Yet the distinction between functionals and modifiers is fundamental, and it has been lately been noticed and pointed out in various quarters. If in a phrase such as 'with a smile', the primary dependent 'smile' is considered the centre of the phrase, the grammatical dependent 'a' is centripetal, the functional 'with' centrifugal: 'a' is connected with the rest of the sentence only through 'smile', which it helps to specify; 'with' connects 'smile' with the rest of the sentence, and since the connexion is thereby established, the speaker is free to place the phrase 'with a smile' anywhere he pleases.
- Martinet (1962), Pag. 52