Adverbials

Adverbials, too, often stand apart from the basic clause structure (the clause would be grammatically complete even without them). This explain why they, too, are often given their own IP. Their behavior varies depending on their relationship to the rest of the clause.

Ordinary adverbs and adverbials - those that modify the verb or and adjective - are typically not given their own IP:

However, adverbials at the beginning of the clause are usually followed by an intonation break and thus form a separate IP:

In the middle of the clause, an adverbial is often a kind of parenthesis. It may have its own IP, with separate IPs before and after:

Adverbs at the end of a clause maybe adverbs of manner that modify the verb and thus be integrated closely to the clause structure. In keeping with the general rule that the nucleus goes on the in-focus lexical item, such adverbs tend to bear the nucleus.

Sentence adverbials (adjuncts), that modify the whole clause or sentence, typically have their own IP. (For their tones, see [2.23].) They are set off from the surrounding material by an intonation break:

Thus there is typically a difference of tonality in the following pair:

In (i) mercifully modifies treated, and counts as an ordinary part of the clause, both grammatically and intonationally. In (ii) mercifully modifies the whole clause we manage to get her to the hospital, and is set off as a separate IP.

If there are several final adverbials, they are usually separated by intonation breaks: