36:
340:, and often agreement between the grammatical gender, number or other feature of the modifier and its head is used to indicate the relationship. In English, modifiers may sometimes even be interposed between component words or syllables of the head, such as in
401:), which modify other parts of speech, particularly verbs, adjectives and other adverbs, as well as whole phrases or clauses. Not all adjectives and adverbs are necessarily modifiers, however; an adjective will normally be considered a modifier when used
725:
Sometimes the element which the modifier is intended to modify does not in fact appear in the sentence, or is not in an appropriate position to be associated with that modifier. This is often considered a grammatical or stylistic error. For example:
565:
features. The grammar of a language determines which morpho-syntactic forms are used for which function, as it varies from language to language. The functions of modification can be grouped into five such types:
823:
Rijkhoff, Jan (2014). "Modification as a propositional act in
Functional Discourse Grammar". In de los Ăngeles GĂłmez GonzĂĄlez, MarĂa; de Mendoza Ibåñez, Francisco JosĂ© Ruiz; GonzĂĄlvez-GarcĂa, Francisco (eds.).
744:, which is clearly not the intention. Such a case is called a "dangling modifier", or more specifically, in the common case where (as here) the modifier is a participial phrase, a "dangling participle".
688:
Sometimes it is not clear which element of the sentence a modifier is intended to modify. In many cases this is not important, but in some cases it can lead to genuine
795:
53:
336:. In some other languages, words other than modifiers may occur in between; this type of situation is especially likely in languages with
297:, where most adjectives are postmodifiers). Sometimes placement of the adjective after the noun entails a change of meaning: compare
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119:
100:
72:
893:
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In
English (and other languages) a modifier can be separated from its head by other modifiers, making the phrase
226:. A head may have a number of modifiers, and these may include both premodifiers and postmodifiers. For example:
68:
710:(meaning that the painting's subject was sitting on the step), or it may be intended to modify the verb phrase
533:
858:
168:"run quickly". Modification can be considered a high-level domain of the functions of language, on par with
763:
402:
457:
353:
160:"red ball", providing extra details about which particular ball is being referred to. Similarly, the
773:
768:
259:
In
English, simple adjectives are usually used as premodifiers, with occasional exceptions such as
169:
93:
510:
444:
416:, which is a noun modifying another noun (or occasionally another part of speech). An example is
186:
839:
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683:
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Here whoever was "walking along the road" is not mentioned in the sentence, so the modifier (
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341:
470:
374:
337:
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283:
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882:
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Modifiers of all types of forms may be used for certain function with different
271:
157:
133:
35:
825:
349:
843:
689:
405:, but not when used predicatively â compare the examples with the adjective
378:
194:
for the language in question. A modifier placed before the head is called a
173:
153:
835:
722:), meaning in effect that it was the painter who was sitting on the step.
277:
562:
17:
261:
427:
Examples of the above types of modifiers, in
English, are given below.
412:
Another type of modifier in some languages, including
English, is the
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specifies the status of the referent in the discourse universe: e.g.
390:
191:
165:
161:
145:
141:
184:
Modifiers may come either before or after the modified element (the
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the meaning of another element in the structure. For instance, the
830:. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. pp. 129â150.
269:
in which most adjectives are postmodifiers) or the adjectives
29:
859:"Infixes - The English grammar rule you don't know you know"
322:
The man here whom you bumped into in the street yesterday
190:), depending on the type of modifier and the rules of
60:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
731:Walking along the road, a vulture loomed overhead.
265:(which always appears after the noun, coming from
827:Studies in Functional and Structural Linguistics
793:Huddleston, Rodney; Pullum, Geoffrey K. (2002).
482:(noun adjunct modifying a noun in a noun phrase)
818:
816:
437:(adjective modifying a noun, in a noun phrase)
27:Optional element in phrase or clause structure
796:The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language
8:
626:(or number/cardinality) of a referent: e.g.
313:(the area of the town as properly defined).
646:specifies the location of a referent: e.g.
231:that nice tall man from Canada whom you met
522:(adverb modifying a prepositional phrase)
164:"quickly" acts as a modifier in the verb
120:Learn how and when to remove this message
328:is separated from the word it modifies (
198:; one placed after the head is called a
785:
644:Localizing (or anchoring) modification
7:
552:(noun phrase modifying an adjective)
473:, modifying a noun in a noun phrase)
460:, modifying a noun in a noun phrase)
447:, modifying a noun in a noun phrase)
58:adding citations to reliable sources
697:He painted her sitting on the step.
