Adverbial phrases or adjectival phrases

[Babai]

1 I found the things of the room pell-mell(at sixes and sevens).
2.The boy returned home skipping. here "Pell-mell," "Skipping" stand for adjective or adverb? If i questions the two above sentences with 'how' like how did you find the things of the room? then the answer is Pell-mell.and how did the boy return home? then the answer should be 'skipping',according to me but i am not sure, then i will be right or wrong. one more question do these two sentences express manner? do these sentences work both as adjectival phrase and adverbial phrase?. please explain grammatically. If i make any mistake in course of writing, please forgive me. Thank you.

[tzfujimino]

Hello, Babai.
1. I'm not sure if "pell-mell" can be used like that, but I think it is an adjective in your sentence.
2. "skipping" is adverbial.
The boy returned home safely.
The boy returned home skipping.
Both "safely" and "skipping" have an adverbial function in these sentences above.

[TheParser]

1 I found the things of the room pell-mell(at sixes and sevens).

NOT A TEACHER


Hello, Babai:

1. I agree with tzfujimino that "pell-mell" is an adjective in your sentence.

2. I agree with you that it is very confusing.

3. First, let's simplify the sentence for easier analysis:

I found the things pell-mell.

a. Ask yourself: Do you wish to describe how (the way in which) YOU do something, or do you wish to describe the

"things." Since you wish to describe the "things," you need an adjective

2. I think that I understand your problem.

Question: How did I find the things?
Answer: Pell-mell.

So you feel that "pell-mell" is an adverb that answers "how" you found the things.

The problem may be the verb "find." In your sentence, the question may actually be something like:

I found [the condition] of the things pell-mell.

That is, I found (discovered) that the condition of the things was pell-mell.

*****

Consider:

I have found Mr. X very patient and kind.

a. "patient" and "kind" are adjectives that describe "Mr.X." That is, I found (discovered) that Mr. X is very patient and kind.


HAVE A NICE DAY!

P.S. You are 100% correct that "pell-mell" can also be an adverb. Consider: The police walked into the room and found that everything had been thrown pell-mell to the ground. (Now this sentence -- the idea for which I got from The New Oxford American Dictionary-- needs an adverb because it describes "how" everything had been thrown.)


HAVE A NICE DAY!