Heads and complements Kuiper and Allan Chapter 8

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 Lex. V to swim