HEADS & MODIFIERS

By: Siti Nurani, S.Pd., M.Hum.

Heads and Modifiers

Two central ideas:

1. Certain relationships hold between words

a. Head: one word that controls the other words.

b. Modifiers: the other words that modify the head.

2. Words are grouped into phrases and that groupings

typically bring together heads and their modifiers.

A given head may have more than one modifier, and may have no modifier.

In Phrases: every phrase contains a head and possibly, but not necessarily, one or more modifiers.

Example: (1) a. barked loudly. (with 1 modifier) head modifier - Head : barked (verb)

- Modifier: loudly (adverb)

b. the large dog . (with 2 modifiers)

modifier 1 modifier 2 head - Head : dog (noun) - Modifiers: the (determiner; definite article), large

(adjective)

In Clauses: Each clause has a head, the verb. Example: (2) Mr. Elton delivered a charade to Emma for a

friend. modifier 1 head modifier 2 modifier 3

modifier 4 - Head : delivered (verb) - Modifiers: Mr. Elton (noun), a charade (direct object), to

Emma (indirect object), for a friend (preposition

phrase)

(3) a. Ethel was sitting at her desk. b. * The Ethel was sitting at her desk. Description: - Example (3a) is a grammatical sentence, but in (3b) is not grammatical. - Ethel is a type of noun that typically excludes word such as the and a.

(4) a. *Accountant was sitting at her desk. b. The accountant was sitting at her desk. c. Accountants audit our financies every year. Description: - Accountant is different type of noun; if it is

singular, as in (4a), it requires a word such as the or a. - In (4c), accountants consists of accountant plus

the plural suffix –s and denotes more than one accountant.

It does not require the. Plural nouns, of course, exclude a or

an but allow words such as some or more.

Heads, Modifiers & Meaning

Head: convey a central piece of information. Modifiers: convey extra information.

Example: (5) a. expensive books. modifier head b. the expensive books. modifier 1 modifier 2 head Meaning: - the head word books indicates the very large set of

things that count as books. - the modifier expensive indicates that the speaker is

drawing attention not to the whole set but to the subset of books that are

expensive. - the word the in (5b) signals that the speaker is referring

to a set of books which have already been mentioned or are

otherwise obvious in a particular context.

Modifiers fall into two (2) classes:

1. Obligatory modifiers (complements)

- complement = “to fill”

- the idea conveyed by ‘complement’ is that a

complement expression fills out the verb (or noun

and so on); filling it out or completing it with

respect to syntax but also with respect to meaning.

- head and complements are typically adjacent.

(commonly: subject, objects (direct & indirect),

directional phrase)

Classes of Modifiers (Complements and Adjuncts)

2. Optional modifiers (adjuncts)

- adjunct = “to join” or “to add”

- something adjoined; tacked on and not part of the

essential structure of clauses.

- where a head has two or more complements,

adjuncts typically come before and after the

sequence of head and complements.

- adjunct does not come between the head and any of

the complements.

(commonly: time and place expression)

Examples:

(6) My mother bought a present for Jeanie in Jenners last Tuesday.

headDescription: - Head: bought (verb) - The verb bought controls all other phrases in the clause. It requires a human noun to its left (i.e., mother) and requires a noun to its right that denotes something concrete

(i.e., a present). - Modifiers: => obligatory (complements): my mother, a present => optional (adjuncts): for Jeanie, in Jenners, last Tuesday - The phrase my mother refers to the buyer; bought refers to

the action and a present refers to what was bought. - The phrase for Jeanie can be added which refers to the

person benefiting the from the action. - The sentence allows, but does not require, time expressions

(last Tuesday) and place expression (in Jenners). With verbs, such

time and place expressions are always optional and are held to be

adjuncts.

(7) a. Maisie drove her car from Morningside to Leith on Wednesday.

b. On Wednesday Maisie drove her car from Morningside to Leith.

c. Maisie drove her car on Wednesday from Morningside to Leith.

Description: - Head: drove (verb) - Modifiers: => obligatory (complements): Maisie, her car, from

Morningside to Leith => optional (adjunct): on Wednesday - In (7a), the object her car is next to the verb, followed by the

directional phrase from Morningside to Leith. Objects and directional

phrases are complements. - The time-when phrase on Wednesday is at the end of the

clause in (7a) and at the beginning of the clause in (7b). In (7b), it is closer

to the verb drove, but this is not important. What is important is the fact

that the adjunct does not come between the head and any

complements. This does happen in (7c), where on Wednesday separates the

complement her car from the other complement from Morningside to Leith.

Please do number 1 & 2 (page 9-10)

Exercise

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