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Question

She looked at him, filled with horror.In the sentence, is the phrase "filled with horror" an adjective phrase? which noun does it modify? Thanks a lot.

Vsuresh · Accepted Answer

It modifies the object 'him'.

CalifJim · Answer

Thein Lwin 7291is the phrase "filled with horror" an adjective phrase?

You could say that, and the word modified would be "she", but I find that it's more accurate to call it a secondary predicate expressed as a participle clause. Predicates are not usually considered modifiers.

She 1 looked at him, (and at the same time she 2 was) filled with horror.
___________

As you can see from the previous reply, there is a little ambiguity here. Especially if the comma were omitted, there might be cause to say that "him" was the word modified.

CJ

BillJ · Answer

Thein Lwin 7291 She looked at him, filled with horror.In the sentence, is the phrase "filled with horror" an adjective phrase? which noun does it modify? Thanks a lot.

Yes, it's an AdjP, which in your example is functioning as a 'predicative adjunct': 'predicative' because it relates to a predicand (the subject "she"), and 'adjunct' because it's an optional element. Compare:

[1] "She was filled with horror". [Predicative complement]

[2] "She looked at him, filled with horror". [Predicative adjunct]

In both those examples, the property of being filled with horror applies to the subject "she", hence 'predicative'. But in [1] the AdjP is a complement, an obligatory element, whereas in [2] it's an adjunct, not of the modifying kind, but a loosely attached element set off with a comma, sometimes called a 'supplement'.

BillJ

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