Modifier and Head-word

In English phrases, there is usually one word which is the main word in the phrase, and we can add one or more modifiers to this to specify its meaning more exactly. The main word is called a head-word.

In a noun phrase, a noun is usually the head-word. Let's see the examples in the table below.

	modifier(s)	head-word	modifier(s)
Sam likes	popular	music		very much.
Sam likes	the	wines	of France	very much.
Sam likes	these new	dresses		very much.
Sam likes	a cooked	breakfast		very much.
Sam likes	most pop	concerts	on the radio	very much.
Sam likes	every	hour	he spend here	very much.

Notice that we can usually omit the modifiers. Let's see examples below.
(1) Sam likes music.
(2) Sam likes wines.
(3) Sam likes breakfast.

In an adjective phrase, an adjective is the head-word. Let's see examples in the table below.

	modifier(s)	head-word	modifier(s)
This photograph is		good	enough.
This photograph is	rather	small.
This photograph is	much	better	than that one.
This photograph is	the very	best	of them all.

Modifiers which come before the head-word are sometimes called "premodifiers". Those which come after the head-word are sometimes called "postmodifiers". [See Phrase for more details]

I hope this article helps. If you have any question, please leave a comment below.