What is the adverb in this sentence and what does it modify?
People sleep outside under the stars.
Is it under or outside that modifies sleep?
Outside is the adverb that modifies sleep.
Under is a preposition, starting the prepositional phrase, under the stars. The phrase is an adverb phrase.
In the sentence, "People sleep outside under the stars," the adverb is "outside." To determine what it modifies, we need to understand how adverbs function. Adverbs typically modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
Here's how you can identify the adverb and what it modifies:
1. Locate the verb: The verb in this sentence is "sleep."
2. Identify the word that is describing or providing more information about the verb: The word "outside" gives additional information about where the action of sleeping is taking place.
3. Confirm it is an adverb: To determine if "outside" is indeed an adverb, you can ask yourself: How are people sleeping? The answer would be "sleeping outside," indicating that "outside" describes the manner or circumstance of the sleeping action. This confirms that "outside" is indeed an adverb.
So, in the sentence "People sleep outside under the stars," "outside" is the adverb that modifies the verb "sleep," indicating where the sleeping is occurring.