The keyword phrase "911 year attack" functions grammatically as a compound noun. In this structure, the final word, "attack," is the main noun or 'head' of the phrase. The preceding words, "911" and "year," act as modifiers that specify the type of attack.
The grammatical components of this phrase are analyzed as follows: "Attack" is the core noun that identifies the concept. The terms "911" and "year" are noun adjuncts (or attributive nouns), which are nouns that function as adjectives to modify another noun. "911" serves to identify the specific event, while "year" introduces a temporal aspect. This structure is common in English (e.g., "computer screen," "railway station"), but the specific combination in this phrase is unconventional and grammatically irregular when compared to standard terminology.
For practical application in writing, recognizing this phrase as a noun is crucial because it dictates its role in a sentence; it can be a subject, an object, or the object of a preposition. However, due to its non-standard and potentially ambiguous construction, it is strongly advised to use established and clear terminology. For an article requiring a professional tone and clarity, phrases such as "the September 11th attacks," "the 9/11 attacks," or "the attacks of 2001" are the correct and universally understood terms.
