The Communicative Grammar of English Workbook - Edward Woods, Rudy Coppieters 2002

7.7. Place, direction and distance
Unit seven. Adverbs, adverbials and prepositions

Section 170; 454

Expressions of place and direction are chiefly adverbials and post-modifiers. Place adverbials usually have end-position. When there are two adverbials in this position, the smaller location normally comes

first: Many people eat in Chinese restaurants in London.

The range of grammatical structures includes adverbs and adverb phrases, prepositional phrases, noun phrases followed by away, back etc., and adverbial clauses.

Task one **

Underline the expressions of place, direction and distance in the following texts.

1. Nowhere in Chester is the delightful impact of the River Dee so evident than when strolling on the north bank and enjoying the splendid sight of the many boats which can always be found there. Indeed, regattas have been held on the Dee since the early nineteenth century. It is also possible to hire boats from various companies situated on the Groves and there are some cruises which sail past Eaton Estate, home of the Duke of Westminster.

(from Chester, Cathedral and City, p. 20)

2. Having crossed Australia from north to south we must now head east again, back to the Pacific coast and on to New Zealand, the most southerly landfall on this side of the Rim. There is a train, suitably called the ’Indian Pacific’ which winds its way in leisurely fashion across flat plains, past Broken Hill, where an Aboriginal by the name of Charlie Rasp came across one of the richest seams of silver, lead and zinc found anywhere in the world, through the Blue Mountains and into Sydney twenty-four and a half hours later.

(from Michael Palin, Full Circle, p. 195)

Task two **

(a) Which of these place expressions are NOT adverbials?

(b) Classify the adverbials on the basis of grammatical structure.