What does "alone" modify?
A. Taking pills alone does not cure anyone
In sentence A, does "alone" grammatically modify "taking pills"???, not just "pills" or "taking"?
I think that, since "taking pills" is treated as a gerund phrase functioning as a subject, "alone" modifies "taking pills"
Am I right?
And is sentence A correct English?
Top answer
" It's an interesting example because while "taking pills" is a gerund (thus a noun), "alone" modifies the noun/subject. Adjectives modify nouns. At the same time, the gerund is derived from a verb, so the argument could be made that "alone" modifies the verbal (gerund) "taking" and is as such an adverb.
- " It's an interesting example because while "taking pills" is a gerund (thus a noun), "alone" modifies the noun/subject.
- Adjectives modify nouns.
- At the same time, the gerund is derived from a verb, so the argument could be made that "alone" modifies the verbal (gerund) "taking" and is as such an adverb.
- "Alone" provides the information of "how" or manner.
- That's what adverbs do.
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"Alone" modifies "taking pills."
It's an interesting example because while "taking pills" is a gerund (thus a noun), "alone" modifies the noun/subject. Adjectives modify nouns. At the same time, the gerund is derived from a verb, so the argument could be made that "alone" modifies the verbal (gerund) "taking" and is as such an adverb. "Alone" provides the information of "how" or manner.
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