- Definition of Adjective Phrase
Adjective phrase is a word group that has an adjective
as its head. Note that the adjective in this phrase may be accompanied by other
words such as determiners, modifiers etc.
Adjective phrases can go before a noun (attributive
position). They can also go after a linking verb like be (predicative
position).
- He was wearing a dark brown suit. (Here the adjective phrase ‘a dark brown’ modifies the noun suit.)
- The fish tasted awfully funny. (Here the adjective phrase ‘awfully funny’ says something about the fish. It goes after the copular or linking verb tasted.
A copular verb does not take
an object and it cannot be modified by an adverb. The word or phrase that
follows a copular verb typically says something about the subject of the
sentence.
- The fish tasted awful. (NOT The fish tasted awfully.) Here the adjective awful says something about the fish. It doesn’t modify the verb tasted.
Note that the adjective in an adjective phrase may be
modified by an adverb. When it is modified by an adverb, the adverb goes before
the adjective. The adjective may also be modified by other determiners like
articles, possessives and demonstratives.
Consider the phrase ‘my cute little daughter’
Here the adjective phrase ‘my cute little’ consists of
a possessive (my) and two adjectives (cute and little). Sometimes the idea
expressed by an adjective can also be expressed using a noun phrase. Consider
the examples given below.
- Brutus is an honorable man. (Here the adjective honorable modifies the noun man.)
The same idea can be expressed using the phrase: a man
of honor
Brutus is a man of honor.
Another example is given below.
- Churchill was an eminent man. (Here the adjective eminent modifies the noun man.)
- Churchill was a man of eminence. (Here the noun phrase ‘a man of eminence’ means the same as the phrase ‘an eminent man’.)
When adjectives and adjective phrases work to modify nouns, they form part
of the noun phrases. It is possible to modify a noun with more than one
adjective. The analysis of noun phrases containing more than one adjective can
be quite complex.
AP: (AdvP) + Adj (AdvP) = adverb of degree (very,
so)
e.g.
Merdine is very beautiful
S P
Adj.P (Adv.P)
+ Adj. 
Adj. P (Deg
+ Adv.) + Adj.
e.g. Mrs. Linda
is diligent.
S
NP VP N
V Adj.P
Adj
Mrs. Linda is diliigent
Adj. P (Deg
+ Adv.) + Adj.
Mrs. Linda is very diligent.
S
 |
NP VP
N V Adj.P
Deg Adj
Mrs. Linda is very diligent
Mrs. Linda is quite astonishingly diligent.
S 
NP
VP 
N V Adj.P
 |
Adv.P Adj
 |
Deg
Adv
ADVERBIAL PHRASE
A. Definition
of Adverb Phrase
Adverbial phrase (or adverb
phrase) is the term for on, two or more words which play the role of an adverb.
Adverb
Phrase is a phrase whose head is an adverb.
Example :
·
I will sit quietly
·
I will sit in silence
·
We usually go on holiday in
august
B. Types
of adverbial phrase
1. Adverbial
phrase of manner.
Used to give information about how
something happens. Example :
§ We
walked very carefully across the floor
2. Adverbial
phrase of place
Used to give information about
where something happens. Example :
§ Here
is where i was born.
3. Adverbial
phrase of time
Used to give information about when
something happens. Example :
§ Dad
got home very late.
C. Function
of Adverb Phrase
1. Adverb
phrases + verbs
We use adverb
phrase most commonly to modify verbs. In the example the adverb phrases are in
bold. The verbs that modify are underlined :
§ Children
grow up really quickly
§ I
exercise very regularly and I eat quite healthily .
2. Adverb
phrases + Be
We use adverb
phrase with be. This is especially typical of adverbs of place. Example :
§ I
am here.
3. Adverb
phrase + adjectives / adverbs
We use adverb
phrase to modify adjectives and other adverbs. Example :
·
I found it extremely difficult
to talk to her.
(Adverb) ( Adjective)
·
He drives really carefully
(adv) (adv)
4. Adverb
phrases + other phrases
We use adverb
phrases to modify noun phrases and prepositional phrases. Example:
·
That’s quite a tree .
(adv) (NP)
·
We climbed right over the top
of the hill and down again .
