Noun as modifier: Difference between revisions

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{{Noun as modifier}}
{{Noun as modifier}}
[[category: Parts of speech]]

Latest revision as of 16:03, 24 April 2021

  • one type of consecutive nouns may be a noun acting as a modifier, as if an adjective (but not one)
  • such nouns are called "attributive" nouns
    • also called "adjunct" (supporting of) nouns or "apposite" (related to)
  • attributive nouns modify or qualify another noun
    • modify = change or add to the meaning of
    • qualify = limit the meaning of
    • attributive = provides an "attribute" or characteristic or quality to the other noun
  • ex.: "dog food"
    • i.e.: "dog food" = "a type of food that is for dogs"
    • "dog" thereby indicates an attribute, or type or characteristic, of "food"
  • example of multiple objects + a attributive nouns:
    • "The pitcher threw the batter a hardball pitch"
    • S: pitcher V: threw IO: catcher ADJ: hardball (appositive noun) DO: pitch
      • could also be expressed as: "the pitcher threw a (hardball) pitch to the catcher"
        • "hardball" = a noun, but here it is describing the direct object "pitch"
        • thus "hardball" is acting like an adjective
  • the attributive noun is (almost) always singular
    • = because it is acting like an adjective, which always remains in the singular form ("red shoes" as opposed to "reds shoes")
    • = as a category or type, the noun must remain singular
    • exception for plural attributive nouns = special words such as "arms race" or "rewards card"
    • possessive attributive noun:
      • ex.: "the National's game"
      • these are often morphed into plural attributive, thus "National's game" becomes "Nationals game", "reward's card" becomes "rewards card", or "lady's night" becomes "ladies night"
    • multiple attributives
      • ex.: "beef dog food" or "
      • news headlines often use multiple attributives, such as "South Park man Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick dies again"
  • strict grammatical terms does now apply the "attributive" label for "adjective homograph" nouns (such as "iron" or "paper") or "compounds" or "open compounds"
  • attributive nouns are not adjectives
    • the only syntactic form of an adjective that the attributive noun employs is the "prepositive" position
      • i.e., preceding the noun it modifies
        • big dog, small house
    • attributive nouns cannot operate as post-positive adjectives (following the noun):
      • whereas an adjective can be a subject complement:
        • boring meeting >> the meeting is boring
      • dog food >> food dog or business meeting >> meeting business << don't work
    • attributive nouns cannot operate as subject complements (as do adjectives)
      • the food is dog or the meeting is business << don't work
    • attributive nouns cannot take on a comparative form (as do adjectives)
      • whereas nouns can go from big to bigger
        • big test >> bigger test
      • attributive nouns cannot: businesser meeting << doesn't work
  • see also additional entry on
    • "appositive phrase"
    • compound noun
    • noun adjunct
  • see: