Sentence Modifier Discussion - 修飾語

If the noun phrase + copula sentence modifier followed the same pattern as a verb/adjective sentence modifier, it would consist of

• noun phrase + だ + noun phrase　or
• noun phrase + だった + noun phrase

Let us analyze sequences like:

• 二千円の本　　a ¥2000 book
• グリーンの本　a green book
• きれいな本　　a beautiful book

When a sentence consisting of or ending with noun phrase + だ occurs as a modifier of a following noun phrase, だ acquires the special form の. In the case of a na-adjective (which would otherwise be a noun) it becomes a な.

• 病気だ + 学生 > 病気の学生 a student who is sick, a sick student
• 元気だ + 子供 > 元気な子供 a child who is healthy, a healthy child

病気 is not a na-adjective but 元気 is. However, every noun phrase (particle) + だ before ん＼だ/ の＼だ becomes noun phrase (particle) + な. Thus, な does follow nouns as well in this construction, and ん＼だ / の＼だ. loose their accents after accented phrases:

病気なんです。　　　　　(It's that) [s/he]'s sick.
日本人なの？　　　　　　(Is it that) [s/he]'s Japanese.
今日からなんでしょう？　(It's that) it's starting today.

In other places, how noun phrase (particle) ＋ だ ＋ の ends up depends on whether or not the noun of the sentence modifier is a na-nominal:

• グリーンだ ＋ の (one) ＞ グリーンの ＋ の (one) ＞ グリーンの one that is green
• きれいだ ＋ の (one) ＞ きれいなの one that is pretty

In the perfective equivalent of the sentence modifier with a noun phrase, だった retains its normal form:

• 病気だった学生 student who was sick
• 元気だった子供 child who was healthy

The negative of a noun phrase, as usual, becomes an adjective phrase.

• 日本人じゃない先生 teacher who is not Japanese

The sentence modifier group can be extended to include が phrases noun phrase + が noun/na-adjective + だ:

友達が好きだ ＋ もの ＞ 友達が好きなもの　ＯＲ　友達の好きなもの
things my friend likes

弟が学生だった時 ＞ 弟が学生だった時
the time when my brother was a student

The various の：

1. ＼の as a replacement or anticipatory noun, or ん・のだ

大きいのをください。　Give me a big one.
買うのはどこ？　　　　Where do you buy it?
わかるんです。　　　　It's that I understand.

2. の as a special pre-noun form of だ

病気の学生　student who is sick

3. の as a particle connecting noun phrases where the following noun is a part of (owned by, possessed by) the preceding

私の本　　　　　my book
川の水　　　　　water in the river
東京のタクシー　Tokyo taxi(s)

4. の that alternates with が when occurring as a sentence modifier

兄の作った機械　ＯＲ　兄が作った機械
姉の嫌いな魚

5. の as the contraction of (3) + (1) or (2) + (1)

私のです　　　It's mine
グレーのです　It's the one that's gray.