function of "as well as his friends"

[hela]

Dear teachers,
Would you please tell me what's the function of the following phrase and what is it called?

Paul, as well as his friends, has decided to give up smoking.
Paul = subject
has decided = verb
to give up smoking = direct object

What about "as well as his friends" ?

Thank you in advance

[TheParser]

Dear teachers,
Would you please tell me what's the function of the following phrase and what is it called?

Paul, as well as his friends, has decided to give up smokin

Hello,


1. As I reported to you in the other thread, many people consider its "function" to be a parenthetical element.

2. I have another explanation that may interest you. Consider this sentence:

...have made it clear that science, as well as political and social theory, is a battleground in the cold war between the West and the East.

3. As I said, many people would classify "as well as political and social theory" as a parenthetical element. That would be its "function."

4. But some people have another theory. Perhaps a theory that may please you more.

5. One scholar says that the subject "science" is modified by the prepositional phrase beginning with "as well as."

a. In other words, you can find people who use the word "preposition" to describe words such as:

together with
along with
in addition to
as well as


6. If you like this theory, then you can say with confidence that the "function" of "as well as his friends" is:

prepositional phrase that modifies the subject "Paul."


James


My source is a book named Understanding Grammar (1954) by Dr. Paul Roberts, page 278.

[hela]

Yes ! The second interpretation pleases me more.

Would you please give me the name of the person "who has made it clear that science..." to complete the example ?

Thanks a million, James ^!

[Frank Antonson]

I would call "as well as" a phrasal conjunction. It works much as "and" . Whether or not it is parethentical will be shown by the number of the verb.

Frank

[TheParser]

Yes ! The second interpretation pleases me more.

Would you please give me the name of the person "who has made it clear that science..." to complete the example ?

Thanks a million, James ^!

I have suspended myself for a week from giving any answers to anyone. I hope to reply when my suspension expires.

James

[Frank Antonson]

Well earned, Parser.

Enjoy your suspension.

Frank

[Barb_D]

Ignore the "as well as."
5. Do not be misled by a phrase that comes between the subject and the verb. The verb agrees with the subject, not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase.


The team captain, as well as his players, is anxious.


Purdue OWL: Subject/Verb Agreement

[Frank Antonson]

As it is punctuated, I agree. Certainly. But there you go, mixing a part of a sentence i.e. "subject" with a part of speech i.e. "verb" (instead of "simple predicate").

Also, I assume that you mean ignore "as well as his PLAYERS".

Frank

[Frank Antonson]

What do you mean by that?

Frank

[TheParser]

Would you please give me the name of the person "who has made it clear that science..." to complete the example ?

Hello, Hela:


I am very sorry but the book does not quote the whole sentence. The three dots show that the author has

deleted some words in front of the word "have."

The book does, however, report that those words were written by Harold H. Plough in an issue of the magazine

American Scholar. (No issue date was given for the magazine.)


James


UPDATE:


I went to the "books" section of Google but was unable to find the complete quotation. I did, however, discover the following info:

Magazine name: The American Scholar.

Volume: 18.

Page: 291.