We explain what a direct modifier is in grammar, its types, function in the subject and examples. Also, indirect modifiers.
Direct modifiers are attached directly to the core of the subject.What is a direct modifier?
In grammar, direct modifiers are a type of words that, in bimembre sentences (that is, those that have subject Y predicate), characterize or determine the subject core, both at a grammatical level, and semantic. They can be directly subordinate to him (without intermediaries).
In simpler terms, they are words (generally adjectives, articles, pronouns or combinations of adjectives and adverbs) that are part of the noun phrase of the subject of the prayer. They accompany the nucleus of it, indicating or determining its characteristics of gender and number (grammatical meaning), or of another nature. For that reason they are also known as nucleus adjuncts.
These subject modifiers can be of two types: direct or indirect. In the case of direct modifiers (MD), they are recognized because they are attached directly to the core of the subject, without the need for connectors of any kind in between. Among them are also the appositions.
For example: in the sentence: “The moments happy they are always remembered ”, we have a subject (“ Happy moments ”) and a predicate (“ they are always remembered ”). The subject has a nucleus: the noun "Moments", and two direct modifiers: the article "Los", which indicates the gender and number of the noun, and the adjective "feliz", which adds a meaning to its lexical or semantic meaning.
Direct modifier examples
Some examples of direct modification are:
- "The purple dress suits you better" (MD: El, purple).
- "Our first anniversary will be in January" (MD: Our, first).
- "My maternal grandparents have never been to Spain" (MD: Mis, maternal).
- "A gray cat got in his way" (MD: Un, gray).
- "Very good news comes from Africa" (MD: Very good).
- "The green and wet grass awaits us in the field" (MD: El, verde, moist).
- “Simon, the blacksmith, came to tell us something important” (MD: the blacksmith).
Indirect modifiers
Unlike direct modifiers, which accompany the nucleus of the subject, indirect modifiers are those that exercise their function of characterizing the noun, but from a more remote position: linked to it through prepositions and / or grammatical links.
For example: in “El verano from the southern hemisphere it is much warmer ”, we have a sentence subject (“ The summer of the southern hemisphere ”) and a predicate (“ it is much warmer ”). Within the subject, there is the nucleus (“summer”) with its direct modifier (“El”) and indirect modifier (“from the southern hemisphere”).