The Post-Modification in Nominal Groups
The Post-Modification in Nominal Groups
Fransiska Dewi H., S.S., M.Hum
Abstract
Syntax mostly deals with the external structures of the words. It has to do with discussing the structures which is at the level above word, in group level. Thus, this paper discusses only on the structure of modification which shows the relationship between the head word and its modifier(s) and the group of words under discussion consists of the phrase and clause of noun called nominal group. Since the position of modification after the head is often misunderstood as complementation, the discussion focuses more on the post-modification in the nominal groups in order to resolve the ambiguity. Based on the discussion, the head noun can be post-modified by the relative clause, the prepositional phrases, the adjectival phrases, the adverbial phrases, and the appositives.
Key terms: syntax, post-modification, nominal group.
A. Introduction
In a clause structure, nominal groups can function as a subject, an object or a complement. The nominal groups also realize the principal participants in the situation described by the clause, as an Agent, an Affected, and a Recipient in material processes, and the corresponding participants in mental and relational processes. To a lesser extent, the nominal group occurs as adjunct and also as complement of a preposition (Downing and Locke, 2006).
The nominal group has four primary elements: the head, which is the central element, the determiner and the pre-modifier in the position before the head, and the post-modifier in the position after the head. The head is generally realized by a noun or pronoun, for example book and they. The determiner can be realized by the articles (a, an, the), the demonstrative (this, that, these, those), the wh-words (which, whatever), the distributives (each, all, every), the quantifiers (first, many), or the possessives (‘s). The pre-modifier describes or classifies the referent. Thus, it can be in the
Fransiska Dewi H., S.S., M.Hum
Abstract
Syntax mostly deals with the external structures of the words. It has to do with discussing the structures which is at the level above word, in group level. Thus, this paper discusses only on the structure of modification which shows the relationship between the head word and its modifier(s) and the group of words under discussion consists of the phrase and clause of noun called nominal group. Since the position of modification after the head is often misunderstood as complementation, the discussion focuses more on the post-modification in the nominal groups in order to resolve the ambiguity. Based on the discussion, the head noun can be post-modified by the relative clause, the prepositional phrases, the adjectival phrases, the adverbial phrases, and the appositives.
Key terms: syntax, post-modification, nominal group.
A. Introduction
In a clause structure, nominal groups can function as a subject, an object or a complement. The nominal groups also realize the principal participants in the situation described by the clause, as an Agent, an Affected, and a Recipient in material processes, and the corresponding participants in mental and relational processes. To a lesser extent, the nominal group occurs as adjunct and also as complement of a preposition (Downing and Locke, 2006).
The nominal group has four primary elements: the head, which is the central element, the determiner and the pre-modifier in the position before the head, and the post-modifier in the position after the head. The head is generally realized by a noun or pronoun, for example book and they. The determiner can be realized by the articles (a, an, the), the demonstrative (this, that, these, those), the wh-words (which, whatever), the distributives (each, all, every), the quantifiers (first, many), or the possessives (‘s). The pre-modifier describes or classifies the referent. Thus, it can be in the
References: Downing, Angela and Philip Locke. English Grammar, 2nd Ed. Routledge: Oxon. 2006. Greenbaum, Sidney and Randolph Quirk. A Student 's Grammar of the English Language. London: Longman, 1997. Jeffries, Lesley. Discovering Language: The Structures of Modern English. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. Leech, Geoffrey and Jan Svartvik. A Communicative Grammar of English. London: Longman Group Limited, 1994.