Talk:Adverb
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I left the following in the article, but I'll be doggoned if I understand it:
- Adverbs which are identical in form to their adjectives are compared the synthetic way. Most others, though forms like wiselier are poetic, are formed analytically with more or most. And all adverbs take as...as or less, least for the diminishing comparatives.
Something to do with comparative and superlative, but I can't follow it. Could be improved by someone who can follow it. Ortolan88
- I think synthetic="more + adv", and analytic="adv+er". Stephen C. Carlson
- Oops, got it backwards. Stephen C. Carlson
Sounds reasonable. Wanna rewrite the para? Someone else as dumb as me might read it and be confused. And, if you do, get wiselier outta there. What's that as...as about? Ortolan88
- "As large as", etc. Patrick 11:13 Feb 9, 2003 (UTC)
- I took a shot at it. Furture fixes welcomes. Stephen C. Carlson
Hopefully?
Hopefully as a sentence adverb is not shunned simply because some purists decided that it should rather be 'I am hopeful + relative clause'. There is more to it. To quote Eric Partridge:
"hopefully, besides meaning 'in a hopeful way', now often means 'it is hoped'. This new use seems no odder than the corresponding use of adverbs such as naturally: ' Hopefully/Naturally she'll come', but it has aroused the rage of many purists. Those who do use it should at least beware of ambiguity, since 'He will leave tomorrow hopefully' might be interpreted in either way [This is, 'It is hoped (or indeed, I am hopeful) that he will leave tomorrow.', or 'He will leave tomorrow in a hopeful way.']."
(Usage and Abusage: A Guide to Good English, Third Edition, 1999, Penguin Group, London)
- The ambiguity exists for any sentence adverb. I am aware many purists use this example as an argument for avoiding this usage, but then we should avoid all sentence adverbs. CyborgTosser 00:33, 13 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- The myth of the "hopefully error" is one of the few things people think they know about adverbs. Granted, the following, which was just removed from the article, is a little strong:
- == "Hopefully" ==
- The hopefully controversy is based on the theory that people should say I am hopeful that... instead of hopefully to start and modify a sentence. Yet, there are dozens of adverbs used in this way. Obviously this rule is illogical. So, *Hopefully, grammarians won't trash hopefully as a sentence adverb anymore.
- but I believe something like this is relevant to the article.Ortolan88 21:54, 8 Sep 2004 (UTC)