Consider this sentence:
I am truly amazed by my success at this diagramming business, but I wish for a rest now.
I think that the adverb "now" modifies "rest". But according to the answer page, I'm wrong, and I don't know why. Please, can someone clarify?
Best Answer
The phrase "I wish for a rest now" could be interpreted to mean that at the present time (ie, "now") you are wishing for a rest (presumably beginning immediately, if not sooner), or it could be interpreted to mean that you have a wish that at the present time ("now") you were resting.
The difference in the two meanings is certainly subtle, and, some would argue, inconsequential, since the effects (such as they are) of the two wishes are identical.
The argument that "a rest" is not a verb and therefore does not couple with an adverb is a technicality, of course. If the statement were reworded as "I wish to rest now" then "rest" becomes a verb and the technicality evaporates.
Rewritten this way you could further rewrite as either
or
allowing you to be more explicit as to the meaning. But neither rewrite is as satisfying (and restful) as the original, and thus such a rewrite would only be appropriate if there was some need to distinguish between the two (nearly identical) meanings.