Transcript Subcategories of Verbs

Subcategories
of
Verbs
THE VERB PHRASE
• VP
V + Comp + Adjunct(PP) or (AdvP)
• What is Comp?
• Anything following the main verb necessary to
make the sentence GRAMMATICAL in the
intended MEANING.
• Branching from the lowest branch nearest to
the verb.
Complements & Adjuncts
• COMPLEMENTS
• Closely related to the
head (verb) and
essential to the
meaning of a phrase.
• Mostly obligatory
• ADJUNCTS
• Not related to the
meaning of the verb.
• Can be repeated and
moved in a sentence.
• Always optional.
• Sister to the predicate
forming a
‘constituent’
• They are not close
sisters to the verb.
WHAT ARE THE VERB PHRASE
COMPLEMENTS?
• Test:
• 1. Delete one phrase.
• 2. If the result is ungrammatical then the phrase
is a complement of V.
• 3. If the result is grammatical BUT the meaning of
the verb changes then the phrase is also a
complement of V.
• 4. If the meaning of the verb does not change
then the phrase is not part of the complement of
V.
I put the box in the closet
•
•
•
•
Delete ( the box)
I put in the closet. *
Delete (in the closet)
I put the box. *
• That means that BOTH phrases are parts of
the complement of the verb.
• THUS :
• Put : [NP– NP PP]
I fried an egg on the sidewalk
• Delete (an egg)
• I fried on the sidewalk. (grammatical but
meaning changed)
• Delete (on the sidewalk)
• I fried an egg.
• Grammatical, & reserves the meaning of (fry)
• That means (on the sidewalk) is not part of
the complement of V.
• Fry: [ NP --- NP ]
SUBCATEGORIES
SUBFEATURES
CATEGORY
Intransitive [ NP ---]
Transitive
(type 1)
[NP --- NP]
Transitive
(type 2)
[NP --- { NP/CP}]
EXAMPLES
sleep, escape,
arrive
Hit, wipe,
thank, love,
pour, kiss
Ask, think, say,
SUBCATEGORIES
SUBCATEGORY
Ditransitive
(Type 1)
Ditransitive
(Type 2)
Ditransitive
(Type 3)
Ditransitive
(Type 4)
FEATURES
[NP– NP NP]
EXAMPLES
Spare, name
Put, place,
keep
[NP– NP {NP PP}] Give, throw,
send, bring
[NP– NP
Tell, show,
{NP/PP/CP}]
promise
[NP – NP PP]