Complement clauses

Complement clauses

1. A prototypical complement clause is a clause that functions as an argument, of some other clause

   • Subject
   • object

2. A main or matrix

   • clause is a clause that has another clause
     • a complement clause
       • as one of its core arguments

3. The form that is called acomplementizer

   • Since it determines the syntactic behavior of the clause that follows it
     • it may be considered to be
       • the syntactic head of its phrase

4. English has several types of object complement clauses

   • one structural parameter by which they vary is the
     • complementizer that they employ
       • Zero complementizer
         • I know you are left-handed
       • That complementizer
         • I know that you are left-handed
       • If complementizer
         • I don’t know if he is coming
       • To complementizer
         • I know to shut up before she gets angry

5. In English, subject complement clauses usually come after the verb

   • the neutral pronoun it appears in the preverbal position

6. is called a post-posed or extraposed subject complement clause

   • A clause can be both a complement
     • a matrix clause
       • it can be an argument of one clause
         • at the same time
           • have a third clause as one of its own core arguments