(adv) (PP)
5. Adverb
phrase + determiners
We use adverb
phrase to modify determiners. Especially words like all, some, half, many
(quantifiers). Example :
·
Only half
of my friends could come to my party.
·
Very few
people have heard of my city. It’s very small.
Pattern: Adv.P
(Deg) + Adv
•E.g.
The man worked hard.
S
NP VP
DET N V Adv.P
Adv
The man worked hard
E.g.
The man worked very hard. S
NP VP
 |
 |
||
Det N V Adv.P
Deg Adv
The man
worked very hard
Sentence adverbs
Adverbs which
modify the whole sentence. The tree diagram is …
Honestly, I love you.
S
Adv.P
NP VP Adv N V NP
N
PREPOSITIONS
AND PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE
A.
Definition of Prepositional
Prepositional
phrases modify nouns and verbs while indicating various relationships between
subjects and verbs. They are used to color and inform sentences in powerful
ways. A prepositional phrase is phrase that
starts with a preposition and ends with noun (or a pronoun). Prepositional phrases, in theory, can modify sentences
infinitely. Therefore, it is important for writers to understand their form and
function in order to make appropriate stylistic choices.
At the minimum, a prepositional phrase will
begin with a preposition
and end with a noun,
pronoun, gerund, or clause, the
"object" of the preposition. The object of the
preposition will often have one or more modifiers to describe it.
These are the patterns for a prepositional phrase:
Preposition +
Noun, Pronoun, Gerund, or Clause
Preposition + Modifier(s)
+ Noun, Pronoun, Gerund, or Clause
Here are some
examples of the most basic prepositional phrase:
- At home
At = preposition; home = noun.
- With me
With = preposition; me = pronoun.
- About what we need
About = preposition; what we need = noun clause.
Most
prepositional phrases are longer, like these:
- From my grandmother
From =
preposition; my = modifier; grandmother = noun.
Remember that a
prepositional phrase will never contain the subject of a sentence. Sometimes a noun within the prepositional phrase seems the logical subject of a verb. Don't fall for that trick! You will never
find a subject in a prepositional phrase. Look at this example:
Neither of these
cookbooks contains the recipe for Manhattan-style squid eyeball stew.
- Formal Functions of Prepositions
Prepositions perform three formal functions in sentences. They can act as
an adjective modifying a noun, as an adverb modifying a verb, or as a nominal
when used in conjunction with the verb form to be.
Prepositions
Functioning as Adjectives
·
Please read the message from Lee.
(The prepositional phrase describes the
noun message.)
·
The man on the radio has a boring voice.
(The prepositional phrase describes the
noun man.)
·
May I see one of the brown ones?
(The prepositional phrase describes the
pronoun one.)
Prepositions
Functioning as Adverbs
·
Lee caught a small mackerel with utmost
pride.
(The prepositional phrase modifies the
verb caught. It is an adverb of manner; i.e., it tells us how he caught it.)
·
Before the war, Lee played football for
Barnstoneworth United.
(The prepositional phrase modifies the
verb played. It is an adverb of time; i.e., it tells us when he played.)
·
Lee is tired from the hike.
(The prepositional phrase modifies the
verb is. It is an adverb of reason; i.e., it tells us why he is tired.)
·
Lee lives in that fridge.
(The prepositional phrase modifies the
verb lives. It is an adverb of place; i.e., it tells us where he lives.)
Prepositions
Functioning as Nominals
In English, sometimes words function as nouns but aren't themselves nouns.
These words are called nominals. Prepositions
sometimes perform this important function in sentences when they are used in
conjunction with the verb to be. For example:
The park is next to the hospital. The student is between an A and a B. The fight scene is before the second act.
Semantic Properties of
Prepositions
In semantic terms, the
preposition functions to illustrate a logical, temporal, or spatial
relationship between the object of the prepositional phrase and the other
components of the sentence. Consider the following examples:
The dog is
asleep on his bed.
In this example, the prepositional phrase on his bed indicates a spatial relationship between the subject dog and the object bed. If the preposition on was replaced with under or beneath the spatial relationship would be
altered.
The town hasn't been
the same since the war.
In this sentence, the prepositional phrase since the war indicates a temporal relationship between the verb phrase hasn't been the same and the object war.
