Modifiers (Adjuncts)

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.