ENGL 3373 Lecture 5: Phrase Structure

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ENGL 3373Lecture 5 Phrase Structure

• Dr. Min-Joo Kim

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Key words

• Phrases
• Heads, complements, adjuncts, and specifiers
• Hierarchy mother-daughter
• Constituency

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Basic goals

• To know what phrases are.
• To identify different types of phrases.
• To identify what is a head and a dependent of a
  phrase.

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Phrases

• In laypersons terms, a phrase means more than
  one word.
• In syntax, however, a phrase refers to a group of
  words forming a syntactic unit e.g., a NP, a VP.
• In other words, words that form a phrase belong
  together, e.g., by moving around together, or
  getting deleted together, or by being substituted
  for together.

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Phrases contd

• In principle, every word can project into a
  phrase e.g.,
• An adjective projects into an Adjective Phrase
  (AP).
• An adverb projects into an Adverb Phrase (AdvP).
• A preposition projects into a Preposition Phrase
  (PP).
• A determiner projects into a Determiner Phrase
  (DP).
• Tense projects into a Tense Phrase (TP)
• A word around which a phrase is formed is called
  the head of that phrase e.g., the head of a NP
  is a noun.

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Quiz

• The following underlined words form phrases.
  Please identify what type of phrase they are, and
  what their head is.
• John made a pizza with zucchini.
• There were two boys from Amarillo.
• Yesterday Mary met a really cool guy.
• Melissa bumped into Charlie at the computer
  store.
• Brian won the race by running like a wind.
• He said things kind of straightforwardly.

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Structure of a NP

• What are the ingredients of a NP?
• The answer lies in the following NP structures
• A professor
• professors
• A professor of linguistics
• A smart student
• Those smart students
• Every student from the class

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What constitutes a phrase

• Head the core of a phrase e.g., N, V, A, Adv,
  P, D, T.
• Specifier specifies the heads meaning. Occupied
  by function words such as determiners, and degree
  adverbs.
• Complement the sister to a head. Selected by the
  head.
• Adjunct the modifier of a heads meaning.
  Attached to one level higher than the complement.

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Configuration of a XP

• (1) XP
• Y (specifier) X
• X AP (adjunct)
• X (head) ZP (complement)

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Characteristics of a phrase

• Every phrase must have a head the others are
  only optional.
• Phrases are hierarchical things may be at
  different levels, entering into a mother-daughter
  relation.
• Names of relations
• Sister if X and Y are in a sister relation, they
  are at the same level in the tree.
• Mother-daughter if X and Y are in a
  mother-daughter relation, one is one level higher
  than the other in the tree.

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Characteristics of a phrase

• The intermediate level, i.e., X-bar (X) level,
  may not be projected.
• Phrases of the same nature can be coordinated by
  conjunctions such as and, or, but.
• Phrases can contain other phrases. In fact,
  except for the head, all the other elements of a
  phrase are phrasal. See the following slide (and
  also (1)).

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NP structure

• When a noun occurs preceded by a determiner (D)
• (1) NP
• D N
• N
• A professor
• Important D is sister to N, not N.

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NP structure

• When theres nothing other than a noun occurs
• (2) NP (2)
  NP
• N D
  N
• N
  N
• professors ?
  professors
• In (2), ? means that theres a unpronounced
  determiner.

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NP structure

• When a noun occurs with a complement
• (3) NP
• N
• D N PP
• the professor of linguistics
• Here, the triangle means the internal structure
  of this phrase is irrelevant for the present
  purpose.

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NP structure

• When a noun has an adjectival modifier
• (4) NP
• N
• AdjP N
• D Adj N
• A smart student

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NP structure

• When a noun has a PP modifier/adjunct
• (5) NP
• D N
• N
• N PP
• Every student from the class

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Exercise 1

• Draw tree diagrams for the following NPs Please
  treat the underlined areas as triangles.
• Those books
• The provocative book
• Floods in the city
• The faulty claim that syntax is tough

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VP structure

• Just like NPs, VPs can have different
  structures, depending on the type of verb and
  whether theres an adverbial modifier.
• Some verbs can occur alone, without any thing
  other than the subject they are called
  intransitive verbs.