The family
survived despite the accident.
he prepositional
phrase despite the accident in this sentence indicates a
logical relationship between the survival of the family and the accident. We use prepositional phrases for many purposes, for example:
- as adverbials
of time and place:
We will be back in
a few days.
They drove to Glasgow
They drove to Glasgow
.- as a postmodifier in a noun phrase:
Helen is the girl in
the red dress
We’ve got a new television with a thirty one inch screen.
We’ve got a new television with a thirty one inch screen.
- to show who did something:
The lion was killed by
the hunter
I saw a wonderful painting by Van Gogh
I saw a wonderful painting by Van Gogh
- with double
object verbs like give
and get:
We gave five pounds to
the woman on the
corner.
They got a drink for me.
They got a drink for me.
- after certain verbs, nouns and adjectives:
The book belongs to me.
I had an argument with my brother.
I feel sorry for you.
I had an argument with my brother.
I feel sorry for you.
Prepositions as
Prepositional Phrase Heads
The first primary grammatical function that prepositions perform is the
prepositional phrase head. A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition plus
another phrase or clause that functions as the prepositional complement. For
example, the following italicized prepositions function as prepositional phrase
heads:
in the library
after reading the book
for whatever will repair the leak
Prepositional
Phrase as Noun Phrase Modifiers
The second primary grammatical function that prepositional phrases perform
is the noun phrase modifier. A noun phrase modifier is a word, phrase, or
clause that modifies or describes a noun including a noun phrase. For example, the following italicized prepositional phrases function as
noun phrase modifiers:
the puppy with
the blue and white fur
an old man with
glasses
someone for
whom the bell tolls
Prepositional
Phrase as Noun Phrase Complement
The third primary grammatical function that prepositional phrases perform
is the noun phrase complement. A noun phrase complement is a word, phrase, or
clause that completes the meaning of a noun phrase. For example, the following
italicized prepositional phrases function as noun phrase complements:
passion for
reading
love of the
game
fear of
flying
Prepositional
Phrase as Adjective Phrase Complement
The fourth primary grammatical function that prepositional phrases perform
is the adjective phrase complement. An adjective phrase complement is a word,
phrase, or clause that completes the meaning of an adjective phrase. For example, the following italicized prepositional phrases function as
adjective phrase complements:
fond of
bananas
afraid of
falling down the stairs
aware of the
dire consequences
Prepositional
Phrase as Verb Phrase Complement
The fifth primary grammatical function that prepositional phrases perform
is the verb phrase complement. A verb phrase complement is a word, phrase, or
clause that completes the meaning of a verb phrase. For example, the following italicized prepositional phrases function as
verb phrase complements:
rely on my
husband
listen to the
music
approve of my
plan
A verb with a
verb phrase complement is often referred to as a prepositional verb.
Prepositional verbs are a common verb form in the English language that consist
of a verb followed by a preposition.
Prepositional
Phrase as Adjunct Adverbial
The sixth primary grammatical function that prepositional phrases perform
is the adjunct adverbial. An adjunct adverbial is a word, phrase, or clause
that modifies an entire clause by providing additional information about time,
place, manner, condition, purpose, reason, result, and concession. For example,
the following italicized prepositional phrases function as adjunct adverbials:
The children
waited in line.
The couple is
walking their dog along the beach.
She failed the
test because of her illness.
Prepositional
Phrase as Disjunct Adverbial
The seventh primary grammatical function that prepositional phrases perform
is the disjunct adverbial. A disjunct adverbial provides additional information
to frame an entire clause. For example, the following italicized prepositional
phrases function as disjunct adverbials:
In my opinion, learning about grammar is fun.
For the love of
goodness, the children need to stop
whining.
With all due
respect, you need to calm down.
The seven
primary functions of prepositions and prepositional phrases in English are
prepositional phrase heads, noun phrase modifiers, noun phrase complements,
adjective phrase complements, verb phrase complements, adjunct adverbials, and
disjunct adverbials.
REFERENCES
Thomas,
Linda. 1993. Beginning Syntax. USA.
Blackwell.
Frank,
Marcella.1972. Modern English : A
Practical Reference Guide. New Jersey. Prentice-Hall.
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