NOUN AS HEAD

Structure of Modification
(Noun as Head)
Erlie R. Lizardo
MAT English Course

Erlie R. Lizardo
 Modification
is the grammatical tie that exists, for example, between an
adjective and its noun, or a verb and its adverb. But structural
diagram can also indicate clearly what we intuitively feel when we
construct sentence that:
 adjectives whole phrases which themselves contain other
adjectives;
 adverbs the whole clauses;
 phrases other phrases or whole clauses;
 clauses other clauses; or
 some words perform the grammatical function of modification.
 Head
HEAD is the main word in the sentence that is emphasized by the
modifier.

Modifier
MODIFIER/S is/are word/s that appear/s before or after the subject and
direct object in the sentence and that modify/modifies the head.
Heads and Modifiers
That skinny woman who is standing at the hallway

HEAD

All phrases have to have a head.

Heads and Modifiers
A phrase can be made up of just
the HEAD.
But usually there are additional
words which modify the
head_MODIFIERS.
Heads and Modifiers
That skinny woman who is standing at the hallway

Postmodifier
Premodifier HEAD (relative
(adj.) clause)

All phrases have to have a head.

Type of phrases

Part of speech of head = type of

phrase
Type of phrases

broke the windows in Mr. Jackson’s greenhouse

HEAD verb

Phrase is a verb
phrase
Type of phrases

extremely happy to have passed the exam

HEAD adjective

Phrase is an
adjective phrase
 Type of phrases

in the car

HEAD preposition

Phrase is a
prepositional
phrase
Type of phrases
That skinny woman who is standing at the hallway

HEAD noun

Phrase is a noun
phrase
Basic structure of a phrase

Premodifier HEAD Postmodifier

Noun as Head

Noun very frequently can be found as Head of

Structure of Modification. There are five parts of
speech, including noun it self, that can modify the
noun.
 Adjective as Noun Modifier
Adjective precedes the noun (Head) constantly except if the adjective is not
a single word but structure.
E.g. Modifier Head
Hot soup
A great calamity

Head
A figure vague and shadow
A house bigger than I thought
 Noun as Noun Modifier
This modifier also precedes the Head (noun) constantly. It can be a possessive
form or basic form (Noun Adjunct)
E.g. Possessive Noun
Kid’s play
A week’s holiday
The woman’s friend

Noun-Adjunct Noun
Bus station
That woman doctor
Noun adjunct is noun that has a function like an adjective (to modify
noun). It is always in a singular form, not plural form.
E.g. Book shops (not ‘Books Shop’)
Noun as Noun Modifier can be from appositive words. The position still
keeps preceding the Head. Appositive form never follows the Head.
E.g. Noun Appositive
My Uncle Zakki
The disease influenza
The River Gangga
 Verb as Noun Modifier
It can be from Present Participle (V-ing), Past Participle (V-ed), or to-
infinitive. These verb positions may precede or follow the Head if they
are parts of larger structures, though there are many exceptions to both
these generalizations but to-infinitives always follow the noun-Head.
E.g. Verb Noun Noun Verb
Running water Water running in the street
Baked potatoes Potatoes baked slowly
Money to buy
The man to see
 Adverb as Noun Modifier
Adverb is rarely functioned as noun modifier. The position is always directly
after noun (Head).
E.g. Head Modifier
The temperature inside -It is a warm temp. inside.
Heavens above -to the seventh heavens above
The conversations afterwards -Let us finish the conversation
afterwards.
The questions below -Read the questions below.
 Prepositional Phrases (Functional Words)
as Noun Modifier
Prepositional phrases consist of preposition and its object. The
preposition can be in a simple, compound or phrasal form.
e.g. Simple Prepositions Compound
After Across From
As Along with
Against
Phrasal Prepositions
In regard to
By means of
E.g. Head
The students without umbrella stood outside.
noun prepositional phrase

Right now, let’s eat toast with jelly.

noun prepositional phrase
noun
Before they called you, they drove to the store by the park.
prepositional prepositional
verb phrase phrase
Reference:
• Structure of American English by W. Nelson Francise. Page 297-325