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On the Syntactic Choice of Adjectival and Adverbial Phrases in Selected Facebook Advertisements: A Radford Inflectional Phrase Approach

Citation: Abdullahi, S. A., Mshelbwala, C. U. and Awotunde, K. W. (2026). “On the Syntactic Choice of Adjectival and Adverbial Phrases in Selected Facebook Advertisements: A Radford Inflectional Phrase Approach.” In Ɗunɗaye Journal of Hausa Studies, Vol. 04, No. 01, Pp. 22 – 31. www.doi.org/10.36349/djhs.2026.v04n01.004.

ON THE SYNTACTIC CHOICE OF ADJECTIVAL AND ADVERBIAL PHRASES IN SELECTED FACEBOOK ADVERTISEMENTS: A RADFORD INFLECTIONAL PHRASE APPROACH

By

Saleh Ahmad Abdullahi, PhD

Department of Languages, Nigerian Army University Biu

And

Mshelbwala, Comfort Usman, PhD

Dept. of English and Literary Studies,

Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State

And

Awotunde, Kehinde Wakeel

Department of Languages, Nigerian Army University Biu

Abstract:

This study investigates the syntactic choice of adjectival and adverbial phrases from the selected Facebook advertisements as a persuasive tool for brand slogans to attract consumers to the product(s). This study is anchored within the guidelines of Radford Inflectional Phrase (IP) model, where IP model emphasises the role of inflectional elements such as tense, aspect and mood that occupy central positions in the syntactic organisation of sentences. The study adopted the survey and manual method of data collection, where the researchers used their mobile personal phones and screenshot as instruments for data collection. The study samples nine (9) advertisement, which were randomly picked from the Facebook handles of Viva detergent, Good Mama detergent, Nivea and Honeywell. The results of this study show that adverbial phrase is rarely used in social media ads as compared to adjectival phrases; it appears least in terms of usage in Facebook ads as advertisers always avoid using it to prevent confusion. The results also reveals that imperative form is fervently used in Facebook advertisements with the motive of creating direct language to encourage audience to take a specific action, thereby making the message persuasive and arrest audience's attention. The declarative form is moderately used while Interrogative form is less used in Facebook advertisements. It is advised that the advertiser should always select a language that resonates with a target demographic that could create emotional connection and enhance engagement and also be aware that syntactic choices such as tone and structure influence how persuasive and appealing the message is. Lastly, they should know that language is an essential tool for increasing visibility and effectiveness of the products.

Keywords: Brand Slogans, Persuasive Tool, Inflectional Phrase, Syntactic Choice, Target Consumers. 

Introduction

As every individual or company is willing to advertise its product, as such; briefness, clarity of the information to the target audience is necessary (Abdullahi & Idris, 2026). This signifies the linguistic value clarity and briefness are playing in composing advertisement message. Interestingly, social media advertisement is one of the ways in which product marketing is adding weight, considering the large number of audience that adopt to the new era of internet. Many organizations hired experts or linguists to pour out their digital skills in composing catchy information that will sell out their product(s), thereby making the use of convincing words to the reader(s) that favour the marketability of the products, as adjectives or adverbs served to serve this task that put more clarity to the need of the audience.

Advertising is a crucial tool that businesses use to introduce products and services to customers. For advertising to be effective, language must be carefully selected, creative, concise and highlight the key features of the product to attract customer attention and stimulate purchasing demand. Advertising language must also be rich and aesthetically pleasing as it represents a unique form of text that combines scientific, artistic, practical and aesthetic qualities (Võ Thanh Hương, 2004).

Alongside names and logos, advertising slogans are one of the three core elements of a brand. According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; Advertising slogans are short phrases used in advertising campaigns to generate publicity and unify a company's marketing strategy. The phrases may be used to attract attention to a distinctive product feature or reinforce a company's brand.

Some slogans are created for long term corporate identity processes, while others are interested in specific limited-time campaigns. However, since some ideas resonate with the public with persistence, many advertising slogans retain their influence even after general use is discontinued. If an advertising slogan enters into the public vernacular, word-of-mouth communication may increase consumer awareness of the product and extend an ads campaign's lifespan, or cause a company to adopt it for long term advertising and identity (Mitchell, 2007).

