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.