The sentence ‘There were five candles burning brightly on the cake.’ is a good example of how adverbs and participles function in English sentence structure. The question raised is about the placement of the adverb ‘brightly’ and whether it can be placed before ‘five candles.’ In this article, we’ll explain why this structure works and whether ‘brightly’ can also be considered a participle phrase.
1. Breaking Down the Sentence
The sentence starts with ‘There were five candles,’ which is the main clause. The part ‘burning brightly on the cake’ functions as a participial phrase describing the candles. ‘Burning’ is a present participle modifying ‘candles,’ and ‘brightly’ is an adverb modifying ‘burning.’ Together, ‘burning brightly’ describes the state of the candles.
2. The Role of the Adverb ‘Brightly’
‘Brightly’ is an adverb that modifies the verb ‘burning,’ indicating how the candles are burning. In this sentence, it is placed after the participle ‘burning’ to describe the manner in which the action of burning is happening. While adverbs typically follow the verb or participle they modify, they can sometimes be placed before them for emphasis, but doing so can sound awkward or unnatural.
3. Why Placing ‘Brightly’ Before ‘Five Candles’ is Not Correct
In English, adverbs like ‘brightly’ generally modify the verb or participle directly. If you were to place ‘brightly’ before ‘five candles’ (e.g., ‘Brightly, there were five candles burning on the cake’), it would disrupt the natural flow of the sentence. The adverb would seem to be misplaced and create confusion, as it is not clear whether it modifies ‘there were’ or ‘burning.’
4. Can ‘Brightly’ Be Considered a Participle Phrase?
In this sentence, ‘brightly’ is not functioning as a participle but rather as an adverb modifying the verb ‘burning.’ A participle phrase would typically include a participle and its objects or complements, such as ‘burning brightly for an hour’ or ‘burning brightly in the dark.’ Therefore, ‘brightly’ is not a participle phrase on its own but an adverb describing the action of the participle ‘burning.’
5. Conclusion: Correct Word Order in the Sentence
The correct sentence structure is ‘There were five candles burning brightly on the cake.’ because ‘brightly’ modifies the participle ‘burning’ and is placed after it, following the natural syntax of English. Adverbs should usually follow the verb or participle they modify unless there’s a specific reason to move them for emphasis. Always consider the flow and clarity of the sentence when placing adverbs.
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