543:(quantifier modifying a determiner)
469:(adjectival clause, in this case a
456:(adjectival phrase, in this case a
443:(adjectival phrase, in this case a
664:Discourse-referential modification
25:
740:) has nothing to modify, except
678:Ambiguous and dangling modifiers
528:(adverb modifying a noun phrase)
156:"red" acts as a modifier in the
34:
532:In some cases, noun phrases or
45:needs additional citations for
857:Melly, Bethanie (2020-11-10).
799:. Cambridge University Press.
409:at the start of this article.
180:Premodifiers and postmodifiers
1:
702:Here the participial phrase
494:(adverb in adjective phrase)
324:, where the relative clause
389:), which modify nouns; and
309:(the appropriate town) and
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706:may be intended to modify
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377:used for modification are
140:is an optional element in
503:(adverb in adverb phrase)
485:. (adverb in verb phrase)
620:Quantifying modification
595:Qualifying modificiation
571:Classifying modification
214:, whereas in the phrase
597:further specifies some
293:(the latter comes from
738:walking along the road
573:further specifies the
536:can act as modifiers:
303:the person responsible
248:are premodifiers, and
69:"Grammatical modifier"
894:Descriptive technique
836:10.1075/sfsl.68.06rij
764:Intersective modifier
236:In this noun phrase,
222:is a postmodifier of
889:Syntactic categories
714:or the whole clause
601:of a referent: e.g.
577:of a referent: e.g.
509:(adverb modifying a
458:prepositional phrase
354:expletive infixation
299:a responsible person
210:is a premodifier of
54:improve this article
774:Subsective modifier
769:Privative adjective
704:sitting on the step
541:workers are needed.
358:in-fucking-credible
256:are postmodifiers.
507:people were there.
445:participial phrase
387:adjectival clauses
383:adjectival phrases
332:) by the modifier
202:. For example, in
684:Dangling modifier
399:adverbial clauses
395:adverbial phrases
342:split infinitives
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16:(Redirected from
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557:Functional types
498:She set it down
477:His desk was in
441:carried it away.
352:, most commonly
326:whom...yesterday
216:mines in wartime
148:structure which
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471:relative clause
375:parts of speech
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338:free word order
311:the town proper
307:the proper town
284:time immemorial
281:in the phrases
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622:specifies the
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110:February 2018
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65:Find sources:
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43:This article
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866:. Retrieved
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414:noun adjunct
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369:Formal types
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346:to boldly go
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200:postmodifier
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107:
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52:Please help
47:verification
44:
759:Intensifier
754:Description
712:painted her
534:quantifiers
373:Two common
250:from Canada
206:, the word
196:premodifier
170:predication
158:noun phrase
134:linguistics
883:Categories
868:2023-02-17
780:References
655:the house
526:was saved.
511:determiner
422:land mines
379:adjectives
350:infixation
272:immemorial
220:in wartime
204:land mines
80:newspapers
844:1385-7916
742:a vulture
718:(or just
690:ambiguity
174:reference
154:adjective
18:Modifiers
748:See also
624:quantity
563:semantic
320:, as in
150:modifies
138:modifier
863:STAR UK
636:several
599:quality
589:meeting
517:It ran
489:He was
432:It was
391:adverbs
278:martial
94:scholar
842:
803:
582:energy
547:She's
464:I saw
451:She's
295:French
262:galore
192:syntax
166:phrase
162:adverb
146:clause
142:phrase
96:
89:
82:
75:
67:
669:the/a
631:boxes
612:heavy
604:black
580:solar
393:(and
381:(and
364:Types
348:) or
305:, or
267:Irish
224:mines
212:mines
101:JSTOR
87:books
840:ISSN
801:ISBN
649:this
638:cars
606:cars
575:kind
418:land
397:and
385:and
334:here
301:and
287:and
275:and
252:and
246:tall
244:and
242:nice
208:land
187:head
172:and
136:, a
73:news
832:doi
708:her
671:car
651:car
629:two
614:box
407:red
360:).
330:man
238:man
132:In
56:by
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861:.
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720:he
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