Quantification in the coda of existentials

Abstract

Existential sentences with PP codas containing quantifiers (e.g. There's ominous music in most nightmares) are analyzed. It is argued that they require abandoning the common view that codas denote properties of individuals. An alternative analysis is presented in which codas are not predicates but rather contextual modifiers. The parallels between codas and temporal modifiers are discussed, as is a previously unnoticed contrast between codas and post-copular predicates in the licensing of free choice any.