Modifier or compliment?

Question

Hi,The distinction between a modifier and a compliment is hard to grasp.Is the prepositon phrase in the following sentence a modifer or a complement?ex) He is generous to a fault.I'm not sure if the preposition phrase 'to a fault' is compatible with any adjectives.It appears that 'to a fault' is used with only certain types of adjectives such as generous, loyal, honest etc.So I came to the conclusion that the pp is modifier of the adjective 'generous', but I'm not confident in my conclusion.Could anyone help me with this?

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

jooney
The distinction between a modifier and a compliment is hard to grasp.
Is the prepositon phrase in the following sentence a modifer or a complement?

Here is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complement_(linguistics)

In grammar the term complement is used with different meanings. The primary meaning is a word, phrase or clause which is necessary in a sentence to complete its meaning. We find complements which function as an argument (i.e. of equal status to subjects and objects) and complements which exist within arguments.
Both complements and modifiers add to the meaning of a sentence. However, a complement is necessary to complete a sentence; a modifier is not. For example, "Put the bread on the table" needs "on the table" to make it complete. In most dialects of English, you cannot merely put something; you need to put it somewhere. In this context, the phrase "on the table" is a complement. By contrast, "The bread on the table is fresh." does not require "on the table" to be complete, so here, the phrase "on the table" is a modifier. A modifier, unlike a complement, is an optional element of a sentence.

He is generous. This is a complete sentence. So, by the above definition, if you add something it would be a modifier, not a complement.

He is generous to a fault.

Since the underlined prepositional phrase modifies an adjective, it is an adverbial modifier.

Modifier or compliment?

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