View source for Template:Noun as modifier

* 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"
** see https://www.merriam-webster.com/help/explanatory-notes/dict-attributive-nouns
* 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:
** [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noun_adjunct Noun adjunct (wiki)]
** [http://myenglishgrammar.com/lesson-12-modifiers/4-nouns-as-modifiers.html Nouns as Modifiers (meg.com)]