adverbialpredicative

An adverbial predicative is a predicative element in a clause that is realized as an adverb or adverbial phrase rather than as an adjective, noun, or other nominal category. In languages that permit this category, the adverbial element functions as the predicate of the sentence, typically following a copular verb or a copula-like construction, and conveys information about location, stance, modality, or aspect of the proposition.

In practice, adverbial predicatives can express spatial or temporal location, evidentiality, or subjective stance toward the proposition. An example is a copular sentence in which an adverbial element directly identifies a location: The key is here. In some analyses, adverbial predicatives also appear in sentences where evaluative or attitudinal meaning is foregrounded, such as: The plan is apparently feasible, where the adverbial element signals the speaker’s appraisal.

This construction is more commonly discussed in cross-linguistic or typological work and is less prominent in English grammar, where predicative complements are usually adjectives, nouns, or adjective phrases. The category helps linguists describe how different languages encode predication and how adverbial content can function as the main predicate of a clause.

See also: predicative complement, copular verbs, sentence adverb, predication.