20. The Graded Use and Stylistic Role of Noun Modifiers

The pre & post-modifiers play a significant role in the specification enrichment and completion of head nouns in noun phrases. Along with this they play an information packaging and stylistic role as well. The learning writers reach the level gradually where they can make the efficacious use of these linguistic resources. This post can help novice writers know the nature and function of these resources at academic level, especially, for stylistic impact in writing.

1. Important Terminology

Before further discussion, a number of terms are detailed so that the reader’s background information becomes updated. These terms are head noun, determiners, pre-modifiers, and phrasal as well as clausal post modifiers, etc.

1.1 Head Noun

The head noun in a noun phrase is typically a content noun (e.g., leaves, scholars, houses, etc.). However, it can be a pronoun, as in the one inthe drawer. Further, an adjective can also be used as a noun, as in the former looks more appropriate.

1.2 Determiners

Determiners are used in a noun phrase as per the requirement of the context or some other necessity for the specification of head noun. When they are used, they occur before modifiers. The determiners include a, an, the, this, that, these, those, any, many, a lot of, some, number, my, our, your, his, their, the neighbour’s, etc.

1.3 Pre-modifiers

Pre-modifiers are frequently adjectives (e.g., straight, similar, etc.) whose function is to describe. However, nouns can also do pre-modification (e.g. medicine in the noun phrase medicine supply).

1.4 Post-modifiers

Post-modifiers are the constructions that follow the head noun for its modification. In their constitution, post modifiers are more complicated than pre-modifiers. This is so because these can either be phrases (prepositional or appositive phrases) or clauses (relatives (finite), participials, or infinitives (non-finite).

1.5 Nonfinite Clauses

Nonfinite clauses (e.g., to- and -ing clauses) are not as much explicit as are the finite clauses. This is so because these do not carry subject and also lack features like tense and modality.

In the following sections, it will be made explicit, how the writers make their choices regarding the use of modifiers.

2. The Preferred Choices Regarding the Use of Pre & Post-Modifiers

Commonly, the use of simple attributive adjectives is more prevalent than that of pre-modifying nouns and participial adjectives. Viewing this, it can be said that the specific structural variants are preferred ones. As far as post-modifiers are concerned, a writer can make choices among clause, prepositional phrase, adjective, and adverbial as a post-modifier. In case of post-modifiers, the use of prepositional phrases is more frequent. After prepositional phrases, finite relative clauses are more commonly used whose use is half of the remaining post-modifiers i.e., ed-clauses and appositive noun phrases.

3. Growing towards Complex Modification

At earlier level learning writers use more pre-modifiers in noun phrases than post-modifiers. When they reach college level, they start using more post-modifiers than pre-modifiers. Here at, the modifiers begin to occur in pairs. Further, noun phrases begin to carry embedded definitions with non-finite clauses. This is for providing technical terms through the combination of head noun and prepositional phrase as shown in the examples given below.

1. long rows of green trees called avenue
2. these two fields of greenery, called meadow and crop field, respectively
3. an individual attached to a crime gang
4. rise and fall of market prices of food items

4. Increased Use of Modifiers at Higher Level Academic Writing

At elementary level, most of the noun phrases (three out of four) are simple, consisting of one determiner and a noun. The phrases that are complex at this level carry one pre-modifier or one post- modifier which is a prepositional phrase of location. For example, one leaf, the leaf size, the leaves on the top. At middle level, simple noun phrases and complex noun phrases are used with roughly same number. At this level, complex noun phrases have one pre-modifier. In some cases, pre-modifying adjectives are derived from a verb. Contrarily, along with prepositional phrases of location as post-modification, there are two non-finite clauses. For example, the grown up leaf, the grown up leaves called palms, etc.

5. Syntactic Function and NP’s Modifiers Taking

While taking different modifiers, noun phrases perform various syntactic function. The details of these functions are given in table 1.

Table 1: Syntactic Functions of NP

The internal structure of an NP is influenced by the syntactic function it performs within a clause structure. For example, the noun phrase is simpler (with fewer structural constituents) when it is at the subject position.  When it is at the other syntactic positions such as subject complement, preposition complement, direct object, etc., they are complex. It means that when NP is at the subject position, there are fewer chances of its taking post-modifiers. When as subject it takes modifiers, they are simple post-modifiers, i.e. adjective and prepositional phrase.  More post-modifiers (complex post-modifiers too – clausal post-modifiers) are taken by NP when it occurs at other positions e.g., object position or preposition complement, etc.

When noun phrases are at the positions of indirect object, object complement, subject complement, and apposition, they have tendency not to take post-modifiers. Contrarily, when they are at the position of direct object, preposition complement, subject, and adverbial positions, they take post-modifiers.

6. The Influence of Register on the Use of Post-modifiers

Register, including its characteristics i.e. text type, and genre is an important variable in syntactic variation. The presence or absence of post-modifiers in an NP structure are significantly influenced by a register. For example, complex pre-modifiers are more likely to be present in academic text types as compared to non-academic ones, i.e. literary texts. Similar may be the case of post-modifiers. Thus it can be said that the internal structure of NP can be predicted on the basis of the texts that employ them. Further, text types like interactional and literary texts, and student essays do not take post-modifiers. Thus it can be said that post-modifiers occur more frequently in academic texts as compared to the other text types.

7. Modifiers as Markers of Stylistic Distinction

The use of noun phrases with higher number of modifiers occur frequently in academic register in which a high quantity of information is conveyed. When modifiers are placed before head nouns, noun phrases reveal qualitative differences especially in the semantics of pre-modifiers. The pre-modifying adjectives and ing-participles mostly act as classifiers because these constitute components of academic terms. Besides, these are mostly descriptive or evaluative in fiction. Similar to adjective and ing-participles, the pre-modifying use of gerunds can serve as a marker of stylistic distinction. In addition, the authors select certain adjectives for promoting their target style and voice. For example, if an author desires to write in a direct and concise style, he will mostly not use descriptive adjectives. Rather, he will use adjectives that help him shape meaning and create a distinct style.

8. Potential Stylistic Relevance of Modifiers

The choice of an adjective is made to provide descriptive details about the noun that follows it. These details may be sensory (e.g., delicious), or cognitive (e.g., empirical) or emotional (e.g., happy). Such specific details, related to the noun, enhance the reader’s understanding of the subject matter or influence his/her perception of an object or idea. Further, the choice of such descriptive details reveal the author’s perspective or help produce a particular mood (atmosphere). Furthermore, certain types of adjectives used as descriptive, evaluative, or subjective ones contribute to stylistic effect. However, in the recent past (the 20^th Century) compressed phrasal expressions became more common. This compressed mode depends more on pre-modifiers and phrasal post-modifiers.

In sum, this post first gives the brief introduction of the terms like head noun, determiners, pre-modifiers, phrasal and clausal post-modifiers. Next, it has highlighted how the preferred choices of modifiers are made. Further, it makes explicit how the learning writers move from the use of simple modifiers to the complex ones, particularly in the field of academic writing. In the end, the influence of register on the use of post-modifiers and the stylistic relevance of modifiers have been made explicit.

Sources Consulted

1. Akinlotan (2018)
2. Biber, et al. (2009)
3. Dušková (2009)
4. Mutiara, R. (2019)
5. Schilk & Schaub (2016)
6. Swierzbin (2014)
7. Yang, G. (2015)