virtually burned. The trail ended virtually in the clouds. |
* not used / ~ less preferred usage
emphasize – to stress, give importance to, draw attention to through intonation or wording
exaggeration (N) – overstating; exaggerated (Adj) – unrealistically magnified, made to look better or worse than it really is
figurative (Adj) – expressed in a way that creates a picture or an idea in the mind, but may not actually be accurate; metaphoric
literally – has been used informally (since the 19th C) to express a figurative meaning similar to virtually.
Also see Pop-Q – Literally Lay (down their lives).
If You will & As it were
Express something figuratively
If you will vs. As it were
| IF YOU WILL |
|---|
If you will is a comment added by a speaker to request that the listener follow the speaker's line of thinking, or to apologize for an unusual or unfortunate (corny) choice of words. "If you will allow me to use this phrase…" |
Imagine, if you will, a night sky filled with tiny little brush strokes. ("Follow my thoughts.") |
Van Gogh was a gifted artist, but he didn't have much of an ear, if you will, for music. ("pardon my pun") |
He half-heartedly, if you will, ran the race. ("if you will allow me to use this phrase") |
| AS IT WERE |
|---|
As it were (Br-Eng) is a comment added to express that a word or phrase is being used differently from its usual meaning to give you a particular picture or idea in your mind. "as if it were so", "so to speak" "much like but not exactly". |
Van Gogh's night skies were filled with stars that swirled and danced, as it were, across the canvas. ("so to speak") |
Van Gogh was painting celestial storms, as it were, in the night sky. ("for lack of better words") |
Unlike other painters, Van Gogh's images leapt, as it were, from the canvas with vibrancy and color. |
The expression is placed next to (before or after) the phrase. The expression may just as easily be omitted. The expression should not be overused, like a nervous tic.
As it were (Garner 68); If you will (Garner 438)
figurative (Adj) — a figurative word or phrase is used in a different way from its usual meaning, to give you a particular idea or picture in your mind
have an ear for music (expression) — have the ability to learn music, copy sounds, appreciate sounds which are in harmony
leap, leaped or leapt (V) — to spring or jump from one place to another
not have a leg to stand on (expression) — be without clear supporting evidence
stroke (N) — a single movement of a pen or brush when someone is writing or painting
vibrancy (N) — full of activity or energy in a way that is exciting and attractive
Word Patronage — The tendency to include a comment on one's own phrasing or wording. (Garner 867)
to coin a phrase "for lack of a better word" |
—an aside comment that a new word or phrase is being created either for convenience or necessity He stopped at the street corner. When the light changed, he text-walked into the side of a car, to coin a phrase. ("It may not be in the dictionary, but I'm using it anyway.") |
like "similarly, but not exactly" |
—an informal aside comment that a word or phrase is being used in a similar but not exact way He was like on a gorilla rampage when he found out. (very angry) |
no pun intended "note my play on words." |
—an aside comment that a word or phrase is being used as a play on words One pirate to the another with a wooden leg, "No pun intended, but without a witness, you haven't got a leg to stand on!" |
so to speak "in a manner of speaking" "much like but not exactly" |
—an aside comment that a word or phrase is being used in an unusual way We are tiny specks of dust, so to speak, in a huge cosmos. |
(Pasanek "As It Were")
Grammar Notes (Advanced)
Resources
Linguistic Descriptions
| QUIRK / BIBER |
|---|
Quirk and Greenbaum 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 (e.g.: in broad terms, personally); Content Disjunct (a) degree of conditions for truth of content (e.g.: really, certainly, if he'd listened); (b) value judgment of content (e.g.: understandably, wisely, to everyone's surprise) |
Biber refers to these words as style stance adverbs. (10.3) Stance adverbs "have the primary function of commenting on the content or style of a clause…" They fall into three categories: (1) 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."); (2) attitude — Fortunately, it was completed on time. (expresses the speaker's attitude tor ward of evaluation of the situation); (3) 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) |
| HUDDLESTON / SWAN |
|---|
Huddleston and Pullum refer to these structures as clause adjuncts. (773) An adjunct is an additional word, phrase, or clause that is not essential to the completion of the meaning (extra info). |
Swan refers to these words as discourse markers, specifically, "showing one's attitude to what one is saying" honestly, frankly, no doubt Honestly, I never said a word to him about the money. (speaking sincerely)
Also see Payne 249. |
Works Cited
- Biber, Douglas, and Stig Johansson, et al. Longman Grammar Of Spoken And Written English. Pearson Education, 1999.
- Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). Brigham Young U, 2013, corpus.byu.edu/coca.
- Garner's Modern American Usage, Bryan A. Garner, 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2009.
- Huddleston, Rodney D., and Geoffrey K. Pullum. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge UP, 2002.
- Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage. 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2005.
- Office worker. pxhere.com/en/photo/1432439. CC0. Accessed 30 Jul. 2018.
- Pasanek, Brad. "As It Were." The Mind is a Metaphor, U of Virginia, 18 Aug. 2016, metaphors.iath.virginia.edu/metaphors?q=As+it+were.
- Payne, Thomas Edward. Understanding English Grammar: A Linguistic Introduction. Cambridge UP, 2011.
- Quirk, Randolph and Sidney Greenbaum. A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. 7th ed., Longman Group, 1989.
Images
- "BLM Winter Bucket List -19- Gooseberry Mesa National Recreation Trail, Utah, for Challenging Biking Terrain and Spectacular Views." By Iris Picat, Bureau of Land Management, Wikimedia. 20 July 2013. Licensed under CC BY 2.0. Accessed 21 Apr. 2018.
- "Starry Night." By Vincent Van Gogh. moma.org/learn/moma_learning/vincent-van-gogh-the-starry-night-1889.
- "Two Men Talking." J Sevastopoulos. June 2010. Own image.
Practice 1
Just between you and me
Add the speech-act adverb to the sentence.
- Edit the sentence adding the adverb.
- Compare your edit with the feedback.