advP

AdvP, or Adverb Phrase, is a syntactic category used in many linguistic theories to describe a phrase whose head is an adverb. AdvPs function to modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or entire clauses, and they can convey manner, time, frequency, degree, polarity, or attitude.

AdvPs can be formed from simple adverbs (quickly), degree words (very, too, enough), frequency words (often), or multiword sequences (almost certainly). They may modify a verb (She sang softly), an adjective (very tall), another adverb (almost never), or a sentence as a whole (Fortunately, we arrived on time).

Positioning of AdvPs varies by language and context. In English, AdvPs often appear immediately before the word they modify (She spoke softly) or after auxiliary verbs (She has always been punctual). They can also occupy initial positions as sentence-level adverbs (Honestly, I didn’t know). AdvPs can be stacked, as in very quickly or almost never.

In many syntactic analyses, AdvP is an XP headed by an adverb, potentially with degree modifiers combining to form larger phrases. AdvPs can be simple heads or extended with modifiers, and they may modify a wide range of heads, including APs (incredibly tall) and VPs. The exact internal structure of AdvPs can vary across theories and languages.

Cross-linguistically, the availability and placement of AdvPs differ. Some languages permit extensive postverbal or clause-initial adverbial placement, while others constrain word order more tightly. Nevertheless, AdvP remains a central category for capturing adverbial modification and stance within clauses.