Faculty of Philosophy

Department of English and English Literature

Sarajevo, November 2010

Seminar Paper:

Premodification and

Postmodification of Nouns

Supervisor: Student:

Prof.dr. Lada Šestić Nermina Hanjalic

CONTENTS

I. Introduction……………………………………………………………...……………….I

1. The Main Characteristics of Nouns………………………………….………………….1

2. Premodification of Nouns……………………………………………..…………………3

a. Determiners……………………………………………………………………………3

b. Adjectives……………………………………………………………………………..3

c. Participles……………………………………………………………………………...4

d. Possessive nouns……………………………………………………………………...6

e. Nouns.………………………………………………………………………………...6

f. Adverbials.……………………………………………………………………………7

g. Adjective compounds in various syntactic combinations……..……..……………….8

3. Postmodification of Nouns………………………………………………………………9

a. Relative clause………………………………………………………………………...9

b. Nonfinite clause……………………………………………………………..……….11

c. Prepositional phrase………………………………………………………………….12

d. Appositive…………………………………………………………………………....12

4. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………..………......13

5. References……………………………………………………………………………….14

1. INTRODUCTION

The reason why I chose this theme for my seminar paper is the fact that the nouns are the most

numerable words in all world’s languages and that they, together with other types of words,

create an endless number of combinations which we use in our speech. In my opinion, the beauty

of a literary work depends on the way in which a writer manages to combine such words and in

which he makes them become living in our imagination and enable us to enter his or her fictional

world.

There is a whole range of items which we use to modify nouns. By “combinations” I mentioned

in the previous paragraph I meant the complex noun phrases which may consist of three

components:

1. The head of the noun phrase – the noun phrase nucleus (the mellow light of the

huge lace-covered lamp);

2. The premodification – all the words that belong to the noun phrase and are placed

before its head (the mellow light of the huge lace-covered lamp);

3. The postmodification – all the words that belong to the noun phrase and are

placed after its head (the mellow light of the huge lace-covered lamp).

Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum’s grammar gives us a whole range of premodifying and

postmodifying items, starting from the simple premodification by adjectives to the complex

postmodification by the whole sentences.1 Most of my work here is based on the grammar of the

aforementioned authors, and the examples that I am going to offer have been taken from some of

my favourite literary works. Some sentences that illustrate certain grammatical rules had to be

slightly altered in order to have the emphasis placed at the important part of the sentence.

In “A Student’s Introduction to English Grammar”, R. Huddleston and G. Pullum classify the

modifiers as the internal dependants which fall inside the structure of a noun phrase.

1 “A Student’s Grammar of the English Language”, S. Greenbaum, R. Quirk, Longman 1993.

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2. THE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF NOUNS

The words that we use to name persons, ideas, places, objects etc. are called NOUNS. The word

noun comes from the Latin word nomen which means “name”2. The nouns are the most

numerable words in dictionaries of any world’s language.

The English nouns have the following characteristics:

a. Number:

Singular (book, child, wind, man, ox)

Plural

a. Regular –s plural: (books, winds)

b. Irregular plural: (children, men, oxen)

b. Case:

Subjective (function as subjects in a clause): (The man is surely tired.)

Objective (function as objects in a clause): (She has finished the lesson.)

Possessive (modify other nouns in a clause): (My mother’s hat is lost.)

c. Gender:

Masculine

Feminine

Neuter

In the English language, the nouns have natural gender. The masculine and the feminine

nouns refer to human beings, with an exception of animals, ships or imaginary creatures

to whom people give human characteristics.

It is appropriate to mention here the types of nouns in the English language:

- Countable nouns – form plural by adding –s (one pencil, two pencils);

- Non-countable nouns – not used in plural, and one type of such nouns are mass nouns

2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noun

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which are words for concrete objects stated in an undivided quantity (rice, brass, blood).

