This section briefly mentions some examples in which noun phrases are used–or seem to have been used–as non-temporal adverbial phrases. First we have noun phrases following the measure verbs like kostento cost, durento last in (173). Since it is generally assumed that these measure noun phrases do not act as direct objects, we can assume that they are adverbial in nature. However, since they are clearly phrases selected by the verb, it can also be argued that they are complements of a special kind.

The use of measure phrases is very productive in examples like (174a) and (174b), in which they act as modifiers of the PP naast het doel and the AP diep, respectively. Examples like these are discussed in detail in Chapter P35 and Section A26.1.4.2.

Finally, note the idiomatic example in (175a), in which the phrase een uur in de wind seems to be used as a degree modifier of the verb stinkento 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 (175a) is something like “One can even smell Jan if one travels an hour against the wind”. Therefore, een uur seems to function here as a measure phrase modifying the PP in de wind. Another example of a similar kind is given in (175b).