6 Subjects and Complements_2015

7/26/2019 6 Subjects and Complements_2015

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Grammar I Graciela Palacio

LV/UB 2012-(revised 2015)

LESSON 6:

SUBJECTS AND COMPLEMENTS

There is a universal principle called the Etended Pro!ection Principle "EPP#$ %hich

states that ever& ver' must have a sube!"$ eplicit or implicit( )o% i* ever& ver' must have a

su'!ect$ the su'!ect does not help us to distin+uish di**erent t&pes o* ver's( ,hat helps us to

distin+uish di**erent t&pes o* ver' are the elements that *ollo% the ver' and %hich are

leicall& reuired '& it( Those elements %e %ill call !#$%&e$e'"s( .u'!ect and complement

are s'"!"i! '#"i#'s(

*E+BCOMPLEMENTS

ver' such assneeze$ %hich taes onl& one ar+ument$ %ill have no complements(

ver' such as kill$ %hich taes t%o ar+uments$ %ill have one complement( Ver's such as giveand tell$ %hich tae three ar+uments$ %ill have t%o complements( ver' such as put$ %hich

taes three ar+uments$ %ill also have t%o complements( )otice that the num'er o*

complements that a ver' taes is +enerall& the num'er o* ar+uments minus one(

)otice that in the case o* the leical cate+or& ver'$ complement can 'e de*ined in t%o %a&s

1( the element that *ollo%s the predicator "in this case the ver'# and ,-i!- !re"es

sub!"e.#r ,i"-i' "-e !"e.#r$ in the sense that it allo%s us to distin+uish

di**erent t&pes o* ver'( In this sense the su'!ect is never a complement( I* ever&

ver' must have a su'!ect$ the su'!ect doesnt help us to distin+uish di**erent t&pes

o* ver'(

2( an element that is leicall& reuired '& the meanin+ o* the ver'(

,e %ill later discuss another t&pe o* cate+or&$ the /u'!"i#'&cate+ories$ in %hich case the

complement is the element that *ollo%s the cate+or& 'ut %hich is not an ar+ument o* that

cate+or&(

The complements that a ver' taes are represented '& means o* a *rame "c*( in .panish un

marco# %hich is called sub!"e.#ri"i#' /r$e "c*( in .panish marco de

su'cate+ori3aci4n#( The su'cate+ori3ation *rame includes in*ormation a'out

1( the 'u$bero* complements that a predicator taes and

2( the "%eo* complements "i(e( the cate+or& o* the complements# that a predicator

taes(

The su'!ect is an ar+ument 'ut it is never a complement so it is never part o* the

su'cate+ori3ation *rame "5ae+eman 1667 78#( The *ollo%in+ are eamples o*

su'cate+ori3ation *rames

9ohn snee3ed(

.u'cate+ori3ation *rame o*sneeze V : ;

Pa+e 1 o* 8/ Lesson


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The V that is outside the suare 'racets states the cate+or& o* the predicator( Sneeze is a

ver'( ,ithin the 'racets$ the line indicates the position o* the ver'( Sneeze has no

complements so it not *ollo%ed '& an&thin+(

9ohn illed the 'ear(

.u'cate+ori3ation *rame o* kill V : =P1;

The ver' killhas t%o ar+uments 'ut onl& one complement$ the determiner phrase "=P# the

bear(

9ohn +ave the 'o& the 'oo(/ 9ohn +ave the 'oo to the 'o&(

.u'cate+ori3ation *rame o*give V : =P =P; or V : =P PP;

The ver'givehas t%o *rames( In 'oth *rames$ givetaes t%o complements 'ut in the *irst

*rame the t%o complements are determiner phrases "=P =P#( In the second *rame one o* thecomplements is a determiner phrase and the other complement is a prepositional phrase "=P

PP#

9ohn put the 'oo on the ta'le(

.u'cate+ori3ation *rame o*put V : =P PP;

The ver'puttaes t%o complements$ a determiner phrase and a prepositional phrase( Puthas

onl& one su'cate+ori3ation *rame(

The other leical cate+ories that %e have discussed so *ar "ad!ectives$ nouns and prepositions#

can also tae complements( The complement to these other cate+ories %ill still 'e de*ined as

an element that is leicall& reuired '& the meanin+ o* the %ord( The complements to

ad!ectives$ prepositions and nouns %ill also help us to create su'cate+ories %ith the cate+or&(

ADJECT*ECOMPLEMENTS

9ohn is tall(

.u'cate+ori3ation *rame o* tall : ;

The ad!ective talltaes onl& one ar+ument and no complements(

9ohn is *ond o* >ar&(

.u'cate+ori3ation *rame o*fond : PP;

The ad!ectivefond taes t%o ar+uments and onl& one complement$ the prepositional phrase

of Mary"PP#(

P+EPOSTONALCOMPLEMENTS

1=P stands *or determiner phrase$ a phrase %hose head is the determiner the( =eterminers and determinerphrases %ill 'e discussed presentl& %hen the *unctional cate+ories are introduced(

Pa+e 2 o* 8/ Lesson


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9ohn is in the itchen(

.u'cate+ori3ation *rame o* in P : =P;

The preposition intaes t%o ar+uments 'ut onl& one complement$ a determiner phrase "=P#(

