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    8.3.2.Non-temporal adverbial phrases
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    This section briefly mentions some examples where noun phrases are or seem to have been used as non-temporal adverbial phrases. First we can mention noun phrases following the measure verbs like kosten'to cost', duren'to last' in (163). Since it is generally assumed that these measure noun phrases do not act as direct objects, we may assume that they are adverbial in nature. However, since we are clearly dealing with phrases selected by the verb it can also be argued that we are dealing with complements of a special sort.

    163
    a. Dat boek kost tien euro.
      that book  costs  ten euro
    b. De voorstelling duurt twee uur.
      the show  lasts  two hours
      'The show will last two hours.'

    The use of measure phrases is very productive in examples like (164a) and (164b) where they act as modifiers of the PP naast het doel and the AP diep, respectively. Examples like these are extensively discussed in Chapter P3 and Section A3.1.4, sub II.

    164
    a. Jan schoot de bal drie meter naast het doel.
      Jan shot  the ball  three meter  next.to the goal
    b. De schat ligt drie meter diep.
      the treasure  lies  three meter  deep

    Finally, we want to note the idiomatic example in (165a), in which the phrase een uur in de wind seems to be used as an intensifier of the verb stinken'to stink'. In the Van Dale dictionary, the meaning of een uur in this construction is described as “as far as one can go in an hour”, so that the meaning of (165a) is something like “One can even smell Jan if one travels an hour against the wind”. Therefore, een uur seems to act here as a measure phrase modifying the PP in de wind. Another example of a similar kind is given in (165b).

    165
    a. Jan stinkt een uur in de wind.
      Jan  stinks  an hour in the wind
      'Jan stinks extremely badly.'
    b. Er is hier een uur in de omtrek geen café te vinden.
      there  is here  an hour  in the surroundings  no bar  to find
      'In whatever direction one goes from here, one wonʼt be able to find a bar for an hour.'
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      About this article
      Author(s): Hans Broekhuis
      Category: Dutch Syntax
      Publication date: 22 November 2023
      Keywords: Measure NounMeasure PhraseNoun
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