Transcript Heads and complements Chapter 8 PowerPoint

Heads and complements
Kuiper and Allan Chapter 8.1.1
What are complements in
general?
• Complements include:
– objects
• direct
• indirect
– intensive complements
– They are required by the head to
complete its meaning.
Subcategories of heads
• Heads of phrase belong to subcategories on
the basis of the kind of complements they
take.
• Transitive verbs take objects.
– massage
• Intransitive verbs do not.
– sleep
• Some verbs take double objects.
– buy
Verbs subcategorize for
complementizers
• Data
– Max understood that Joanna had driven his
sportscar.
– *Max understood whether Joanna had driven his
sportcar.
– *Max didn't understand whether Joanna had
driven his sportscar.
– Max didn't know whether Joanna had driven his
sportscar.
Complementizers subcategorize for
the tense of their complement clause
• Data
–
–
–
–
The committee intended for John to come.
The committee intended that John might come.
*The committee intended that John to come.
*The committee intended for John might come.
Finite and non-finite clauses
• Finite clauses are tensed, e.g. the
contain either a modal auxiliary or past
or present tense forms.
• Non-finite clauses do not contain
either a modal or past or present tense
forms.
• Non-finite clauses often have to in the
place of tense.
Representing the structure
of non-finite verb phrases
VP
LexV
to
swim