MODIFICATION NOUN MODIFIERS 1
A modifier in linguistics is a word (adjective, adverb, noun) or a phrase that specifies the meaning of another word or phrase by giving more details and information about it. 2
A shirt A red shirt (adjective) Speak Speak quietly (adverb) 3
Students The students in the first row (phrase) Chocolate Milk chocolate (noun) 4
red, an adjective quietly, an adverb in the first row, a phrase milk, a noun are modifiers: they modify the basic idea we receive from the noun they accompany. 5
Typical of English: Noun + noun modification 6
The first noun modifies or describes the second, like an adjective: 7
milk chocolate (a kind of chocolate) chocolate milk (a kind of milk) a horse race (a kind of race) a race horse (a kind of horse) 8
Noun + noun expressions can often be changed into structures where the second noun becomes a subject and the first an object. an oil well = a well that produces oil a ticket office = an office that sells tickets 9
a shoe shop = a shop that sells shoes a horse race = a race for horses trouser pockets = pockets in trousers 10
A group of two nouns can modify a third noun: oil oil production oil production costs 11
A group of three nouns can modify a fourth, and so on: road road accident road accident research road accident research centre 12
This kind of structure is very common in NEWSPAPER HEADLINES because it saves space: FURNITURE FURNITURE FACTORY FURNITURE FACTORY PAY FURNITURE FACTORY PAY CUT FURNITURE FACTORY PAY CUT ROW 13
The noun + noun structure cannot be used all the time. Sometimes it is necessary to use a structure with of or a structure with possessive 's: a feeling of disappointment (NOT a disappointment feeling) letters from home (NOT home letters) cow's milk (NOT cow milk) 14
The difference between noun modifiers and adjectival modifiers is sometimes shown by stress: French = noun (i.e. the French language) French = adjective (i.e. coming from France) a French teacher 15
Stress shows the difference: a 'French teacher (noun modifier: a person who teaches French) a French 'teacher (adjective modifier: a teacher who is French) 16
Some noun + noun combinations are generally written together like single words. bathroom a room with a bath and/or shower a toothbrush a brush for teeth a sheepdog a dog that looks after sheep 17
Other compounds may be written with a hyphen or separately: letter-box furniture shop 18
In many cases usage varies, and some combinations can be found written in all three ways: bookshop or book-shop or book shop 19
Hyphens are becoming less common in modern English, and it is usually acceptable to write the two words separately: book shop 20
SPECIAL CASES 1 What is the difference? a coffee cup vs a cup of coffee a coffee cup = a cup used to drink coffee (container) a cup of coffee = a cup with coffee in it (container with its contents) 21
a matchbox vs a box of matches a paint tin vs a tin of paint Noun + noun is used for particular kinds of container. But we use the preposition structure (with of) to talk about a container together with its contents. 22
SPECIAL CASES 2 Noun + noun is normally used to say what things are made of: a silk dress a stone bridge an iron rod a gold ring 23
GOLD-GOLDEN: a gold watch golden memories SILK-SILKEN: silk stockings silken skin LEAD-LEADEN: a lead pipe a leaden sky STONE-STONY: a stone roof a stony silence 24
The material something is made of is expressed by a noun modifier (e.g. gold, silk, lead, stone). The figurative meaning is expressed by the equivalent adjective: 25
BUT NOTE: WOODEN (adjective) = made of wood (literal meaning) Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon. WOOLLEN (adjective) = made of wool (literal meaning) She wore a woollen scarf round her neck 26
SPECIAL CASES 3 In some expressions we use a structure with possessive 's. children's clothes (but baby clothes) a man's sweater a man's leg (but a table leg) 27
women s magazines a bird's nest a doll s house cow's milk (NOT cow milk) lamb's wool 28