NOUNCOMPLEMENTS

In the *ollo%in+ sentence

The enem& destro&ed the cit&(

the ver' destroytaes t%o ar+uments "the enemyand the city# and one complement "the city#(

I* the sentence is trans*ormed into a phrase$ it can 'ecome part o* a lar+er sentence as in

The enemys destruction of the cityoccurred at da%n(

The noun destructioninherits the ar+uments o* the ver' destroy$ so that it %ill also have t%o

ar+uments "the enemy and the city# and one complement "the city#( )otice that the main

predicator o* the sentence is occurred( ,hat %e are doin+ is anal&sin+ the phrase the enemys

destruction of the city internall&( The su'cate+ori3ation *rame o* destruction%ould 'e as

*ollo%s

.u'cate+ori3ation *rame o* destruction ) : PP;

ADJUNCTS

?onsider the *ollo%in+ sentences

9ohn illed Bill in ?entral Par &esterda&(

The ver' killis a t%o-place ver'$ it taes t%o ar+uments "JohnandBill# and one complement

"Bill#(In entral Parkandyesterdayare not reuired '& the meanin+ o* kill(In entral Park

+ives us the location o* the %hole event o* illin+ andyesterdaythe time at %hich the event

occurred( It %ould also 'e possi'le to add to the previous sentence an ad!unct o* reason

"because he hated him#(

These elements that modi*& the %hole event are called dverbi& du'!"s( The la'eldu'!"is a s&ntactic la'el( Adu'!"s re i' #%%#si"i#' "# !#$%&e$e'"s( d!uncts %ill not

'e part o* su'cate+ori3ation *rames(

The *ollo%in+ is a list o* adver'ial ad!uncts( It is not an ehaustive list$ thou+h

!" dver'ial ad!unct o* "i$e I havent seen 9ohnsince Monday(

#" dver'ial ad!unct o* %&!e 9ohn illed Bill in entral Park"

$" dver'ial ad!unct o* $''eror s%eed .he 'uttered the 'readslo%ly(

&" dver'ial ad!unct o* res#'or cause .he %as late because she overslept"

'" dver'ial ad!unct o* !#$%' .he %ent to the cinema %ith her boyfriend"

(" dver'ial ad!unct o* %ur%#se The thie* %ore +loves so that he %ould leave nofingerprints"

Pa+e @ o* 8/ Lesson


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)" dver'ial ad!unct o* resu&" The thie* %ore +lovesso that he left no fingerprints(

*" dver'ial ad!unct o* !#'di"i#'If he comes$ tell him that Im out(

+" dver'ial ad!unct o* !#'!essi#' The match %as pla&ed in spite of the rain(

!," dver'ial ad!unct o* /reue'! .he reads the ne%spaper every day(

!!" dver'ial ad!unct o* i's"ru$e'"2 .he cut the 'read %ith a knife"

POSTMOD3E+S TO NOUNS

In the same %a& that %e have to mae a distinction 'et%een !#$%&e$e'"sand du'!"s$ %e

%ill also have to mae a distinction 'et%een !#$%&e$e'"s "# '#u'sand %#s"$#di/iers "#

'#u's4In the phrase

a studentof physics

of physicsis a complement to the noun student'ecause a student o* ph&sics is some'od& %ho

studies ph&sics( But in

a student%ith long hair

%ith long hairis a %#s"$#di/ier( student %ith lon+ hair is not some'od& %ho studies lon+

hair$ it is some'od& %ho studies somethin+ and %ho happens to have lon+ hair( )otice that

complements to nouns and postmodi*iers to nouns ma& coeist as in

a student o* ph&sics %ith lon+ hair

I* 'oth appear the complement must come *irst 'ecause it has a closer relationship %ith the

noun(

.ome authors use the la'el d'#$i'& du'!" *or postmodi*iers to nouns( +ain the

important thin+ is that postmodi*iers to nouns or adnominal ad!uncts are in opposition to

complements(

Less#' 6 A!"ivi" 1:

Be read& to ans%er the *ollo%in+ uestions in class

1( ,hat does the Etended Pro!ection Principle stateA

2( 5o% can %e de*ine a complementA

@( ,h& isnt the su'!ect a complementA7( ,hat ind o* in*ormation does a su'cate+ori3ation *rame includeA

8( ,hat is an ad!unctA

Less#' 6 A!"ivi" 2: "to 'e discussed in class#

.tate the su'cate+ori3ation *rame o* the *ollo%in+ predicators

1( Laura toldthe children a ver& stran+e stor&(

2( >& mother keepsthe su+ar in the *rid+e(

@( The students no%led+e o* Latin %as uitegood(

7( The student %asgoodat Latin(

8( The mo'ile casta shado% on the %all(

2It is de'ata'le %hether the instrument is reall& an ad!unct or a complement(

Pa+e 7 o* 8/ Lesson


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Less#' 6 A!"ivi" : "to 'e discussed in class#

=o the *ollo%in+ sentences contain an& adver'ial ad!unctsA I* so$ %hat t&pe are the&A

1( Luc& eeps the mone& in a 'o(

2( 5e did it 'ecause o* her insistence(

@( .he issed her mother on the plat*orm(

7( I have o*ten told them to rela(8( lthou+h he is poor$ he is happ&(

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6 Subjects and Complements_2015