Slogans that associate emotional responses or evoke recollections of memories increase their likelihood of being adopted by the public and shared (Mitchell, 2007). Additionally, by linking a slogan to a commonplace discussion topic (e.g. stress, food, traffic), consumers will recall the slogan more often and associate the corporation with their personal experiences (Mitchell, 2007).

If a slogan is adopted by the public, it can have a notable influence on everyday social interaction. Slogans can serve as connection points between community members as individuals share pithy taglines in conversation (Mitchell, 2007). In contrast, if an individual is unaware of a popular slogan or tagline, they can be socially excluded from conversation and disengage from the discussion (Mitchell, 2007).

In advertising, adjectival and adverbial phrases serve as critical persuasive tools. Advertisers use adjectival phrases to build desirable product images and adverbial phrases to emphasize product benefits, resulting in dynamic, highly persuasive messaging.

Advertising as a process of making your product and service known to the marketplace through print, television, radio or the Internet, adjectival and adverbial phrases in the context of advertising have a specific function to perform, which is quite different from their conventional and ordinary function known to them. This point is clarified in the study of Lewis (as cited in Schmitz & Meb, 2008: p. 1), who states that the main purpose of advertising is “to attract the consumer, to create an interest for the product or service, to make the recipient desire the advertised product and—finally—to induce an action, i.e. the purchase of the product”. Leech (1966) notes that in commercial ads, product or service suppliers attempt to persuade consumers to buy their product rather than other products.

One of the main tools employed to achieve this goal is the use of adjectives and Adverbs. Similarly Kokemuller (n.d.: para.1) assumes that the use of adjectives in advertising is to highlight the benefits and advantages of a certain product to make it appeal to targeted customers. According to Leech (1966) good, better and best are among the most frequently used adjectives to describe brands. Better and best are competitive words that suggests; the advertiser’s brand is either better than competing options or the best available product on the market. On the other hand, adverbs in advertising act as linguistic intensifiers and action drivers, shaping consumer emotions and urging immediate response. By modifying verbs and adjectives, they exaggerate benefits, accelerate buying decisions and add urgency to campaigns.

With adjectives, these words are there to seduce you into believing in the product or service advertised. Adjectives bring depth to adverts and the right adjectives can completely spin a situation into a positive. For example, Subway’s ‘Eat Fresh’ combines both an adjective and an imperative. ‘Eat’ being the command and ‘fresh’ establishing that the food they offer is healthy, tasty and from a food-safe and hygienic environment. The adjective here is so simple it’s hardly worth thinking about, but when picked out, you realise the power a simple word like that has. Invoking ideas of either safety or health are two of the most common ways to push a product to an audience – after all, these are two concepts people constantly want more of.

Similarly, Google’s recent campaign for the Pixel phone repeatedly uses the adjective ‘new’ to great effect throughout the course of the advert. The phrase is segmented from the text in the advert, making it more memorable to the viewer. As with health and safety, having something new is inherently appealing to the technologically driven audiences that are so widespread now and it creates the legendary ‘buzz’ around a product. Adjectives that are as simple as ‘new’ or ‘fresh’ can completely change the way an advert is viewed and consumed.

Furthermore, many adverts also use verbs and adverbs to encourage people to action. Marmite, with their infamous ‘You either Love it or Hate it’ slogan sticks out clearly. It forces you to choose between love or hate, both of which are powerful, loaded words with intense connotations of emotion behind them.

Similarly, McDonald’s ‘I’m Lovin’ It’ creates a sense of togetherness, as each consumer places themselves in the context of the ‘I’ here and so we all assume that we are indeed, lovin’ it. If the advert used ‘You’re Lovin’ It’ it becomes presumptive of the consumer and works to split people apart, when McDonald’s wants people to feel part of the brand and therefore come and eat at their restaurants. Understanding the simple act of how to address the audience can create a huge shift in the perception of the advert.

Language in adverts is vast, varied and constantly evolving. From customer specific adverts that address you directly, to adverts promising huge concepts such as health, love, sex, freedom, safety and more, you would be surprised at how many connotations adverts contain and how much they influence you on a subconscious scale. Understanding how to use language in adverts is a skill in itself and you will know when you get it right; the customers will come flooding through the door.

