A Study on the Usage of English Non-predicate Verbs Serving as Adverbials

Abstract

English non-predicate verbs have a variety of syntactic functions, one of which is to be used as adverbials in sentences. As a complicated and difficult grammatical focus, the phenomenon of using non-predicate verbs as adverbials is not easy to master for English learners. This paper analyzed, by citing examples, the use of the infinitives, the present participles and the past participles as adverbials in sentences, with an aim to help ESL learners understand such grammatical points and the meaning of sentences with such structures.