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Mark Bunag Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Modifying preposition
Hi
Is it acceptable in formal English to modify a preposition, as in the ff. sentences?:
1. They ran way up the hill. ("way," which means "far" in this context, modifies the preposition "up")
2. His score is far above the average. ("far" modifies the preposition "above")
If that's so, what do you call a word that syntactically modifies preposition - an adverb or adjective?
(I believe that "UP" and "above" as used in the above sentences are prepositions, though an "English expert" whom I asked recently thinks otherwise.)
Thanks
Mark
Is it acceptable in formal English to modify a preposition, as in the ff. sentences?:
1. They ran way up the hill. ("way," which means "far" in this context, modifies the preposition "up")
2. His score is far above the average. ("far" modifies the preposition "above")
If that's so, what do you call a word that syntactically modifies preposition - an adverb or adjective?
(I believe that "UP" and "above" as used in the above sentences are prepositions, though an "English expert" whom I asked recently thinks otherwise.)
Thanks
Mark
Top answer
Hello, Mark, Modification of prepositional phrases occurs both in formal and colloquial English - it is not informal as such. In your first sentence, for example, way is an common-speech substitute for far (as you mention), but in other cases modifiers of prep. phrases are neutral.
- Hello, Mark, Modification of prepositional phrases occurs both in formal and colloquial English - it is not informal as such.
- In your first sentence, for example, way is an common-speech substitute for far (as you mention), but in other cases modifiers of prep.
- phrases are neutral.
- In may be, though, that the semantic nature of these modifiers (expressing intensification) pertains to informal spoken language, and not to (often) impartial and cold-fact academic writing.
- A word modifying a preposition is an adverb , almost exclusively - an intensifying adverb .
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2 Answers
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Hello, Mark,
Modification of prepositional phrases occurs both in formal and colloquial English - it is not informal as such. In your first sentence, for example, way is an common-speech substitute for far (as you mention), but in other cases modifiers of prep. phrases are neutral. In may be, though, that the semantic nature of these modifiers (expressing intensification) p
Modification of prepositional phrases occurs both in formal and colloquial English - it is not informal as such. In your first sentence, for example, way is an common-speech substitute for far (as you mention), but in other cases modifiers of prep. phrases are neutral. In may be, though, that the semantic nature of these modifiers (expressing intensification) p
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yeah , an adverb can modifies a preposition as well, such like this example ok
i threw a stone exactly on hid head the day before yesterday.
in above example the word ; exactly ; is an adverb modifies the word ;on ; which is preposition ok
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