COMPLEMENTS AND SUBCATEGORIZATION RESTRICTIONS

COMPLEMENTS AND SUBCATEGORIZATION RESTRICTIONS

1. Subject complements

   • It is normally an adjective or a noun that renames or defines in some way the subject.
     • Examples: My mother is a doctor/beautiful Noun + copula verb + subject c
     • Complement configuration of Nouns in subjects
       • A. No complement
         • Examples: The book is on the desk (BOOK: N)
       • B. Prepositional phrases as complements of nouns:
         • Examples: His faith in God is amazing (FAITH: N + PP)
       • C. Infinitival phrases as complements of nouns:
         • Martha’s desire to become famous is surprising. (DESIRE: N + Inf.P)

2. Language learners need to have syntactic knowledge of the large number of small rules concerning the complement properties of individual words.

   • Adjective complements (prenominal adjectives)
     • A noun clause or prepositional phrase always follows the adjective it complements.
       • Complement configuration for Adjectives
         • Even though complement configuration for verbs is more varied than those found with adjectives, adjective phrases might also have different configurations
           • A. Adjective alone
             • Example: Franklin is nice
           • B. Adjective followed by a prepositional phrase functioning as complement:
             • Example: Andrew is angry with his wife
           • C. Adjectives followed by Infinitives
             • Example: Andrew is hard to be pleased
           • D. Adjectives can also be followed by clauses
             • Examples: Andrew didn´t know that you were here
       • Examples: This is a beautiful house (house modifies/complements the adjective beautiful)

3. Verb Complements

   • A verb complement is any word or phrase that completes the sense of a subject, an object, or a verb.
     • Intransitive verbs
       • It excludes a noun phrase to its right
     • Intransitive locative verbs
       • It excludes a noun phrase to its right, but needs a prepositional phrase.
     • Transitive verb
       • It requires a noun phrase to its right
     • Ditransitive verb
       • It is a “twice transitive” It requires two noun phrases to its right (double object).
     • Transitive directional verb
       • It requires to its right both, a noun phrase and a directional phrase.
     • Copula and Linking verbs
       • It requires an adjective phrase to its right; Or a noun phrase; Or a prepositional phrase; It requires an adjective phrase to its right
     • Complement configuration of Verbs
       • Intransitive Complement Configuration
         • Some verbs can occur without any complements
           • Some verbs can be followed by a noun phrase functioning as a predicate
             • Some verbs are followed by adjective phrases
               • Some verbs are followed by locative phrases
                 • Some other verbs are followed by a motion phrase (expresses movement)
                   • Other verbs are followed by present-participial verb phrases
                   • Verbs followed by an infinitival phrase
         • Transitive Complement Configuration
           • Verbs followed by a noun phrase
             • Verbs followed by a noun phrase and a predicate noun phrase
               • Verbs followed by a noun phrase and an adjective phrase
           • Ditransitive Complement Configuration
             • Verbs followed by a noun phrase and a locative prepositional phrase
               • Verbs followed by a noun phrase and an motion prepositional phrase
                 • Also some verbs are followed by a noun phrase and a present participial verb phrase
                   • Some verbs are followed by two noun phrases

4. Object Complements

   • Modifies/complements the object. It can be a noun or adjective or any structure acting as a noun or adjective.
     • Examples: My mom made me happy. (happy modifies/complement the object me)

5. Members:

   • Marcia González & Anabel Jaramillo