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VP structure

• (1) VP
• V
• V
• run

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VP structure

• Some verbs can take an NP as an object. They are
  called transitive verbs.
• (2) VP
• V
• V NP
• read a book

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VP structure

• Some verbs can take two objects. They are called
  ditransitive e.g., give, send, mail, bring.
• (3) VP
• V
• V NP NP
• Give Mary a book

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VP structure

• Any verb can be modified by (manner) adverbs,
  which are adjoined to V-bar.
• (4) a. John ran quickly.
• b. John read a book quickly.
• c. John gave Mary a book quickly.
• c John quickly gave Mary a book.

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VP structure

• (5) VP
• V
• V AdvP
• V NP
• read a book quickly

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VP structure

• Verbs can also be modified by PPs too.
• (6) VP
• V
• V PP
• V P NP
• Walked with a dog

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Exercise 2

• Draw the tree diagram for the following VPs,
  i.e., the underlined parts
• (1)a. John ordered a pizza.
• b. John ordered a pizza from the store.
• c. John mailed Mary a book.
• d. John mailed Mary a book quickly.
• e. John mailed a book to Mary.

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Adjective Phrase Structure

• Unlike VPs, AdjPs can also have specifiers
  because adjectives can be modified by degree
  adverbs (e.g., really, very, quite, darn,
  absolutely).
• You are very funny.
• He is absolutely right.

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AdjP structure

• (1) AdjP
• DegAdvP A
• DegAdv A
• DegAdv
• very funny

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AdjP structure

• Some Adjs can have complements e.g., proud,
  lovely, happy, nice.
• (3) AdjP
• Adj PP
• P NP
• proud of you

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AdjP inside a VP

• AdjPs occur inside a VP, which is headed by a
  linking verb. Their relation is head-complement.
  
• (4)a. You VP are AP very funny.
• b. John VP became AP really strange.

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Exercise 3

• Draw tree diagrams for the underlined parts.
• (1)a. She was quite intriguing.
• b. Melissa is happy about the results.
• c. Josh was really fond of Jane.
• d. The surprising story
• e. The truly surprising story.

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AdvP Structure

• Just like AdjPs, the spec position of AdvPs can
  be occupied by degree adverbs (e.g., really,
  very, quite, darn, absolutely).
• John ran AdvP very fast.
• (2) He could recite the poem AdvP totally
  flawlessly.

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AdvP structure

• As far as we can tell, Adverbs dont take
  complements.
• Adverbs usually modify verbs but can also be
  their complements
• (3) a. I phrased it carefully.
• b. I phrased it.
• (4) a. I read the book carefully.
• b. I read the book.

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AdvP structure

• (5) VP
• V
• V NP AdvP
• phrased it carefully

• (6) VP
• V
• V AdvP
• V NP
• read it carefully.

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Exercise 4

• Draw tree diagrams for the underlined parts
• He ran really slowly.
• Mark arrived remarkably late.
• John worded the letter nicely.
• John remembered the letter well.

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Structure of a PP

• PPs are headed by P which selects for an NP
  complement.
• PP
• P NP
• I saw you at the restaurant.

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PP structure

• PPs can also contain a specifier (e.g., right,
  just)
• PP
• AdvP P
• P NP
• (2) The store is right around the corner.

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PP structure

• PPs select for NPs but they can also modify
  NPs, as shown earlier.
• (2) John hid the book PP1 P in NP the closet
  PP2 in his room .
• What would be the tree diagram for the colored
  part?

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PP structure

• Some Ps are phrasal (e.g., in front of, as soon
  as, a lot of)
• I saw him in front of the movie theater.
• (2) I thanked them on behalf of all of us.

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Exercise 5

• Draw tree diagrams for the underlined parts
• Steve put the book on the table.
• Todd walked right into his room.
• John hid the book in the closet in his room.
• Susan was in front of me.

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Next Class

• Homework due for October 7
• Sentence structure