Delahunty and Garvey
There is also a paraphrase test for a noun head + PP. If you can insert the
words which is/was or that is/was between the noun head and the PP, the
construction is probably of the head + postmodifier type. We call this the
Whiz-test. (Wh comes from which; iz comes from the pronunciation of
is). Applying this test to (32a) and (32b) we end up with the paraphrases
(32e,f), respectively.
(32) e. Woody admired the picture which was on the wall.
f. *Woody put the picture which was on the wall.
That (32e) is grammatical indicates that on the wall is a postmodifier of pic-
ture in (32a) and thus that the picture on the wall is a phrase in that sentence;
the ungrammaticality of (32f) indicates that on the wall is not a postmodi-
fier of picture in (32b) and thus that the picture on the wall is not a phrase
in that sentence.
Thus we can conclude that the picture on the wall in (32a) is a unified NP
containing a head noun and a following PP. In contrast, in (32b), the picture
on the wall is not a unified NP.
Our tests demonstrate aspects of the process of grammatical reason-
ing—the use of tests, the need for several tests, consideration of multiple
hypotheses, and the role of grammaticality judgments. A further dividend is
that the tests we have just described will apply to just about any type of NP,
not just those involving PP postmodifiers.
More complex NPs: multiple premodifiers
Our examples so far have dealt only with single word premodifiers, but pre-
modifiers can be multiplied, as (35) shows.
(35) a. the two culprits (article + numeral)
b. those metal plates (demonstrative + noun)
c. several other candidates (quantifier + indefinite)
d. one such oddity (numeral + indefinite)
e. a second chance (article + ordinal)
Exercise
Identify the premodifiers and their types in:
a. several handsome geldings
b. long boring sessions
c. three French hens