Gert: Created page with "The Modifier Test for identifying modifiers in English A modifier does not behave like a complement, i.e. it is semantically more autonomous, i.e. it makes the same meaning co..."

2017-04-25T13:53:03Z

Created page with "The Modifier Test for identifying modifiers in English A modifier does not behave like a complement, i.e. it is semantically more autonomous, i.e. it makes the same meaning co..."

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The Modifier
Test for identifying modifiers in English
A modifier does not behave like a complement, i.e. it is
semantically more autonomous, i.e. it makes the same meaning contribution independent of the predicate it combines with.
syntactically optional
can be used with a pro-VP form such as do so:
John read a book in the library and Mary did so at home.
typical examples:
temporal modifiers: at night, after the party
locative modifiers: at home, in the library
...
Categories and structural position
Modifiers are usually PPs, AdvPs or clauses introduced by a subordinate conjunction.
Modifiers are sisters of VP and dominated by a VP; they are not sisters of complements.
In English, modifiers normally do not stand between the verb and its complement(s).
Example:
___S____
/ \
/ ____AuxP___
/ / \
/ / _____VP_____
/ / / \
/ / ___VP____ \
/ / / \ mod
subj / VP \ \
/ / / \ mod \
/ / / obl.comp \ \
/ / / | \ \
NP Aux V _PP__ ______PP_____ _AdvP_
/__\ | | /_____\ /_____________\ /______\
Pat will wait for Kim at the bus stop tonight.

The Modifier - Revision history

Gert: Created page with "The Modifier Test for identifying modifiers in English A modifier does not behave like a complement, i.e. it is semantically more autonomous, i.e. it makes the same meaning co..."