verbaladverbial

Verbaladverbial, often written as verbal adverbial in standard usage, refers to a non-finite verb form or verb-derived clause that functions as an adverb within a sentence. It modifies the main verb or the entire proposition, expressing circumstances such as time, reason, manner, purpose, condition, or result. In English, verbal adverbials typically take the shape of participial or infinitival clauses.

Forms and syntax commonly observed include present participle clauses (for example, Running to the bus, he arrived on time), past participle clauses (Surprised by the news, he stayed quiet), and perfect participle clauses (Having finished his work, he left). Infinitival verbal adverbials appear with to (to win, to explain) or as bare infinitives in certain constructions (help someone move to act). Some verbal adverbials are fronted at the beginning of a sentence, while others appear adjacent to the main clause or at the end, often with subject identity implied or controlled by the main clause.

Functions can be categorized as time (When finishing, we called), reason (Fearing failure, she spoke softly), manner (Spoken softly, she apologized), purpose (She trained daily to win), condition (Weather permitting, we will go), or result (The door left open, inviting questions). They contrast with finite adverbial clauses, and with adverbial phrases created from adjectives or nouns, by retaining a non-finite verb form that carries temporal or logical information about the action.

Cross-linguistic use varies: many languages employ participial, infinitival, or gerund-like forms as verbal adverbials, with different marking and word order. See also non-finite clauses, participial clauses, and adverbial clauses.