Understanding Adjectivals in Noun Phrases: A Comprehensive Guide
Adjectivals, including determiners, adjectives, and nouns, play crucial roles in modifying nouns within noun phrases. This guide explores the different types of adjectivals, their positions within a phrase, the use of pre-headword modifiers such as determiners, and the order of adjectives and nouns. Learn about using commas between adjectives, hyphenation in modifiers, and enhance your understanding of how adjectives modify nouns effectively.
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Adjective: a word that modifies a noun There are many forms that do the work of adjectives: a variety of words, phrases and clauses
NOUN PHRASES Adjectivals can be examined in the context of the noun phrase (in relation to the noun headword) In a noun phrase, each form has its own place: The single-word modifiers (determiners, adjectives and nouns) come before the noun The phrases and clauses follow the noun
PRE PRE- -HEADWORD MODIFIERS HEADWORD MODIFIERS a)Determiners Most nouns require a determiner: Articles (a, an, the) Possesive nouns (teachers , animal s ) Possessive pronouns (my, your, ) Demonstrative pronouns (this, those, ) Numbers Some common words (such, the former, the latter, ...)
The determiner can provide a bridge between ideas: i.e. Selection of the determiner can affect rythm of the sentences See the following examples: The decision that Ben made was the right one. That decision of Ben s was the right one. Ben s decision was the right one. Every such decision Ben made . His decision Such a decision might have been questionable.. A decision like that
b) Adjectives and Nouns Adjectives and nouns fill the position between the determiner and the headword. The order is like this: Adj dismal new important Noun weather pizza career
We frequently use more than one adjective a recent covert military operation an unusual financial arrangement Do we use comma between adjectives? We do when they are of the same class (e.g. Subjective qualities, age, ) E.g. An exciting, innovative concept (an exciting and innovative concept) We do not when they are different kinds of qualities E.g. Covert military operation
Sometimes prenoun modifiers are themselved modified: A highly unusual situation A really important decision In these examples, we do not use a hyphen But, with nouns and adjectives as modifiers, we use a hyphen: The English-speaking world A four-door minivan A small-town high school teacher The end-of-the-term play The five-year-old boy
Modifier noun proliferation Sometimes we might need to put too many adjectives together. Faculty curriculum committee meeting minutes This is not grammatically incorrect, but maybe difficult for the readers to follow. We may use it as follows: The minutes of the faculty curriculum committee meeting
POST POST- -HEADWORD MODIFIERS HEADWORD MODIFIERS A) Prepositional Phrases The most occuring postnoun modifiers They answer the question of Which one? The security guard in our building knows every tenant personally. The meeting during our lunch hour was a waste of time. Prepositional phrases can function as the adverb or the adjective of a sentence
Avoid proliferating prepositional phrases: You can undoubtedly find many such sentences in the pages of this book about the grammar of English for writers. The last 3 adjectival phrases are unnecessary!
How to avoid proliferation? A prenoun modifier can be used instead: An elderly lady with white hair = an elderly white-haired lady Guests for dinner = dinner guests The monologue in the second act = the second-act monologue The problems with the budget = the budget problems The final exam in calculus = the calculus final Or you can choose a more precise word A bunch of flowers = a bouquet The main character of the story = the protagonist Birds that fly south in the winter = migratory birds
B) Adjective Phrases Adjectives are placed before nouns, but when they are expanded into a phrase, they are placed after nouns, and they comment on the subject The hot, tired Boy Scouts trudged the last mile to their campsite The Boy Scouts, hot and tired, trudged the last mile to their campsite. The adjective phrases in the following sentence answers the question which (see the difference in punctuation!) The students unable to attend the audition will have to make special arrangements with the play director. (answers which student)
C) Participial Phrases A participial phrase is a verb phrase headed by the present or past participle form of the verb. E.g. The helicopter hovering over the roof frightened the dogs. We were shocked to see all the homeless people living on the streets of Lost Angeles. The travelers going through airport security do not look happy. Participles are like adjective and prepositional phrases: they add information about the noun headword. Then, why do we use participles?
