On Adverbs or where shall wisdom be found?

When I was a little girl I fell in love with grammar. I also come from a family with a lot of people in it.

People.

Most people are grammarphobes. I had to learn this from experience. Adverbs cause almost as much anxiety as public speaking. This meant for me, that grammar and specifically adverbs troubled my relationships.

But there’s no need to be intimidated.

In the 4th grade I learned to ask specific questions to help understand grammar and usage rules. Questions are helpful for identifying adverbs and distinguishing them from adjectives and other parts of speech.

Adjective questions are about type or form. They ask which one, what kind, how many, how much and whose.

Whose car? Andrea’s car.

How many pencils? Twelve pencils.

What kind of balance? An accurate balance.

Solid, descriptive facts.

Adverbs are different. They blow us out into conspicuous ambiguity. You can see what I mean by the kinds of questions adverbs answer: Where, when, why, how, how often and To what extent.

Yesterday my daughter could not find her wallet. By the time she’d thought to enlist our help she was in tears. We peppered her with the necessary questions.

When did you see it last?

Where was it then?

How many times do I have to tell you…

Why did you put it there?

When?

She answered “a while ago”

Which is syntactically accurate but also ambiguous. So we tried again.

Right but when was that?

“Well, it was before….it was a long time ago.”

Now we have another perfectly grammatically accurate answer and yet no answer at all.

It’s  funny how Language can do this.

….so what does any of this have to do with finding Wisdom?

Adverbs are the structures with which syntax is given to wisdom. Its questions are not concerned with form or type like adjectives but rather situation, ethic and impetus. Adverbs consider the context of the situation, authorial intent or a reason behind doing. Maybe it is a complex part of speech because it opens the way to equally complex thinking.

But still…what does this have to do with Wisdom?

How long and to what extent are adverb questions about limitations. So the good question is rarely “should I eat?” Rather good sense asks “what should I eat?” And Wisdom asks first, “why should I eat?” and then perhaps “how often should I eat?” Or “when/where should I eat?” Or if like me you go from culture to culture then “how should I eat?”

You see how Wisdom concerns herself with the extent of things and their limitations. Not the question of a thing’s existence or veracity or even goodness. Wisdom is about assigning the sea its limits. To know what is too little–to recognize how and then to what extent.

When the psalmist asks “How long O Lord?” this is a when question, an adverb question. When will this be done? When can I get some relief? He is engaging with Wisdom. If you look diligently, you can find her.

So back to the wallet and all the adverb questions it inspired: What does all that have to do with Wisdom?

Well let me answer with a question: how long do you think I can continue to ask her those when questions before I exasperate my child? In effect, how far is too far?

To what extent…

If I am asking a sincere question, then am I looking for an adverb? Or am I looking for Wisdom?

Why did I write a blog like this?

Where shall wisdom be found?