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grammar - What does an adjunct modify?


Does an adjunct always modify the noun or can it modify the verb, too?


For example:



He talked about me [in a hateful way].



I don't think that saying "in a hateful way" modifies him would be true.


Also, when there are two adjuncts:



He talked about me [in a hateful way] {on the phone}.



I think that both "in a hateful way" and "on the phone" modify talk, not him or hateful way ("hateful way on the phone," as a noun phrase, does not make sense). So do these adjuncts modify the verb, or the entire clause? Also, is there any limitation to using consecutive adjuncts?



He talked about me in a hateful way on the phone in the office without hesitation.



Would you interpret this sentence as "talking in a hateful way and talking on the phone and talking in the office and talking without hesitation" or as "talking in a hateful way which was on the phone that was in the office which was without hesitation"?




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