Sentence analysis and diagramming

Question

I'm going through a diagramming workbook and stuck on some exercises. I hope someone can help me here as the book sucks at explaining stuff.

1. Aunt Betsy gave me a sweater for Christmas.

I'm having trouble with what 'for Christmas' is acting as. In my mind it is it is acting as an prep phrase adverb because it is answering when? In the answer book it is modifying the noun 'sweater'.

2. Wing prepared each of the baby birds food to eat.

sub = Wing
v = prepared
DO = food
prep phrase = of the baby birds

Q. is 'to eat' an infinitive modifying food and why?
Q. 'each' is an adverb modifying prepared?
Q. What is the prep modifying here?

Sorry, really confused with this one!

3. Who ate all of the cake?

sub = who
v = ate
DO = all
prep phrase = of the cake

In this sentence, I'm wondering if the prep phrase is an adj or adv and why?

Another thing, can I turn question 3 into a statement?

Thanks for any help!

RandomGuy · Accepted Answer

Anonymous1. Aunt Betsy gave me a sweater for Christmas.
I'm having trouble with what 'for Christmas' is acting as. … In the answer book it is modifying the noun 'sweater'.

It modifies the VP gave me a sweater, so its function is adjunct (adverbial in traditional grammar).
Noun-modifying PPs usually have a natural paraphrase with relative clauses, but Aunt Betsy gave me a sweater that was for Christmas doesn’t work.

AnonymousIn my mind it is it is acting as an prep phrase adverb because it is answering when?

No, on Christmas would answer that. You could say it answers “Why?”

Anonymous2. Wing prepared each of the baby birds food to eat.
sub = Wing
v = prepared
DO = food
prep phrase = of the baby birds
Q. is 'to eat' an infinitive modifying food and why?
Q. 'each' is an adverb modifying prepared?
Q. What is the prep modifying here?

Food to eat is direct object.
Each of the baby birds is an NP functioning as indirect object.

AnonymousQ. is 'to eat' an infinitive modifying food and why?

Yes. It’s an infinitival relative clause. Since it modifies the noun, it belongs in the NP and is part of the direct object.

Anonymous3. Who ate all of the cake?
sub = who
v = ate
DO = all
prep phrase = of the cake

The direct object is the NP all of the cake.

AnonymousIn this sentence, I'm wondering if the prep phrase is an adj or adv and why?

You are confusing category with function. PPs can’t be adjectives or adverbs; those are three different categories determined by the head word. PPs are headed by prepositions (of the cake), AdjPs by adjectives (very friendly), AdvPs by adverbs (remarkably clearly).
The PP of the cake functions as complement to all, and of the baby birds is complement to each. Complements must be licensed (admitted or selected) by their head. All and each select PPs headed by of, which is not replaceable by any other preposition.

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you for your brain on this.

Yes, I having big big problems trying to understanding what adj cl and adv cl is doing and to who or what in the sentence!?

Sentence analysis and diagramming

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