It doesn't have to introduce things that restate the sentence to be a
sentence-level modifier. Although "for example" and "such as" can be
used for similar functions, their structure is different.

"For example" is a discrete constituent. Unlike "such as" It does not
contain the phrase (or clause) that it introduces, and for that reason
requires a comma. Notice also that you can shift around the position of
"for example" in a way that you cannot do with "such as"

  for example, his hangover
  his hangover, for example
  such as his hangover
  *his hangover such as

I would treat "for example" as equivalent to other discourse adverbials
like "in conclusion," "however," etc.

Karl Hagen
Department of English
Mount St. Mary's College

Odile Sullivan-Tarazi wrote:

> But doesn't "for example" generally -- or at least, as often --
> introduce examples of some one thing (noun or action or whatever) in
> the sentence, rather than examples that restate the entire sentence?
>
> In those cases, the examples must also be subsumed into the overall
> structure of the sentence in some way.  The nearest I could get was
> to consider them elements in apposition.  Bruce has suggested that
> our "for example, x, y, and z" is an abbreviated version of a full
> clause: (which are), for example, x, y, and z.
>
> I'll leave it to him to explicate more thoroughly.  I like this
> approach, though.  Makes sense to me.
>
>
> Odile
>
>
>
> At 9:53 AM -0700 8/3/04, Kathleen M. Ward wrote:
>
>> I am not sure about this, because I don't use R-K diagrams often, but
>> would not "For example" usually a sentence-level modifier?  And isn't
>> an inability to distinguish sentence-level modifiers a real
>> limitation of the R-K system?
>>
>> KMW
>>
>>> I considered that, but it just shifted the question for me.  How
>>> would you represent "for example" and the examples that follow it on
>>> a Reed-Kellog diagram?  I wasn't sure how to set it up and where to
>>> attach it.
>>>
>>>
>>> Odile
>>>
>>>
>>> At 4:52 PM -0500 8/2/04, Kurt Steinbach wrote:
>>>
>>>> "Such as" is often used to replace the phrase, "For example, " in
>>>> sentences and clauses.
>>>>
>>>> Odile Sullivan-Tarazi wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I will probably kick myself in the morning, but somehow tonight I can
>>>>> not seem to think.  How does the phrase "such as," used to introduce
>>>>> a list of examples, function in the sentence?  How would it be
>>>>> diagrammed?
>>>>>
>>>>> If anyone could enlighten me, I'd be ever so grateful.
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks . . .
>>>>>
>>>>> Odile
>>>>>
>>>
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