Abstract nouns (football, chemistry) are also non-countable.3

Nouns themselves are not enough to convey meaning therefore we reach for a whole range of

other types of words and word structures to modify them. In that sense we can talk about

premodification and postmodification of nouns as the means of giving their further descriptions.

3 “A Practical Reference Guide”, M. Frank, Regents/Prentice Hall 1993, pg. 6

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3. PREMODIFICATION OF NOUNS

Placing words like adjectives or other nouns in front of a noun in order to give its further

description is called premodification of nouns. Following Quirk, I shall take into account the

following premodifying items: determiners, adjectives, participles, nouns, possessive nouns,

adverbials, and adjective compounds in various syntactic combinations.

a. Determiners

Determiners can be used with the greatest number of nouns, therefore they always come first in a

noun phrase. Depending on their order, we devide them into three categories: central

determiners, predeterminers, and postdeterminers.

- Central determiners precede the noun in a noun phrase. The following items belong to

this group of determiners:

articles: the, a/an (the tiger, a tiger);

demonstrative adjectives: this, pl. these (this chair, pl. these chairs);

that, pl. those (that car, pl. those cars);

possessive adjectives: (my/his/our house);

adjectives of indefinite quantity: some coffee, all the books, few pounds;

relative and interrogative adjectives: whose parents, which building.4

Usually, only one kind of central determiner is used.

- Predeterminers precede the central determiners in a noun phrase. The following items

belong to this class of determiners:

partitives: all (of) the books, both (of) her sisters;

fractions: half (of) the money, one-quarter (of) the amount;

4 “A Practical Reference Guide”, M. Frank, Regents/Prentice Hall 1993, pg. 109

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(Obviously, partitives and fractions may be interpreted as preceding a prepositional phrase from

which “of” has been omitted.)

multipliers: twice the size, three times the amount.

- Postdeterminers (numerals and sequence adjectives) follow the central determiners and

predeterminers.

numerals: a. ordinals (those ten books, his two cars);

b. cardinals (the third lesson, the sixth month);

sequence adjectives: the last prisoner, the next generation

b. Adjective:

Sequence of adjectives in premodification

According to M. Frank, the order of adjectives in premodification “is determined by the degree

of generality of each type of adjective.5

English is not an inflectional language therefore the word order in a sentence is of a high

importance. This means that the premodifiers should not be randomly clustered around a noun.

For example, it is correct to say:

The big, black dog

because “big” hasbut

*The black, big dog

Randolph Quirk illustrates the premodification sequence in the following way:6

determiners general age colour participle provenance noun denominal head

5 “A Practical Reference Guide”, M. Frank, Regents/Prentice Hall 1993, pg. 1146 “A Student’s Grammar of the English Language”, S. Greenbaum, R. Quirk, Longman 1993., pg. 392

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the hectic social life

the extravagant London social life

a crumbling church tower

a grey crumbling Gothic church tower

some intricate old interlocking Chinese designs

a small green carved jade idol

his heavy new moral responsibilities

d.

e. No matter how strict this might seem, the English language gives us a possibility to “disorder” the

sequence. The discontinuous modification is quite common in spoken English.

f. I find myself planning still last year’s holiday.7

One electric fan revolved like a wounded bird.8

I want to see the real India.9

The unspeakable attempt presented itself to her as love.10

A single head can have two or more coordinated adjectives in premodification:

…when they receive conspicuous and unexpected honour.11

The adjectives themselves can be modified in premodification by intensifiers such as very,

really, quite, rather, etc:

Until lately he was quite a nice boy.12

7 The example given by a native English speaker8 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 21, Penguin Classics 20059 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 21, Penguin Classics 200510 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 196, Penguin Classics 200511 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 195, Penguin Classics 200512 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 9, Penguin Classics 2005

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…she was a very, very nice woman…13

A rather small woman, she shrank a little from the first contact with the Bottoms

women.14

c. Participles:

- ing participle:

Molly Carthew went to everlasting fire.15

Religion is a living force to the Hindus.16

He had become a sort of walking repudiation of Oxford and all its traditions.17

The –ing participle which functions as premodifier can itself be modified:

