Attribute

The attribute is a secondary part of the sentence which characterizes person or non-person expressed by the headword either qualitatively, quantitatively, or from the point of view of situation. An attribute forms a nominal phrase with its headword.

An attribute may be expressed by different parts of speech (Fig. 132).

From the point of view of their connection with the headword and other parts of the sentence, attributes may be divided into non-detached (close) and detached (loose) ones (Fig. 133).

Non-detached attributes form one sense group with their head­word and are not separated from it by commas. They generally adjoin the headword, either premodifying, postmodify­ing, or embedding it, and are connected with other parts of the sentence only through the headword.

A detached attribute is only loosely connected with its headword and is often optional from the point of view of structure, although very important semantically. It forms a separate sense group in speech and is accordingly separated by commas in writing. A detached attribute may be placed in preposition, post-position, or often at some distance from the headword.

Apposition

An apposition is a part of the sentence expressed by a noun or nominal phrase and referring to another noun or nominal phrase (the headword), or sometimes to a clause.

The apposition may give another designation to, or description of, the person or non-person, or else put it in a certain class of persons or non-persons. In the latter case it is similar to an attribute, as it characterizes the person or non-person denoted by the headword.

Like the attribute, the apposition may be in preposition or postposition. However, unlike the attribute, which is always subordinated to its headword and is usually connected with other parts in the sentence only through it, words in apposition are, at least syntactically, coordinated parts, that is, both the headword and the apposition are constituents of the same level in the sentence.

From the point of view of their relation to the headword, appositions, like attributes, are subdivided into non-detached (close) and detached (loose) ones (Fig. 134).

Non-detached appositions form one sense group with their headword and very often enter into such close relation with it that the two words form one whole. This is especially true in the case of titles, military ranks, professions, kinship terms, geographical denotations, etc., used as apposition.

Detached or loose appositions form separate sense groups and are wider in their meaning than close appositions: they may give identification, explanation, etc., especially when referring to pronouns. They may follow the headword immediately or be separated from it.

Fig. 132

Fig. 133

Fig. 134

Adverbial modifier

The adverbial modifier (or the adverbial) is a secondary part of the sentence which modifies another part of the sentence expressed either by a verb (in a finite or non-finite form), or an adjective, or a stative, or an adverb.

In case it modifies a verb the adverbial characterizes the action or process expressed by the verb and denotes its quality, quantity, or the whole situation. Adverbials modifying adjectives, statives and adverbs usually denote degree or quantity. Adverbials are structurally more independent of the verb than objects. Their use is often optional. Adverbials are obligatory when the sentence structure demands one or when their absence changes the meaning of the verb.

Non-obligatory adverbials are those which are not necessary for the structure of the sentence. They neither influence the meaning of the verb form, nor change the structure or the meaning of the rest of the sentence, no matter how important they are from the communicative viewpoint.

Fig. 135

Non-obligatory adverbials are those which are not necessary for the structure of the sentence. They neither influence the meaning of the verb form, nor change the structure or the meaning of the rest of the sentence, no matter how important they are from the communicative viewpoint.

Detached adverbials being more loosely related to the modified parts of the sentence than non-detached adverbials are never obligatory. They are separated from the rest of the sentence by intonation in speaking and by commas in writing.

Adverbials are grouped according to their ways of expression, their structure and their meaning.

An adverbial modifier may be expressed by different parts of speech (Fig. 135).

From the point of view of its structure the adverbial modifier may be simple, phrasal, complex, clausal (Fig. 136).

Fig. 136

Semantically adverbials denote place, time, manner, cause, purpose, result, condition, concession, attendant circumstances, comparison, degree, measure, exception, thus forming semantic classes, such as adverbials of place, time, etc. (Fig. 137).

The semantic class of an adverbial may be identified directly (absolutely) or indirectly (relatively) (Fig. 138). It is identified directly by lexical meaning of the word or phrase used as an adverbial. In other cases the semantic type is identified relatively, that is, only through the relationship of the adverbial to the modified part of the sentence, as is often the case with participles, infinitives, and some preposi­tional phrases.

Fig. 137

Fig. 138