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A
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Arabic
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Hamza

Cluster
Reduction

Verbs

Intro
to Arabic Morphology

Verb
Conjugation

Derived
Nouns

Verb
Paradigms

Hamza
Verbs

Assimilated
Verbs

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Deficient
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Duplicated
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Highly
Deficient Verbs

Paradigm
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Summary

Greater
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Grammar

Intro
to Arabic Grammar

Arabic
Words

Arabic
Phrases

Arabic
Sentences

The Heart
of Arabic Grammar

Arabic
Inflection

Arabic
Reflection

Diptotes

Nominal
Sentences

Verbal
Sentences

Arabic
Adverbs

Circumstantial
Adverb

Exclusion

Disambiguation

Genitival
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Summary

Sentence
Parsing

Grammar Subtopics

Definiteness

Gender

Plurality

Broken
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Arabic
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Patterns
Reference

Types of
Maa

Vocabulary

Translator

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Time

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Common
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Practice
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Classical Logic

Introduction
to Classical Logic

Indication

Simple
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Indicated
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Definitions

Compound
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Modern
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Indicated
Assent

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Logic
Reference

Proof
by Contradiction

Mathematical
Induction

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Inspiring
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Eloquence

Predication

Classical
Poetry

Some Accusatives

Direct Object: المفعول به

Definition & How to Recognize it

A direct object is that thing upon which an action is
enacted. For example, when Zaid hits Amr, Zaid is the one doing the hitting
and Amr is the one upon whom the hitting is done. Thus Amr is the object.

The following things can become direct objects:

·
a single noun, whether
declinable or indeclinable

·
many types of phrases (but
not all; e.g. not جار-مجرور
directly)

·
a sentence (but it must be
introduced by أنّ, for
example)

And the entities that can have direct objects are:

·
verbs

·
gerunds

·
active participles

·
active participles on the
exaggeration patterns

·
passive participles
(exercise: how?)

The entities that can have direct objects may have one, two
or three of them. In the following example, there is one object and it is a
sentence introduced by انّ:

I heard that you failed your
test

سمعت أنّك رسبت في امتحانك

In the following, there are two objects, one of which is a
phrase:

I gave you some of my
money

أعطيتك بعض مالي

And in the following there are three objects, all of which
are single nouns:

I made you privy of the fact
that Amr is virtuous

أعلمتك عمرا فاضلا

Position in the Sentence

1.
The standard position for
the direct object is after both the verb and its subject.

2.
It’s not always
grammatically possible, but the object can usually be brought before the verb.
This has a rhetorical effect; it emphasizes the object in one of many ways.
Compare the following examples to see in what ways the object is being
emphasized:

It was Zaid that I hit (as
opposed to someone else)

زيدا ضربت

It is only you we worship (as
opposed to you and others)

إياك نعبد

3.
The third and final major
position that the object can occupy (if possible) is between the verb and its
subject. This is for rhetorical effect. But the effect is not on the object; the
subject is what’s being emphasized by virtue of being brought last. It keeps the
reader in suspense as to who enacted the verb and thus draws attention to
it.

Can you believe it, it was the
professor who erred in reading the text!

ارتكب خطأ في قراءة النص
الأستاذ

Dropping

A direct object may be dropped if the grammar and the meaning
allow it. If this is the case, it is often considered more eloquent to drop
since concise speech is eloquent speech. For example:

Your Lord did not forsake you, nor does
he hate (you).

ما ودعك ربك وما قلى

The object’s governor (e.g. the verb) also has the capacity
to drop if there is something to indicate on its implicit presence. For example,
when someone asks “Whom did Zaid hit,” the answer will simply be “Amr.”

Cognate Adverb: المفعول المطلق

Definition & How to Recognize it

A cognate adverb is a gerund with a meaning very similar
to a mentioned action. For example:

I sat
cross-legged

قعدت جلسة التربع

Cognate adverbs don’t have to be from the same root as the
mentioned action but must have a similar meaning, as the above example
illustrates. And they can be in one of the following forms:

·
gerunds on their own, often
indefinite

·
gerunds in certain phrases (
اضافة, صفة, etc).
For example:

I sat
cross-legged

قعدت جلسة التربع

Don’t turn away
altogether

فلا تميلوا كل الميل

And the following entities are capable of governing these
adverbs:

·
verbs

·
gerunds (can you think of an
example?)

·
active participles

·
active participles on the
exaggeration patterns

·
passive participles

Usage

This adverb is used for one of three purposes

·
to explain the manner in
which the action takes place. For example:

I’m sitting in a manner such that I
will be able to get up quickly

انا جالس جِلسة استطيع القيام منها بسرعة

·
to provide the multitude in
which the action takes place. For example:

I hit Zaid
twice

ضربت زيدا ضربتين

·
to place emphasis on the
action. For example:

I really
rebelled

تمردت تمردا

The emphasis expressed through cognate adverbs is usually one
of the most intense forms. For example, saying

استفدت استفادة

is more emphatic than saying any of the following

استفدت كثيرا
استفدت إلى حد
كبير
...

Position in the Sentence

The cognate adverb must lexically follow its governor. How
far it is from the governor is another matter; the following examples illustrate
some positions:

ضربت ضربة واحدة
وإذا دكت الأرض دكا دكا
يحتفل الطلاب
الجامعيون مع زملاءهم في بداية الربيع احتفالا يسمى "سبرنج بريك"

In general, we can say that if we want to extensively qualify
the cognate adverb with adjectives/etc, it should be delayed.

