[Grammar] the difference between two clause types

[alpacinou]

Hello.

What is the difference between adverbial clause and a participle clause?

The first sentence is a participle clause and the second one is an adverbial clause. Am I right?

1. They decided to postpone the project, having failed to collect funding. (participle clause?)

2. Not being able to collect resources, they decided to postpone the project. (Adverbial clause?)

What is the difference between them and why are they called "adverbial" and "participle" clause?

Is this a participle clause or an adverb clause?

Before eating dinner, you should wash your hands.

My own guess is that it is a participle clause, but since it also modifies the time of washing the hands, it can be a adverb clause as well.


Also, is there a difference between "adverb clause" and "adverbial clause"?

 

[Tarheel]

I think you have it right. But let's wait for the English teachers.

 

[LewisJian]

2. Not being able to collect resources, they decided to postpone the project.


The above is also a participle clause. If you change it into this--Because they weren't able to collect resources, they ... project, then it's an adverbial clause.

 

[alpacinou]

I think you have it right. But let's wait for the English teachers.

I'm not sure what I have and I am sort of confused about it.

 

[Tarheel]

I'm not sure what I have and I am sort of confused about it.

Maybe you could PM somebody.

 

[Rover_KE]

Members respond to threads of their own choosing in their own good time and most don't appreciate being PMed before they are ready to contribute or when they have nothing to add to existing replies.

 

[jutfrank]

I'll go ahead and answer. If anything I say is inaccurate, I hope someone who knows more about grammar than me will correct it.

Adverbial clauses are introduced by subordinating conjunctions (because/although/if/so, etc.) Therefore, your second sentence does not include an adverbial clause. Here's an example of an adverbial clause:

You'll understand this grammar point if you look it up in a good book.

Participial clauses are those introduced by participles. Therefore, your sentences do contain participial clauses.

Is this a participle clause or an adverb clause?

Before eating dinner, you should wash your hands.

The first word of the first clause there is a preposition. That means it is neither adverbial clause nor participial clause.

 

[alpacinou]

The first word of the first clause there is a preposition. That means it is neither adverbial clause nor participial clause.

So, what kind of clause is it?

 

[jutfrank]

So, what kind of clause is it?

If you're referring to Before eating dinner, I don't think it's a clause at all. It's a prepositional phrase, modifying the main clause. The phrase eating dinner (the complement of the preposition before) is, I think, a participial clause.

(Someone put me out of my misery, please.)

 

[Rover_KE]

I think I know the answer to this one:

Is there a difference between "adverb clause" and "adverbial clause"?

I'm going to say 'No' — just as there's no difference between a participle clause and a participial clause.

 

[YAMATO2201]

The above is also a participle clause.

Do you mean that the whole sentence is a participle clause?

I would say that the subordinate clause ("Not being able to collect resources") is an adverbial participle clause.

 

[PaulMatthews]

Hello.

What is the difference between adverbial clause and a participle clause?

The first sentence is a participle clause and the second one is an adverbial clause. Am I right?

1. They decided to postpone the project, having failed to collect funding. (participle clause?)

2. Not being able to collect resources, they decided to postpone the project. (Adverbial clause?)

What is the difference between them and why are they called "adverbial" and "participle" clause?

Is this a participle clause or an adverb clause?

Before eating dinner, you should wash your hands.

My own guess is that it is a participle clause, but since it also modifies the time of washing the hands, it can be a adverb clause as well.


Also, is there a difference between "adverb clause" and "adverbial clause"?

It's important to distinguish category and function.

In 1. and 2. the subordinate non-finite clauses are gerund-participial clauses functioning as adjuncts.

In 2. "before eating dinner" is a preposition phrase functioning as an adjunct.

 

[PaulMatthews]

Hello.

Also, is there a difference between "adverb clause" and "adverbial clause"?

I very much dislike the term 'adverb clause'. The classification of subordinate clauses should be based on their internal form rather than spurious analogies with the parts of speech.