Literature Review

Somayeh and Abdollah, (2013), study the Importance of Advertising Slogans and their Proper Designing in Brand Equity, where Slogan is usually an unforgettable phrase that is frequently used to express an idea or purpose. Slogans have been employed in religious and political areas long time ago, but nowadays they are mostly used in business and trading. They vary from other ordinary text and images, and often because of their simple structure cannot convey a lot of concepts and details. Hereupon, slogans instead of drawing specific audience, address general audience to convey their particular meanings. Brand owners pay lots of money to advertising agencies to come up with snappy advertising slogans. Advertising slogans often claim to have knowledge of something and attempt to show it. Slogans usually serve a substantial role in calling audience’s attention to one or more aspects of a product or service. Normally slogans claim that the advertised product or service is of the highest quality, or is the most delicious, the most inexpensive, or nutritious… one. The slogans should point out, at least, the most important advantage of a product, or respond to the audience’s needs, or offer more benefits for their future/probable customers.

Also, in Ghedeir, (2022) study the effectiveness of advertisements in promoting companies` products which led to the spread of advertising all over the world and a significant amount of this advertising uses English language. This paves the way to the emergence of advertising English that has been considered a variety of English for Specific Purposes (ESP), more specifically of English for Business and Economics (EBE) because of its economic content and purpose. English for advertising has very specific linguistic and discursive features that show that advertising English is a particular genre of specialized discourse. Thus, the study analyzed the language of advertising in English in order to identify the different linguistic and discursive specificities of advertising English. For that, the study selected a sample of advertising English texts. This paper ends up with presenting the different key linguistic and discursive features of English for advertising.

However, Berhanu (2020) study syntactic structures of Awgni Adjective, Adverb and Preposition Phrases. The paper attempts descriptive research design, which indicated that Awgni Adjective, Adverb and Preposition Phrases were pending in a variety of head, complement, specifier and adjunct utterances. The selections of complement, adjunct and specifier in between phrases were to some extent syntactically similar. Moreover, the study showed that syntactic structures have dominance and precedence relationships.

Furthermore, Vo Thi Anh Dao, (2025) study studies advertising slogans as one of the most influential tools for building brand identity and attracting consumer attention in today’s competitive market. Despite their widespread use, many marketing professionals continue to face challenges in crafting effective slogans, often leading to weak associations between brands and their slogans. The study also investigates the distinctive syntactic features of English and Vietnamese advertising slogans, with the purpose of identifying both similarities and differences between the two languages. A descriptive and comparative research design was employed, analyzing a corpus of advertising slogans collected from English and Vietnamese newspapers and magazines. The findings reveal that slogans in both languages frequently employ simplicity, brevity and elliptical structures—such as noun phrases, adjective phrases, and verb phrases—though English slogans show a greater tendency toward ellipsis and dynamic expressions. Additionally, repetition at the syntactic level emerges as a significant device in both languages, enhancing memorability and persuasive power. These results provide valuable implications for teaching and learning business English, offering learners and teachers’ deeper insights into the linguistic mechanisms of advertising language. Furthermore, the study proposes practical guidelines for advertisers and copywriters to design effective slogans that strengthen brand recognition and consumer engagement.

Similarly, Ebaid (2018) study studies Adjectives as integral elements in linguistic structures, whose main function is to identify, describe and modify nouns or pronouns. The study focuses on a frequent and ubiquitous use of adjectives in which an adjective, a highly effective persuasive tool, occurs solely without a head noun. This type is common in marketing when more precisely an adjective represents or stands for the name of a certain product. The analysis focuses on highlighting the features and meanings associated with such products that render them worth buying. The study found that adjectives prove to be strong persuasive tools to the extent that producers and advertising agencies are urged to use them solely to name products. It is also found that some adjectives reflect socio-cultural aspects as in the case of the products called Organic which appeal to Western and European consumers, while products called Beiti or homemade have a strong appeal to Egyptian consumers.

However, from the above studies, this research is unique on the Syntactic Choice of Adjectival and Adverbial Phrases from the Selected Facebook Advertisements, where these aspects were used as persuasive tools for brand slogans to attract consumers to the product(s). In view of that the present study makes it clearer by adopting the Radford Inflectional Phrase Approach as guide for the study.

