Modifiers (Adjuncts)

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]Mod and Mary did so [at home]Mod.
• 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.

1. The predicate
   
2. The subject
   
3. The complements
   
   1. The direct object
      
   2. The indirect object
      
   3. The predicative complement
      
   4. The oblique complement
      
4. Modifiers (Adjuncts)
   

  ← Oblique Complement        ↑ Grammatical Functions