She let her put her large cool pastry-making hands upon her shoulders.18

The notion of a trip to the West Country took an ever-increasing hold on my thoughts.19

He was the best-looking boy I have ever seen.20

-ed participle:

A stuffed parrot.21

The Thread was in her folded hands.22

She put her gloved hand up to her lips.23

Just like with the –ing participles, the –ed participles can be modified:

13 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 195, Penguin Classics 200514 “Sons and Lovers”, D.H. Lawrence, pg.2, Penguin Popular Classics 199515 “Brighton Rock”, G. Green, pg. 217, Vintage 200916 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 289, Penguin Classics 200517 “Pygmalion”, B. Shaw, pg. 4, Penguin Classics 200318 “Brighton Rock”, G. Green, pg. 216, Vintage 200919 “The Remains of the Day”, K. Ishiguro, pg. 5, F&F Ltd. 200520 “Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises”. E. Hemingway, pg. 141, Arrow Books 200421 “Flaubert’s Parrot”, J. Barnes, pg. 184, Vintage 200922 “Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises”. E. Hemingway, pg. 31, Arrow Books 200423 “Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises”. E. Hemingway, pg. 44, Arrow Books 2004

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Beside him hung a portrait of his wife, a pallid, thin-lipped women in black.24

The red-nosed boy has again insulted me in court.25

He was, I believe, not in the least an ill-natured man.26

d. ‘s genitive:

When she came on in her boy’s clothes she was perfectly wonderful.27

(“boy’s clothes” does not refer to clothes that belong to a boy, but to clothes that look

boyish)

e. Noun:

Premodification by a common noun:

They have had my own divorce-case. 28

She wears a little sailor hat of black straw.29

During this time I spent many minutes examining the road atlas.30

Premodifiaction by a personal noun:

He was led past that by his contempt for the popular Pitman system of shorthand.31

She shrank a little from the first contact with the Bottoms women.32

The mother perceived her son gazing enraptured outside the Lion Wallace booth.33

Premodification by a possessive form of a noun:

24 “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, O. Wilde, pg. 138, Penguin Classics 200325 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 9, Penguin Classics 200526 “Pygmalion”, B. Shaw, pg. 4, Penguin Classics 200327 “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, O. Wilde, pg. 74, Penguin Classics 200328 “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, O. Wilde, pg. 202, Penguin Classics 200329 “Pygmalion”, B. Shaw, pg. 11, Penguin Classics 200330 “The Remains of the Day”, K. Ishiguro, pg. 11, F&F Ltd. 200531 “Pygmalion”, B. Shaw, pg. 5, Penguin Classics 200332 “Sons and Lovers”, D.H. Lawrence, pg.2, Penguin Popular Classics 199533 “Sons and Lovers”, D.H. Lawrence, pg.4, Penguin Popular Classics 1995

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Gustave’s father and sister were buried there.34

Mrs. Turton replied that Mr Heaslop’s mother was trying to get a passage.35

A refusal in such circumstances may not reflect my employer’s true feelings on the

matter.36

Plural noun in premodification becomes singular:

He has shown me his stamp collection.37

f. Adverbial:

The evidence showed that the deceased lady… was knocked down by the engine of the ten

o’clock slow train from Kingstown.38

But, for the rest of Hester’s life, there was evidence that someone in a faraway land

cared for the aging woman.39

g. Sentence:

The stay-at-home mothers stood gossiping at the corners of the alley.40

He was the son of a well-to-do tradesman.41

34 “Flaubert’s Parrot”, J. Barnes, pg. 93, Vintage 200935 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 195, Penguin Classics 200536 “The Remains of the Day”, K. Ishiguro, pg. 13, F&F Ltd. 200537 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 9, Penguin Classics 200538 “Dubliners”, J. Joyce, pg. 74, Dover Publications Inc. 199139 “The Scarlet Letter”, N. Hawthorne, pg. 222, Penguin Popular Classics 199440 “Sons and Lovers”, D.H. Lawrence, pg.5, Penguin Popular Classics 199541 “Sons and Lovers”, D.H. Lawrence, pg.8, Penguin Popular Classics 1995

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POSTMODIFICATION OF NOUNS

In this chapter I will consider restrictive type of postmodification, more precisely, the kind of

modification which is essential for identification of the head. The following word structures fall

under the category of postmodifying items:

a. Relative clause:

The subject of a relative clause is a relative pronoun which shows the agreement with the head

based on the personal and non-personal gender system.