Dropping

It doesn’t make sense to drop cognate adverbs (without
leaving a trace).

But their governing words are often dropped (provided the
purpose of the adverb is not emphasis). In fact, sometimes the grammar
necessitates this. Other times, not only is the governing word dropped, but the
cognate adverb is dropped as well, leaving an adjective behind to compensate for
it.

For example, when someone asks

How did you
fight

كيف كافحت؟

an adequate response would be

Effectively

فعّالا

meaning

I fought an effective
battle

كافحت كفاحا فعالا

Locative Adverb: المفعول فيه

Definition & How to Recognize it

The locative adverb gives the time or place of occurrence
for an action. This adverb, however, cannot be used to give the place of
action if such a place has well-defined, physical limits. The following
sentences, for example, contain valid locative adverbs:

Today you forget,
eh!

اليوم تنساه

I worked for the ministry of foreign
affairs for a time

عملت في وزارة الخارجية دهرا

The following sentence, however, does not contain a locative
adverb; the place of action must be indicated using a particle since its borders
are physically well-defined:

There are no windows in the
building

لا شبّاك في البناية

The following things have the capacity to be locative
adverbs

·
single nouns

·
many phrases like اضافة and
صفة

And the following entities can govern these adverbs

·
verbs

·
gerunds

·
active participles

·
active participles on the
exaggeration patterns

·
passive participles

Dropping

It doesn’t make sense to drop locative adverbs; either
they’re intended or not.

Their governing words may, however, be omitted. In fact this
omission is often mandatory as in the following sentences:

You have my homework
(predicate)

واجباتي عندك

The one behind you stepped forward
(relative clause)

قدم الذي خلفك

I passed by a man beside you
(adjective)

مررت برجل عندك

I passed by Zaid when/while he was with
you (حال)

مررت بزيد عندك

Causative Adverb: المفعول له

Definition & How to Recognize it

The causative adverb gives the reason for which an action
came to be. An example follows:

I prayed out of
obedience

صليت طوعا

The following things have the capacity to be causative
adverbs

·
gerunds, almost always
indefinite

·
sometimes, gerunds in
phrases such as اضافة or
صفة

And the following entities have the capacity to govern these
adverbs

·
verbs

·
gerunds

·
active participles

·
active participles on the
exaggeration patterns

·
passive participles

Position in the Sentence

Like cognate adverbs, these adverbs must follow their
governing word. How close they are to that word is a different matter, but
typically they follow closely.

Dropping

It doesn’t make sense to drop these adverbs; either they’re
intended or not. Neither are their governing words usually dropped, but a few
rare situations include the following:

When someone asks

لماذا ضربت ابنك؟

one may answer

تأديبا

The Adverb of Accompaniment: المفعول معه

Definition & How to Recognize it

This adverb is simply defined as that which follows the
واو in the
meaning of مع. It
exists in the language to be used when normal conjunction is impermissible or
non-preferable. If normal conjunction is impermissible, this adverb must be used
instead. If conjunction is permissible but disliked, then this adverb should be
used. And finally, if conjunction is permissible and preferable, this adverb
should not be used. (Notice that, whether appropriate or not, this adverb can
always be used, theoretically speaking.)

For example, conjunction in the following sentence is not
permissible, thus this adverbial structure must be used:

I read my (habitual) prayer, and so did
Zaid. (Not: I read my prayer and I read Zaid!)

قرأت وردي وزيدا

In the following, conjunction can be used (according to many
grammarians), but it is disliked and so this adverb will be used:

Zaid and I read
(something)

قرأت وزيدا

And finally in the following sentence, conjunction can be
used and it should be used:

Zaid and I read
(something)

قرأت انا وزيد

This adverb itself can be one of the following things

·
a single noun

·
a phrase like اضافة and
صفة

·
sometimes, even a sentence
(introduced by أنّ, for
example)

And the following entities can govern it

·
verbs

·
gerunds

·
active participles

·
active participles on the
exaggeration patterns

·
passive participles

Position in the Sentence

This adverb must follow its governing word and the thing to
which it is conjoined. It typically follows these two things very closely.

Dropping

Omitting this adverb does not make sense; it is either
intended or not. As for dropping its governing word, this phenomenon has a very
limited application.

Adverb Cache

The following are a few commonly occurring
nouns/phrases/sentences that fall into one of the five مفاعيل along
with a brief explanation of their structure.

أيضاً

“Also”: it is
typically accepted to be a cognate adverb from the verb آض/يأيض.

جداً

“Very”: in
most cases, it is an adjective for a cognate adverb which, along with its
governing verb, has been dropped.

حينَئذ

“Thereupon”:
this includes all nouns that end in ـئذِ. The حين part is a
locative adverb which is مضاف towards the
إذ, which in turn is
مضاف towards the
nunation.

أبداً

“Ever/never”:
this is a temporally locative adverb.

حتماً

“Necessarily”:
this is not an adverb; it usually acts as حال.

شكراً

“Thanks”: this
includes many nouns like عفوا. They are cognate
adverbs for hidden verbs.

أهلاً وسهلاً

“Welcome”: both
these words are direct objects for hidden
verbs.

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All tutorials on this website are authored by Shariah Program
graduate Mohtanick Jamil
© 2003-2011 Shariah Program All Rights
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