The indirect modifier is a linguistic element.
The idea of modifier is used in the field of grammar to refer to a linguistic element that introduces a modification in another. Indirect modifiers are part of this set.
Before moving forward with the definition of an indirect modifier, it is important to remember that bimember sentences have two members (that is, two syntactic constituents). In this way, they can be divided into a subject and a predicate .
In the subject of two-membered sentences, the word that plays the most important role is called the nucleus . This core , in turn, can be influenced by different modifiers.
What is an indirect modifier
Returning to the idea of indirect modifier, it is responsible for modifying the nucleus through a preposition . Indirect modifiers, therefore, are words like "to" , "before" , "under" , "with" , "of", " from" , "in" , "for" , "according to" and "on". , among many others, that act as subordinating links and are linked to another term.
Take as an example the expression "The back room is messy." In this two-member sentence, "The back room" is the subject, while "it is disordered" is the predicate. The nucleus of the subject is "fourth" , which is influenced by the indirect modifier "from behind" and the direct modifier "The" . It should be noted that prepositions are invariable: they do not change by number or gender.
Other examples of phrases to understand what the indirect modifier is and how they work are these:
– «The Language teacher stands out for explaining the subject very well.» In this case, "of Language" is the indirect modifier.
– “The cleaning room is a real mess.” Here "cleaning" is the indirect modifier.
– «This film about spies has been especially interesting to me» . On this occasion "about spies" functions as an indirect modifier.
– «The philosophy book is really difficult for me to understand» . Here "from philosophy" comes to practice as MI.
– «I don't like striped shirts at all» . In this case, "striped" would be the indirect modifier.
– «My coworkers, I have to say, are like a second family to me.» In this sentence the MI is "work" .
Appealing to a preposition, the indirect modifier acts on the nucleus.
Differences with the MD
In addition to everything stated above, it is necessary not to confuse the indirect modifier with the direct modifier. Specifically, we can state that the latter is the element that is responsible for accompanying the core noun of the subject . Likewise, it is important to know that this direct modifier (MD) can be an adjective , a pronoun and an article. Furthermore, it has the particularity that it agrees both in gender and number with the aforementioned nucleus of the subject.
An example of the direct modifier can be found in this sentence: "Lying is something that must be avoided at all costs." In that the MD is none other than "the" .
Let's look at another bimember sentence: "The woman with the hat is screaming." In the subject "The woman with a hat" , the indirect modifier "with a hat" appears linked to the nucleus "woman" , as does the direct modifier "The" . The predicate of the expression, meanwhile, is "he is screaming."