In the English language, only human beings have personality, however, this extends to imaginary

creatures like fairies, dwarfs, elves etc. which have human characteristics. This rule extends to

pet animals, ships, and even cars/motorbikes. It is common for people to assign a female gender

and even a name to such loved objects.

Personal (who):

Never trust a woman who wears mauve. 42

A man who fights never survives long.43

She knew no one who lived there. 44

Non-personal (which):

Beyond the railway which runs parallel to the river the land sinks.45

The postcards which Mrs. Higgins describes are such as I have received from Sweet. 46

I would decipher a sound which a cockney would represent by “zerr”. 47

42 “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, O. Wilde, pg. 99, Penguin Classics 200343 “Flaubert’s Parrot”, J. Barnes, pg. 113, Vintage 200944 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 197, Penguin Classics 200545 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 5, Penguin Classics 200546 “Pygmalion”, B. Shaw, pg. 4, Penguin Classics 200347 “Pygmalion”, B. Shaw, pg. 4, Penguin Classics 2003

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It is quite common that the relative pronouns who and which are replaced with the general

pronoun that which may be applied to both personal and non-personal character:

The swift and comfortable mail-train slid with her…through landscapes that were baked

and bleached. 48

His papers include some satires that may be published without too destructive results

fifty years hence.49

In cases where relative pronoun is not the subject of the relative clause, the relative pronoun can

be omitted (zero, Ø):

She had on the hat (which) he disliked.50

The relative pronoun can also have the form “whose” if it is in a genitive relation with the noun

head:

They rise from the gardens whose ancient tanks nourish them. 51

We use the “whom” form of the relative pronoun if the relative clause functions as the

prepositional complement:

I only want to meet those Indians whom you come across socially.52

Or as an indirect object:

Had I one friend… to whom I could daily betake myself… methinks my soul might keep

itself alive thereby.53

Restrictive and nonrestrictive modification

48 A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 197, Penguin Classics 200549 “Pygmalion”, B. Shaw, pg. 4, Penguin Classics 200350 “Brighton Rock”, G. Green, pg. 149, Vintage 200951 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 6, Penguin Classics 200552 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 24, Penguin Classics 200553 “The Scarlet Letter”, N. Hawthorne, pg. 163, Penguin Popular Classics 1994

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All the relative clauses I mentioned here belong to the restrictive type of modification. This

means that the identification of the head depends on the information given by the clause.

On the other hand, there is a nonrestrictive modification of a head whereby the modifying clause

only gives an additional information about the head. In such cases, the modifying clause is often

placed between commas.

His wife Karen, who is the founder of a charter school in the Bay Area, becomes a

member of the CAI’s board of directors.54

b. Nonfinite clause:

Nonfinite clause in postmodification is nothing else but a reduction of adjective clause with the

relative pronoun omitted from the structure.55 Therefore:

-ing participle clauses:

These fists and fingers are the Marabar Hills (which are) containing the extraordinary

caves. 56

We continued through the museum until we reached the room (which was) containing the

parrot. 57

US denies it sent a letter (which was) demanding freeze extension.58

-ed participle clauses:

The fair boy (who was) called Ralph smiled vaguely.59

54 www.sparknotes.com/lit/three-cups-of-tea/characters.html55 “A Practical Reference Guide”, M. Frank, Regents/Prentice Hall 1993, pg. 27956 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 7, Penguin Classics 200557 “Flaubert’s Parrot”, J. Barnes, pg. 113, Vintage 200958 http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article59 “Lord of the Flies”, W. Golding, pg 3, F&F Ltd.

