Modal adverb

In German grammar, modal adverb is a name for a class of adverbs that provide information about the quality, manner, quantity or intensity of a process, or about the attitudes of a subject.

The designation can be misleading, because despite the common part of the word “ modal ” there is no reference to the linguistic concept of modality (i.e. concepts such as possibility and necessity), and therefore no content related relationship with the term “ modal verb ”, which actually means verbs of modality are as must or can. Adverbs that denote categories of modality, such as maybe, likely , are instead referred to in this terminology as " set adverbs" or "modal words ". The term “modal adverb” in English grammar also denotes adverbs of modality and is therefore not synonymous with the German “modal adverb.” In Spanish , a distinction is made between the modal verb as “verbo modal” and the modal adverb as “adverbio de modo” (to the latter count the words así "so", bien "good" etc.)

way

Examples

just like that, somehow, differently, upside down, flatly, like this, like this, blindly, suddenly, in vain, like that, hurrying, from behind, secretly .

As a question word: how / how much .

Du hättest es genauso machen können.
Nur Wahnsinnige stürzen sich blindlings in ein Abenteuer.
Vielleicht können wir in naher Zukunft folgendermaßen vorgehen:

Degree and degree

Examples

extremely, extremely, somewhat, halfway, very, largely, hardly, a lot, in vain .

In many cases such as (very) can also be used as a question word .

Sie warteten vergebens.
Mit dem neuen Posten komme ich einigermaßen zurecht.

attitude

The traditional term modal adverb also includes so-called attitude adverbs, such as happy, voluntary, unintentional (also called "adverbs of subject attitude "). In linguistics, however, these are now identified as a separate class, they also have different grammatical properties than, for example, manner-and-manner adverbs. For more information, see the article Adverbial determination # Adverbials in the German midfield .

Expansion and restriction

Some sources also list adverbs of expansion and restriction under modal adverbs, although many of these (e.g., however, but ) appear under the term conjunctive adverb in other classifications .

Adverbs of this type do not add a statement to the sentence that is part of the content of the sentence and therefore cannot be queried.

Examples

Extension: also, otherwise, also, further, further, further, first, second, third ;
Restriction: on the other hand, of course, at least, at least, but only, at least, without further ado

Ich übernahm ebenfalls die Gruppe Rot.
Sie sorgen zumindest für eine warme Mahlzeit.

literature

Duden . The grammar. 8th edition. Bibliographisches Institut / Dudenverlag, Mannheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-411-04048-3 , p. 576: The modal adverb .

Web links

Wiktionary: Modal adverb - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

The modal adverb at Canoonet

Individual evidence

↑ Canoonet : The Modal Verbs

^ Also: " Judgment adverbs", "Commentary adverbs", "Commentary adverbs", The sentence adverb , Canoonet

↑ Mautner: English grammar for business communication: Including exercises with sample solutions. 3rd, updated edition. Linde international, 2014, p. 247.

^ John Payne et al .: The distribution and category status of adjectives and adverbs. In: Word Structure 3, 2010, 31–81, p. 6.

↑ Marcin Morzycki: Modification . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (UK) 2016. p. 292.

↑ Adverbios_de_modo Adverbios de modo. Wikilengua.org

↑ Canoonet : Adverb: modal adverbs .

[1] Canoonet : The Modal Verbs