Paul,

 

How would you test for the distinction between sentence modifier and VP modifier?  The best I can come up with is that, unless special intonational marking is included, sentence modifiers must precede the sentence, as in

 

Seriously, I wouldn’t make that claim.

Vs.

I wouldn’t seriously make that claim.

Or

I wouldn’t make that claim seriously.

 

In the latter two, “seriously” modifies “make”, but in the first, it’s more like “Take my assertion seriously” or “I’m serious when I say that …”

 

I don’t find “for me” behaving that way.  It doesn’t have different scope and meaning when it comes at the beginning.

If you can show that it does, then it could probably be a sentence modifier.

 

Herb

 

 

Isn't it modifying the whole sentence?

 

Paul D.

crg <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Michael, thank you!

I go with modifying the verb.

Christine

-----Original Message-----
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kischner, Michael
Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 6:25 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: This is difficult for me

So sorry I did not proofread my question before sending it. Even though
some people figured it out and have sent answers, here it is again, as it
should have been written:

Another quick parsing question: In "This is difficult for me," is
the prepositional phrase "for me" modifying the verb "is" or the adjective
"difficult"?


To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface
at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave
the list"

Vis! it ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface
at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/