Theoretical Framework

The nature of this study requires a framework that provides a platform for an appropriate syntactic analysis. As such, the framework that is considered in this study is that of Andrew Radford’s Inflectional Phrase (IP) Model. The Inflectional Phrase Model is an expedient concept in the field of syntactic theory rooted in the principles of Generative Grammar. Radford’s Model, which builds upon the foundational work of Noam Chomsky, particularly the principles of X-bar theory, offers a structural approach to understanding sentence formation. The IP model emphasises the role of inflectional elements such as tense, aspect and mood which occupy central positions in the syntactic organisation of sentences. Sentence according to Radford’s IP model (1997, 2002), is said to comprise a noun phrase (NP) usually functions as subject and can be broken down into a determiner and a noun and a verb phrase (VP) which can also be broken into a verb and obligatory NP or PP. The Radford model posits that a meaningful sentence is the one that has both NP (subject) and VP (predicate). And that both the subject and predicate must agree in number that is singular and plural as well as tense which include present, past and future.

Therefore, this theory is adopted because Radford’s IP model could explain the fundamentals of the research problem identified in this research. Also, the analysis of structural patterns of social media advertisements such as those found on Facebook, can be anchored by the model because it offers a framework that can dissect how advertisers manipulate sentence structure to maximise impact. This is because social media ads often rely on concise sentences that deliver clear messages in limited space.

Furthermore,  non-standard syntactic structures such as the unconventional uses of tense, mood or agreement that are commonly employed in social media advertisements to craft catchy, memorable phrases and sentences can be best explored using the Radford’s IP model.

Methodology

The study adopted the survey and manual method of data collection. The key instruments of gathering data for this research were the researchers themselves and their phone handles. The researchers, therefore, used their personal mobile phones and screenshot the data as instruments for data collection. Researchers being users of Facebook, used their personal handles of Facebook accounts to get access to the Facebook handles of the selected products, where screenshots of the advertisements became important in the collection of data. Researchers searched, scrolled, meticulously examined, identified and screenshots the advertisements randomly based on the key concern of the present research. The study samples nine (9) advertisements, which were randomly picked from the Facebook handles of Viva detergent (2 data), Good Mama detergent (2 data), Nivea (2 data) and Honeywell (3 data) making a total number of nine (9) advertisements all together. The reasons for these choices from the handles, is because people have more access to those things as compared with the other things of human lives and these things were used on daily basis for human consumption.

Data Presentation and Analysis

This segment presents the data obtained from the selected Facebook advertisement and were analysed based on the Radford Inflectional Phrase Model, where each data was described based on the structural formulation of the ads information. This study focused only on the adjectival phrases and adverbial phrases, though the Nominal and Verbal phrase aspects were considered in  Abdullahi & Idris (2026) using the same tool of analysis.

Adjectival Phrase (AdjP)

Phrases represent the types of adjectival phrase (AdjP) in the data were analysed using tree diagram based on the structural patterns in the data from the adverts were analysed as follow:

Figure 1: Viva Plus; Quick question



The (quick question) in figure 1 has a phrase structure of adjectival phrase (AdjP). The structure has the adjective “quick” as the head modifies the noun “question”. The structure falls in the imperative form. Although it is meaningful, it  however, does not conform to standard ways of patterning English sentences as it does not contain other elements of the sentence. In the same vein, the choice of words is informal as such expression could only be used in a purely informal setting. The advertiser utilises the casual language to call the audience’s attention on possible issues they might want to express.

Figure 2: Honeywell; Daily dose of nourishment

The datum (daily dose of nourishment) in figure 2 has the syntactic structure of an adjectival phrase (AdjP). The structure has two constituents which include AdjP headed by the adjective “daily”, which modifies the noun “dose”. The other constituent has the structure of PP with preposition “of” and its complement, noun (NP) “nourishment”. The structure is declarative in form. The structure violates the rules of the established structure of the English language as the structure can only function as NP within a complete sentence. The choice of words is informal. Perhaps, the advertiser did it intentionally to arrest the attention of the potential audience.

Figure 3: Nivea; Anti sweat, Anti odour

The syntactic structure of the datum (Anti sweat, Anti odour) in figure 3 is that of an adjectival phrase (AdjP). The structure has two AdjPs with each has the adjective ‘anti” modifies the nouns “sweat” and “odour” in the two phrases respectively. The structure is declarative in form. Just as the datum in figure 3, the structure could only be used as NP in a complete sentence. This, thus, deviates from the standard grammar of the English language. However, the choice of the words is informal. The copywriter converts the prefix “anti” to adjective to give the counteracting nature of nivea product in a casual tone.

