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_{Syntactic Theory}

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).

                  ___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.

Further reading on other grammatical functions:

• The Predicate
• The Subject
• The Direct Object
• The Indirect Object
• The Predicative Complement
• The Oblique Complement

Categories: Glossary