MODIFIERS

COMPLEX NOUN PHRASES

Modifiers
• A noun phrase is a group of words which function as a unit
to describe the noun.
• Information can be added before or after the head noun.
• Modifiers of nouns express qualification.
Head nouns are marked in bold:
a warm breeze
a sea road
a camera for filming short video clips
a restaurant which serves fresh seafood
waves crashing against the sea wall
Modifiers
• Modifier: function (Croatian: atribut)
• Different word classes can be modifiers
(Croatian: vrste riječi).
Modifiers
Adjectives as modifiers
• a warm breeze
• a wooden bridge

Nouns as modifiers
• a sea road
• a film set
Premodifiers
• In English, adjectives are the most common
premodifier type.
a big pillow, a long letter, this latest problem

• Nouns are also very common as premodifiers.

a brick wall, company management, glass windows,
a United States warship, Easter eggs
Premodifiers
• When a noun phrase has both an adjective and a noun as
premodifiers, the adjective usually precedes the noun.
• This is because the position closest to the head noun is filled by
modifiers that are more integtrated with the meaning of the head
noun.

adjective + noun + head

thick winter overcoat
black leather jacket
red address book
bright canvas bags
true life stories
Postmodifiers
a prepositional phrase
a camera for filming short video clips
a relative clause
a restaurant which serves fresh seafood
a participle clause
waves crashing against the sea wall
a letter written by a member of the public
the way to get to our house
Postmodifiers
• In English, prepositional phrases are the most common
type of postmodifiers.
• a camera for filming short video clips

• Relative clauses and participle clauses are also

common.
• a relative clause: a restaurant which serves fresh seafood
• a participle clause: waves crashing against the sea wall
A complex noun phrase
determiner premodifiers head noun postmodifiers

a small wooden box that he owned

a market system that has no
imperfections
the new training college for teachers
the latest problem for the government
The number of premodifiers
There is no grammatical limit to the number of
modifiers that can occur within a single noun
phrase.
• a big black dog
• the two French novels we had to study
• an old Italian woman with six kids who was
complaining bitterly
• that nice little old man at the library with the umbrella