Look at these examples The helicopter hovered over the roof and frightened the dogs. (compound predicate) The helicoper frigtened the dogs as it hovered over the roof. (main clause and dependent clause) However, the participial phrase allows us to include both verbal ideas in a more concise way. Hovering over the roof, the helicopter frigtened the dogs.
The Prenoun Participle: When the participle is a single word, it generally occupies the adjective as preheadword position. Our snoring visitor kept the household awake. The barking dog next door drives us crazy. I should replace that broken hinge. The old hound growled at every passing stranger An adverb can modify the participle A fast-moving object A well-developed paragraph A carefully conceived plan
The Movable Participle Participles can also be placed at the beginning of a sentence if it modifies the subject and if it is set off by a comma Read the following sentences, noticing the use of present and past participle. Looking out of the window, my mother waved to me. Carrying all of their supplies, the Boy Scouts trudged up the mountain in search of a campsite. Laughing uproariously, the audience stood and applauded. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, the man looked impatient as the waited by the fountain. Pressured by Congress, the president agreed to support an increase in the minimum wage. Exasperated, she made the decision to leave immediately.
They can be placed at the end of the sentence as well. The Boy Scouts trudged up the mountain in search of a campsite, carrying all of their supplies on their backs. The audience stood and applauded, laughing uproariously. The position of participles depend on the rythm and the focus of the sentences (cohesion)
The Dangling Participle Participles can be used at the beginning and end of a sentence only if they modify the subject (subject of the participle is the subject of the sentence as well); otherwise, it dangles. E.g. Carrying all of our supplies for miles, the campground was a welcome sight. (dangling) Carrying all of our supplies for miles, we were exhausted by the time we reached the campground. (correct version)
Furiously filling in the bubbles on the answer sheet, the time was up before I could finish the test. (dangling) Furiously filling in the bubbles on the answer sheet, I still wasn t able to finish the test before time was up. (correct) Having moved all the outdoor furniture into the garage, there was no room left for the car. (dangling) After we moved all the outdoor furniture into the garage, there was no room left for the car. (correct)
Some participles can be used as sentence-opening and not dangling, although the subject is not the same. Speaking of old movies, have you seen Gaslight? Speaking of the weather, we should probably cancel the picnic. Regarding your job interview, the supervisor called to change the time. Concerning the recent book about the Kennedys, several reviewers have doubted its credibility.
Some Exercise on Dangling Participles: Rewrite the following sentences to eliminate the danling participles 1. Having endured rain all week, the miserable weather on Saturday didn t surprise us. 1. Having endured rain all week, we were not surprised by the miserable weather on Saturday.
2. Known for her conservative views on taxes and the role of government, we were not at all surprised when the county commissioner announced her candidacy for the General Assembly. 2. Knowing that she had conservative views on taxes and the role of government, we were not at all surprised when the county commissioner announced her candidacy for the General Assembly. 3. Exhausted by the heat and humidity, it was wonderful to do nothing but lie in the shade and drink iced tea. 3. Exhausted by the heat and humidity, we feld wonderful to do nothing but lie in the shade and drink iced tea.
4. Having spent nearly all day in the kitchen, everyone agreed that my superb gourmet meal was worth the effort. 4. As I spent nearly all day in the kitchen, everyone agreed that my superb gourmet meal was worth the effort. 5. Feeling pressure from the environmentalists, the Clean Air Act was immediately put on the committee s agenda. 5. Feeling pressure from the environmentalists, the committee immediately put the Clean Air Act on the their agenda.
Relative Clauses They are like participial phrases: The helicopter that is hovering over the roof frightened the dogs. We were shocked to see all the homeless people who are living on the streets of Los Angeles. The travelers who are going through airport security do not look happy. However, relative clauses are not moveable; they almost always follow the noun they modify.
