Consider this sentence:
An avid reader himself, John always asks new acquaintances what books they read.
What do you call this construction in English grammar?
Thank you.
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1 Answer
An avid reader himself, John always asks new acquaintances what books they read.
The most appropriate term for the noun phrase "an avid reader himself" is predicative adjunct. It's predicative because it relates to a predicand, i.e. "John", and it's an adjunct because it's a modifier in clause structure (not noun phrase structure).
It is, more specifically, a supplement, detached by intonation or punctuation from the rest of the sentence. Compare the predicative complement equivalent: John is an avid reader himself.
Note that predicative adjuncts are not restricted to noun phrases. You can also have preposition phrases or adjective phrases:
In a bad temper, as usual, John walked on ahead of the main party. (PP)
Angry at his mistreatment, Ed resigned. (AdjP)
