Matthew Wai
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Then what would you call 'below' in 'the sentence below'?
'Above' can be used... as an adverb (without a following noun).***** NOT A TEACHER *****
Thank you for the link.
Some grammarians would parse "above" as an adverb, for some grammarians believe that it is short for "the stars which are above."
In such a sentence, many grammarians point out that "are" is not a linking verb. It means something like "to exist." (For example, Shakespeare's famous "To be or not to be.")
To Parser, this thread is about preposition's connection with adjective and adverb in case you didn't know.
***** NOT A TEACHER *****
Thank you for your note.
I had worked very hard to find that information.
I apologize that I misunderstood what you wanted.
From now on, I shall not bother you with my humble comments.
In "To be or not to be", "to be" is not a verb at all; it is an infinitive.
I found an example which seems to agree with TheParser's post.
'Above can be used... as an adverb (without a following noun): She stared up at the stars above.'── quoted from http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/above (boldface in red is mine)
Not a teacher.
I think MikeNewYork's point is that the modifier of a noun should not be an adverb.I don't see "above" as an adverb in "the book above".
I think their point is that 'are' is the main verb modified by the adverb 'above'...."the stars which are above."
In such a sentence, many grammarians point out that "are" is not a linking verb. It means something like "to exist."
Your 'bothering' comments have in fact helped many learners.From now on, I shall not bother you with my humble comments.
You are welcome.Thank you for the link.
She stared [up] [at the stars] [above].
1. She stared [up].
2. She stared [at the stars].
3. She stared [above].
Well, my guess is that those words in brackets function adverbially - they all modify the verb 'stared'.
I'm not a grammarian!
I think their point is that 'are' is the main verb modified by the adverb 'above'.
2. Four famous experts give this example:
"The people behind were talking all the time."
a. According to those four experts, there are two explanations:
i. "The people who were sitting behind were talking all the time." (They say "behind" is an adverb here.)
ii. "The people who were sitting behind [us] were talking all the time." (They explain that "behind" is a preposition with an omitted object.)
I can't see any prepositional phrase in the quote, but I am not a teacher.the prepositional phrase
I can't see any prepositional phrase in the quote, but I am not a teacher.
'Behind us' is a prepositional phrase but 'us' seems to have been omitted from the example.
Not a teacher.