The structure of VP

1
The structure of VP

• Lectures on
• English
• Grammar
• BA, 1st semester
• Lecture 5
• Torben Thrane

2
Basic structure of VP
S
Subject
Predicate
NP VP
Modalisation
Predication
Aux V
Complementation
V NP
John is stabbing Bill
3
The structure of Aux
A C T I V E
VP/Predicate
NP/ Subject
AUX
V
V
NP/Obj
Aux1
Aux2
Aux3
John may have been
stabbing Bill
John might have been
stabbing Bill
John - has been
stabbing Bill
John - had been
stabbing Bill
John - - is
stabbing Bill
John - -
was stabbing Bill
John - - -
stabs Bill
John - - -
stabbed Bill
4
The structure of Aux
P A S S I V E
VP/Predicate
NP/ Subject
AUX
V
V
Aux1
Aux2
Aux3
Aux4
Bill may have been
being stabbed
Bill might have been
being stabbed
Bill - has been
being stabbed
Bill - had been
being stabbed
Bill - -
is being stabbed
Bill - -
was being stabbed
Bill - - -
is stabbed
Bill - - -
was stabbed
5
The structure of Aux
A C T I V E
VP/Predicate
NP/ Subject
AUX
V
V
NP/Obj
Modal
Perfect
Progr.
John may have been
stabbing Bill
John may have -
stabbed Bill
John may - be
stabbing Bill
John may - -
stab Bill
John - has been
stabbing Bill
John - has -
stabbed Bill
John - - is
stabbing Bill
John - - -
stabs Bill
6
The structure of Aux
P A S S I V E
VP/Predicate
NP/ Subject
V
AUX
V
Modal
Perfect
Progr.
Passive
Bill may have been
being stabbed
Bill may have -
been stabbed
Bill may - be
being stabbed
Bill may - -
be stabbed
Bill - has
been being stabbed
Bill - has
- been stabbed
Bill - -
is being stabbed
Bill - - -
is stabbed
7
Finite and non-finite VP structures
A C T I V E
Finite VP
Subject
Finite Form
Object
Non-finite VP
John may have been
stabbing Bill
John has -
been stabbing Bill
John is -
- stabbing Bill
John stabs - -
- Bill
Bill may have been
stabbed -
P A S S
Bill has -
been stabbed -
Bill is -
being stabbed -
Bill is -
- stabbed -
8
The secondary verbal categories
Category Members Auxiliary V Morpheme
Present Ø -Ø/-s
Tense
Past Ø -ed
Modality - (next term)
can, may, must, ought to shall, will
-Ø
Perfect have -en
Aspect
Progressive be -ing
Active Ø Ø
Voice
Passive be -en
9
The function of Aux Modalisation
A fancy term for the information that the
speaker has to provide the listener with when
describing a situation by means of a sentence
Tense provides information for identifying the
situation in time
Modality provides information for identifying the
situation in space
Aspect provides information for identifying the
situation relative to other situations
Voice provides information for identifying the
situation in terms of its central participants
10
The construction of V-forms
VP
Aux
V
Tense
V
AuxV
Morph
Morph
Ø
look
-ed
-ed
Ø
looked
11
The construction of V-forms
VP
Aux
V
Tense
V
Perfect
Morph
AuxV
Morph
AuxV
Morph
-en
Ø
-ed
have
break
-en
Ø
Ø
-ed
broken
had
12
The construction of V-forms
VP
Aux
V
Tense
Progressive
V
Perfect
Morph
AuxV
Morph
AuxV
Morph
AuxV
Morph
-en
-ing
Ø
-ed
have
be
look
-ing
Ø
Ø
Ø
-en
-ed
looking
had
been
13
The structure of V
VP
Predication
Modalisation
Aux
V
Head
Complementation
V
XP
XP can be any phrase (including S) that may
complete V
14
The ambiguity of complement
15
The subclassification of Verbs
ClassName Complementation Example
Intransitive Ø (none) He slept
Transitive mono- DO He stabbed him di- IO
DO He gave us a fright complex- DO CO He
called him stupid DO ADJUNCT He put it there
Intensive CS He seems nice
Classes established by syntactic function
16
The subclassification of Verbs - by the syntactic
categories of complements
DO He wants that
car NP He wants to drive Infinitive He
wants John to drive Infinitive clause He
wants watching (colloquial) Ing-clause He
bought that car NP He bought to drive He
bought John to drive Infinitive clause He
bought driving