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The yellow tigers (which was) painted on the palace walls seemed to spring.60

It may be acquire from a manual(which was) published by the Clarendon Press.61

-infinitive clauses:

…a party to bridge the gulf between East and West…62

He was a difficult man to love. 63

The desperate attempt to represent her dialect must be abandoned as unintelligible

outside London.64

c. Prepositional phrase:

According to Quirk, “a prepositional phrase is by far the commonest type of postmodification in

English”.65

Scraps of Persian poetry came into his head.66

A servant in scarlet interrupted him.67

Laughter from the bathing-pool deflected him.68

d. Appositive:

Modification by appositive can be considered an afterthought or an assertion which

“enriches” what has already been said.

He lay in a trance, sensuous but healthy, through which the talk of the two others did not

seem particularly sad.

60 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 291, Penguin Classics 200561 “Pygmalion”, B. Shaw, pg. 4, Penguin Classics 200362 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 24, Penguin Classics 200563 “Flaubert’s Parrot”, J. Barnes, pg. 147, Vintage 200964 “Pygmalion”, B. Shaw, pg. 11, Penguin Classics 200365 “A Student’s Grammar of the English Language”, S. Greenbaum, R. Quirk, Longman 1993., pg. 37566 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 11, Penguin Classics 200567 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 13, Penguin Classics 200568 “Brighton Rock”, G. Green, pg. 147, Vintage 2009

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Gods, big and little, were getting aboard.69

4. CONCLUSION

English:

In this seminar paper, helped out by the grammatical works of R. Quirk and M. Frank, I have

made a brief introduction to premodification and postmodification of the most numerous English

words – nouns.

Starting from the general characteristics of nouns and then preceding through various classes of

words and word structures that we use in pre and postmodification, I tried to make sure that all

the relevant grammatical rules are illustrated by the examples taken from my favourite novels.

Bosnian:

U ovom seminarskom radu, potpomognuta gramatikama R. Quirka i M. Frank, napravila sam

kratko upoznavanje sa predmodifikacijom i postmodifikacijom najbrojnijih riječi u engleskom

jeziku – imenica.

Počevši sa opštim karakteristikama imenica a zatim nastavljajući kroz različite klase riječi i

njihovih struktura koje koristimo u pred i postmodifikaciji, pokušala sam ilustrovati sva

relevantna gramatička pravila odgovarajućim primjerima koje sam uzela iz mojih omiljenih

romana.

69 “A Passage to India”, E.M. Forster, pg. 290, Penguin Classics 2005

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5. REFERENCES

1. Quirk Randolph, Greenbaum Sidney, “A Student’s Grammar of the English Language”,

Longman, 1993.

2. Frank Marcella, “A Practical Reference Guide”, Regents/Prentice Hall, 1993.

Literature:

1. Barnes Julian, “Flaubert’s Parrot”, Vintage, 2009.

2. Forster E.M., “A Passage to India, Penguin Classics, 2005.

3. Green Graham, “Brighton Rock”, Vintage, 2009.

4. Golding William, “Lord of the Flies”, F&F Ltd.

5. Hawthorne Nathaniel, “The Scarlet Letter”, Penguin Popular Classics, 1994.

6. Hemingway Ernest, “Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises”, Arrow Books, 2004.

7. Ishiguro Kazuo, “The Remains of the Day”, F&F Ltd., 2005

8. Joyce James, “Dubliners”, Dover Publications Inc., 1991.

9. Lawrence D.H., “Sons and Lovers”, Penguin Classics, 1995.

10. Shaw Bernard, “Pygmalion”, Penguin Classics, 2003.

11. Wilde Oscar, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, Penguin Classics, 2003.

Web pages:

1. www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article

2. www.sparknotes.com/lit/three-cups-of-tea/characters.html

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