Figure 4: Good Mama; Gentle on your hands

The datum (Gentle on your hand) in figure 4 has the syntactic structure of an adjectival phrase (AdjP). The AdjP is headed by the adjective “gentle”. The prepositional phrase (PP) modifies the adjective and is composed of the preposition “on” and NP, which has determiner “your” and noun “hands”. The phrase is in the form of a declarative sentence. The omission of other elements makes it deviate from the established structure of the English language. The choice of words is informal as the copywriter metaphorically presents the quality of Good mama detergent in a very casual and conversational tone.


Figure 5: Good Mama; Clean clothes, Fresh fragrance

The datum (clean clothes, fresh fragrance) in figure 5 above has the syntactic structure of an adjectival phrase. This is because of the presence of implied nouns which it might modify. The phrase comprises two AdjPs with clean modifies the noun “clothes” in the former and the adjective “fresh” modifies the noun “fragrance” in the latter phrase. The structure is declarative in form. The structure deviates from the rule of standard grammar because it could only be used within a larger noun or as a predicative adjective in a complete sentence. The choice of words is relatively neutral which could be considered as semi-formal because the words “clean” and “fragrance” are universally possible and straightforward, making them suitable for a broad audience. The advertiser uses the words to evoke the sensory experiences of the potential audience and to emphasize the benefits of the product in a concise manner.

Adverbial Phrase (AdvP)

Phrases represent the types of adverbial phrase (AdvP) analysed using tree diagram based on the structural patterns in the data from the adverts are analysed as follow:


Figure 6: Nivea;Specially made for your shade of beautiful

The datum (specially made for your shade) in figure 6 has the syntactic structure of an adverbial phrase. The phrase is headed by the adverb "specially" which modifies the verb phrase (VP). The VP also consists of the main verb "made" and prepositional phrase (PP) with preposition "for" followed by the NP which also has the determiner "your" and noun "shape". The form of the datum is declarative. The structure deviates from the established syntactic structure of English sentences. Furthermore, the choice of words is informal as the advertiser uses casual and colloquial language to make this simple statement on Nivea cream.

Figure 7: Honeywell; Everywhere good


In figure 7, the datum (everywhere good!) has a syntactic structure of an adverbial phrase (AdvP). The structure is imperative in form. Being an incomplete statement, the structure could only function as a complement of a verb in a complete sentence. The choice of words is informal. The advertiser adopts casual tone to express the mobility of Honeywell foods.

Figure 8: Honeywell; Before After


Just as figure 7, the datum (before  after) in figure 8 has a syntactic structure of an adverbial phrase (AdvP). The structure is declarative in form. Being an incomplete statement, the structure could only function as a complement of a verb in a complete sentence. The choice of words is informal. The advertiser adopts casual and conversational tone to make the message brief.

Figure 9: Viva Plus; Instantly cut through grease


The datum (instantly cut through the grease) in figure 9 has the syntactic structure of an adverbial phrase (AdvP). It is declarative in form and could only be used as the complement to modify verb in a sentence. The choice of words is informal. The structure also deviates from the established structure of the English sentence. The advertiser uses casual language to convey daily activity to the audience.

Conclusion

In conclusion, The results of this study show that adverbial phrase is rarely used in social media ads as compared to adjectival phrases; it appears least in terms of usage in Facebook ads as advertisers always avoid using it to prevent confusion. The results also reveals that imperative form is fervently used in Facebook advertisements with the motive of creating direct language to encourage audience to take a specific action, thereby making the message persuasive and arrest audience's attention. The declarative form is moderately used while Interrogative form is less used in Facebook advertisements. It is advised that the advertiser should always select a language that resonates with a target demographic that could create emotional connection and enhance engagement and also be aware that syntactic choices such as tone and structure influence how persuasive and appealing the message is. It is also worthy of note for the social media advertisers, Facebook in particular to be careful while deviating from established syntactic structure of English language and to always put into consideration the clarity and comprehensiveness of their ads. This is because numerous problems do emanate from excessive deviation from standard grammar such as relying too heavily on fragment phrases. The overuse of these linguistic shortcuts often suffers the clarity of the products, thereby leading to customers' misinterpretation of the message.

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