Complements vs Modifiers

Complements on the level of the EVP is a part of phrase – constituents that are obligatory.

- Objects (NPs) John is a genius

- Predicative Complements (NPs and AdjPs) John is smart
- Time & place Complements (PrepPs) John is on the table.
- Neutral Complements (oblique objects) This qualifies as mistake // I gave the book to John
o Also: non-finite – I regret calling you an idiot in public.
o finite clauses – I regret that I called you an idiot in public

Modifiers

- a black cat with long whiskers

- Pre and Post-H modifiers

From what I understand, complements are a part of the EVP and modifiers are part of the given
entity?

His insistance[H] on punctuality[complement] under the current circumstances[Post-H modifier]

- Complement goes immediately after the head; to move the post-h mod. closer to the head
we would have to use brackets or hyphens

- The head and the post-h modifier are not linked together (can be separated)

- Complements are linked (their occurrence and their form depend on the head)

- His insistence[H] that employess should come to work on time [complement; a (finite
subordinate) clause; declarative content clause – tells us the content of ‘his insistance’]
Finite clause
– a clause with a tensed verb

Content clause
- Declarative (complement, PCs, modifier)
- Jussive
- Interrogative: open (wh-words), closed (whether, if)

Adverbial clause
- Function as adjuncts or an embedded subordination
- Introduced by: subordinators (if, unless, until, because), word order, fronting

Relative clause
- Defining = restrictive (which = a pronoun heading the NP)
- Non-defining = non-restrictive (which = determiner)
- Fused
- //antecedents

Comparative clause
- ….than….
- …as… - function as modifiers in AdjP, AdvP
Pre-Head Modifier – extremely intelligent

Post-Head Modifier – the girl in the first row

Pattern: determiner = Pre-Head Modifier = HEAD = complement = Post-Head Modifier

The boss’s | insistence | on punctuality [det | head | complement]

Dependant – The dogs are chasing some cats | Those ideas may sound quite childish | People may
have been brewing beer for millennia. |

modifiers are dependents??: a leaf falling from a tree

DEPENDANTS IN VP:
1. complement:
-obligatory
-triggered by the verb
2. adjunct:
-omissible
-not correlated with the verb
PATTERNS of EXP
1. Intransitive S+P She is crying.
2. Copular S + P + PCs He is rude.
3. Monotransitive S+P+O I eat strawberries.
4. Complex S + P + O + PCo People consider him rude.
transitive
5. Diatransitive S + P + Oi + Od They gave me strawberries.

Epistemic modality vs Deontic Modality

John must have worked harder this semester vs John must work harder this semester

- Not epistemic nor deontic (subject-related meaning)

- ability meaning = I can see a person coming in
- habitual activity meaning = John would get drunk at weekends
- volitional meaning = He won’t go there

co spisać
Finite clauses

Kernel clauses

Modality

Aspectual meaning

S-P agreement

Modifiers + pattern
Types of verb complementation patterns

(6) The cat is on the mat S P Complement of place (Cplace)

(7) The girl put the cat on the mat. S P O Cplace (direction)
“John looked for the word in the dictionary” status and meaning of these words different

“John looked up the word in the dictionary”

for = preposition

“John looked immediately for the word.”

* “John looked immediately up the word” WRONG!

“John looked for it” - prepositional verb

“John looked it up” - phrasal verb

Number transparency

Possesive phrases are usually used as determiners (John’s book) but can also be used as a Pre-Head
modifier (a men’ magazine)

Syntactic functions of an AdjP

Degrees of adjectives

In the superlative “most beautiful” most is a modifier

complex sentence and compound sentences

It is strange that he did that (extraposition)

Head Complement Post-H modifier+

Declarative content clause (restrictive/defining) relative clauses
The insistance That employees should come to work on time That the boss shows all the time
The complains That employees come to work late That the boss makes all the time

The best To learn A foreign language

way
//’best’ triggers In which you can learn a foreign language (res.rel.cl. - less frequent
the infinitive
than the to-infinitive clause)
He decided that he would step on the Moon (complement in the EVP)
 to step on the Moon (infinitive clause used as a complement)
His To step on the Moon (no way in which we can turn it into a relative Was a very brave one
decision clause; only declarative content clause)

Subordinator