They have made plans to send their friends birthday cards this year.

They have made plans=main clause and a direct object, in present perfect tense.

to send their friends=infinitive, object complement, with indirect object ‘their friends.’

birthday cards=direct object of infinitive

this year=adverbial

Can you check if this whole analysis is correct? Also, can you explain to me the one in blue? This year is made up of an adjective—this—and a noun—year—which makes it a noun phrase. However, doesn’t it function adverbally…Is this another anomaly I’ve stumbled across?

Thanks a lot.

They have made plans to send their friends birthday cards this year.

The form of adverbials

In English, adverbials most commonly take the form of adverbs, adverb phrases, temporal noun phrases or prepositional phrases. Many types of adverbials (for instance reason and condition) are often expressed by clauses.

  James answered immediately. (adverb)
  James answered in English. (prepositional phrase)
  James answered this morning. (noun phrase)
  James answered in English because he had a foreign visitor. (adverbial clause)

Great to know. Thanks!

That terminology was new to me, too. The idea of temporal nouns seems to defy the rules of grammar, but is really a case of form giving way to function.

That terminology was new to me, too. The idea of temporal nouns seems to defy the rules of grammar, but is really a case of form giving way to function.

It is good to see that you also are learning from all of this. I’d hate to be the only one!

Yes, it’s all good. But if my brain explodes, I’m blaming you.

I don’t know if I can learn everything on my own, unless I have another brain to work with, like an external hard drive to store some of the grammar on. A terra bite would do just fine. (I don’t know how to spell terra bite, but I don’t care, as I’ll never use the word agian.)

(I don’t know how to spell terra bite, but I don’t care, as I’ll never use the word agian)

It’s terrabyte, and agian is again)

Watch out! It may explode!

That would be terra bull.

Don’t worry, I’ll let you borrow my spare one. It’s full of junk though. But a night of drinking should delete most of the files.

Just remember the country song, “I’ve Never Been to Bed with an Ugly Woman. But I Sure Woke Up with a Few.”

It’s your choice.

Beauty is on the inside. Well, this is what ugly people claim anyway.

Insides are nothing to brag about. “I just love your new liver! Is it new?”

Eddie88 - 31 July 2009 07:29 AM

That terminology was new to me, too. The idea of temporal nouns seems to defy the rules of grammar, but is really a case of form giving way to function.

It is good to see that you also are learning from all of this. I’d hate to be the only one!

Oh many of us are following, but already knew it.

I’m Batman. I have two.