Relatives can be in the form of a relative pronoun (who, that, which) or a relative adverb (where, when, why) Who has different forms depending on its case: Who (subjective) Whose (possessive) Whom (objective)
Who as the subject in the clause The man who called last night wouldn t leave his name. (the man called) Who as the possessive (determiner) in the clause The student whose notes I borrowed was absent today. (the student s notes) Who as the object in the clause Our dog, Rusty, whom we all dearly loved, was recently killed on the highway. (loved the dog)
When the relative pronoun is in object position in the clause, it can be deleted if it is restrictive (not set off by commas) Nonrestrictives are not deleted. E.g. King Edward gave up the throne of England for the woman (whom) he loved. (restrictive) Our dog, Rusty, whom we all dearly loved, was recently killed on the highway. (nonrestrictive) PS. That is not used for nonrestrictive clauses
E.gs for relative adverbs Newsworthy events rarely happen in the small town where I lived as a child. We will all feel nervous until next Tuesday, when results of the auditions will be posted. I understand the reason why Margo got the lead.
The Broad-Reference Clause Sometimes, which can refer to the whole idea, not only the preceding noun (broad reference) Joe bought a gas guzzler, which surprised me. Tom cleaned up the garage without being asked, which made me suspect that he wanted to borrow the car. Sometimes broad references might cause confusion; then you can use a noun that sums up the whole idea. Joe bought a gas guzzler, a decision that surprised me. Tom cleaned up the garage without being asked, a rare event that made me suspect that he wanted to borrow the car.
Other solutions to broad references: I broke out in a rash, which really bothered me. (broad ref.) I broke out in a rash, a problem that really bothered me. Breaking out in a rash really bothered me. The rash I got last week really bothered me.
Punctuation of Phrases and Clauses Remembering the general rules: The president who was elected in 1932 faced problems with the parliament. (no commas here because NP, the president is modified) Roosevelt took office at a time when the outlook for the nation was bleak indeed. The president, who was elected in 1932, faced problems with the parliament. (commas used because the readers know who the president is) The same rule works for the participials The merchants holding the sidewalks sales hoped for good weather.
General rules of punctuation in Adjectivals 1. that-clause never gets a comma (restrictive) 2. which-clause generally gets a comma (non-restrictive). When in doubt, use that 3. If the relative pronoun can be deleted, no commas (restrictive) The bus (that) I ride to work is always late 4. After proper nouns, use commas Willamette University, which was established last year, is within walking distance.
5. After common nouns with only one possible referents, use commas The highest mountain in the world, which resisted the efforts of climbers, looks truly forbidding from the air. Mike s twin brother, who lives in Austin, has a personality just like Mike s. My mother, sitting by the window, is talking to herself.
Exercise: Combine the following groups of sentences into single sentences by embedding some of the ideas as modifiers. Use both adverbial and adjectival modifiers. You may have to make other changes in the wording as well. 1. Fingerprints have been used for criminal identification since 1891. A police officer in Argentina introduced the method. The computer has revolutionized the storage and retrieval of fingerprints. 1. The computer has revolutionized the storage and retrieval of fingerprints, which have been used for criminal identification since 1891, when a police officer in Argentina introduced the method.
2.The leaning tower of Pisa is 179 feet high. It is over 800 years old. It leans 17 feet off the perpendicular. The 179 feet high Pisa tower, which leans 17 feet off the perpendicular, is over 800 years old.
3. The highest incidence of colon cancer in the United States occurs in the Northeast. The Northeast also has the highest levels of acid rain. Cancer researchers suspect that there is a causal link between the two. 3. Because the Northeast has both the highest levels of acid rain and the highest incidence of colon cancer in the United States, researchers suspect there is a causal link between the two.
4. The rate of colon cancer is related to the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. Carbon dioxide absorbs ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light fuels the body s production of vitamin D. 4. The rate of colon cancer is related to the amount of carbon dioxide in the air as it absorbs ultraviolet light which fuels the body s production of Vitamin D.
5. Influenza, or flu, is a viral infection. It begins as an upper respiratory infection and then spreads to other parts of the body. Flu causes aches and pains in the joints. 5. Influenza, or flu, [which is] a viral infection that causes aches and pains in the joints, begins as an upper respiratory infection and spreads to other parts of the body
6. Flu viruses mutate constantly. We cannot build up our immunity. New varieties spread from person to person and from place to place. 6. Because flu viruses mutate constantly, we cannot build up our immunity, so new varieties spread from person to person and from place to place.
