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(DET) + (premodifiers) + head + (postmodifiers)

We need, at this point, to  mention once again the concept of embedding. Embedding is the characteristic of language whereby constituents are embedded in other constituents. In this section we are discussing modifying constituents that are embedded in noun phrases. Such constituents are adjectival. They may be words, phrases, or clauses. 

Consider the following sentence.

Dogs bark.

Here we have an entirely unmodified sentence. Dogs is the entire NP that serves as the complete subject of the sentence. Bark is the entire VP serving as the predicate. But let’s put modifiers in the NP.

Big dogs bark.

Now we have an adjective phrase (AdjPh) in the subject NP. Big is a premodifier of the head dogs. (Keep in mind that, even though "big" is just a single word, in its role as a modifier it is a phrase.) Let’s modify again.

Big dogs with furry hides bark.

This time we have used a prepositional phrase to modify big dogs. This demonstrates one function of prepositional phrases: adjectival modifier. They have other functions as well. Prepositional phrases, when they modify, are always postmodifiers.

Let’s look at another simple modification in this constituent, that of determiner (DET):

The big dogs with furry hides bark.

The and other words (an, some, many, etc.) that fit in this sort of slot are called determiners.    For practical purposes, I include determiners in the broad category of adjective, but remember that they do not function entirely like true adjectives.  For instance, they cannot be modified by determiners or adverbs other than intensifiers.  The class of determiners includes articles (a, an, the), demonstrative pronouns (this, that, these, those), possessive pronouns (my, your, her, his, its, our, their, whose), numbers (one, two, etc. and first, second, etc.), and indefinite pronouns (some, each, many, etc.)  

Now we go hunting for bigger game: other phrases and clauses that can serve as modifiers in NPs. First, the verbal phrases: infinitive phrases and participial phrases. We need a new sentence here.

John has dogs to sell.

Here, dogs to sell is the direct object. It is made up of a noun head dogs and an infinitive phrase postmodifier to sell. To sell provides information about the dogs. Notice that this infinitive phrase works very much like the prepositional phrase as postmodifier. Let’s try another structure.

John has dogs swimming in his pool.

Just as with the infinitive phrase, the participial phrase swimming in his pool is a postmodifier of dogs. (Notice that a prepositional phrase in his pool is embedded in the participial phrase.)

Another leap! To clauses.

Dogs that are hairy bark.

The constituent that are hairy is a clause (generated by basic sentence pattern #4). It is, also, an adjectival postmodifier of dogs. We could probably find a clause that we could insert here for each of the basic sentence patterns.   These adjectival clauses are more commonly called relative clauses. I will call them adjective clauses because this title is more descriptive of their roles.

B. Modification in finite and nonfinite verb phrases (VPs): Adverbial Phrases and Clauses. When we discuss the VP, we are talking, in finite VPs, about the entire predicate of any of the seven basic sentence patterns. In nonfinite VPs we are referring to the entire phrase including, as we have said before, every element of a finite verb phrase except the finite verb phrase marker discussed in Chapter 18. 

One disclaimer:  recognize that embedded within these VPs are nominal constituents. Nominals serving in object and complement roles are modified much like nominals that appear in subject roles. Don’t let them be a distraction in this discussion about adverbial modification in verb phrases.

That disclaimer simplifies what we have to say significantly. All we are talking about is adverbial phrases and clauses.

Examples (the first sentence in each pair contains only a  finite VP, the second, a finite and a nonfinite VP):

1) The dog bites very quickly.
2) The dog is likely to bite very quickly.

"Very quickly" is an adverb phrase (intensifier + adverb head) which modifies in 1) the intransitive verb, bites, in 2) the infinitive to bite.

1) The dog lives in his house.
2) The dog living in his house is a dirty dog.

In his house is a prepositional phrase  which modifies in 1) the intransitive verb, lives, in 2) the participle living.

1) The batter hit the ball over the fence.
2) It was no problem for Mantle to hit the ball over the fence.

Over the fence is a prepositional phrase that modifies in 1) the transitive verb, hit, in 2) the infinitive to hit. (Notice that adverbial modifiers don’t follow the rule of proximity to that which they modify.  In the above sentences, the DO the ball is between the verb or verbal and the modifier.  That’s one thing that makes them tricky little critters.)

Adverbial modifiers can sometimes be premodifiers as well.

1) The guest very politely thanked the hostess.
2) The guest, politely thanked, left the house.

Very politely is an adverb phrase that modifies in 1) the transitive verb, thanked, in 2) the past participle thanked. Notice that this adverb phrase could be moved to other slots in the sentence. (The guest thanked the hostess very politely.) That’s another tricky thing about adverbial modifiers.

Another type of adverbial modifier is the adverb clause. It works much like a phrasal modifier. It's just a clause instead of a phrase.

1) Things got better when you left.

2) You find vultures where there is dead meat.

3) You will be happy if you understand this.

4) John walked farther because he was lost.

5) We bought candy so we wouldn't go hungry.

6) I was so tired that I couldn’t move.

Each of these is a clause that is modifying either the verb or a part or all of the rest of the sentence  adverbially. (It gets a bit fuzzy just what is modified.)   Later, we will take a quick look at how these adverb clauses can move around in the sentence. You can probably imagine that right now, but don’t get lost in your thoughts.  Stay focused!

C. Modification in Adjective and Adverb Phrases.

Because of the simplicity of such modification, we need not go into this in great detail. Simplest first: adverb phrases may contain intensifiers as modifiers of the adverb head (e.g., very quickly). Degree adverbs may also be used in this manner, but such constructions are often awkward because of the redundancy of –ly endings (e.g., intensely painfully).

Modification in adjective phrases can be a bit more complicated because, along with intensifiers (e.g., very sad) as modifiers, fully developed adverbial constructions (adverbial phrases or clauses) may be embedded in adjective phrases (very nicely dressed). Also, adjective phrases often include postmodifiers.  These take the form of prepositional phrases (sorry for himself), nonfinite verb phrases (sorry to go), or adverb clauses (sorry that he left).

Note: Be aware that this discussion does not exhaust the possibilities of modification in English sentences. As you gain sophistication in your understanding of grammatical structures, you will see modification everywhere. It multiplies like cats. Maybe worse. That’s why, as teachers of writing, you must learn to neuter and spay modifiers in student writing. Except in bad poetry, there’s just no market for excessive modifiers.

Chapter 14 Homework:  Write a paragraph.  Mark and explain one instance each of modification in an NP, VP (finite and nonfinite), AdjPh, and AdvPh.

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