UNIVERSIDADE LICUNGO

FACULTY OF LETTERS AND HUMANITIES

HONOURS DEGREE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

RUI HERMÍNIO MUSSAGO

ROFINO VASCO ANTONIO
SALVADOR JOSÉ MUZOMOLA
SARIFO AMADE SULEMANE
SIMÕES JOSÉ BOA
SANTE AGOSTINHO MONTEIRO
SIMÕES ARLINDO SIMÕES

CONSTITUENCY TESTS

Quelimane
2022
 RUI HERMÍNIO MUSSAGO
ROFINO VASCO ANTONIO
SALVADOR JOSÉ MUZOMOLA
SARIFO AMADE SULEMANE
SIMÕES JOSÉ BOA
SANTE AGOSTINHO MONTEIRO
SIMÕES ARLINDO SIMÕES

CONSTITUENCY TESTS

A group assignment to be
submitted at Faculty of Letters and
Humanities as an item of evaluation,
in Syntax Isubject. Lectured by
Tutor: Dr. Manuel Miguel Jossias

Quelimane
2022

Contents
1. Introduction....................................................................................................................................4
2. Constituency Tests.........................................................................................................................5
3. Reference List................................................................................................................................8

1. Introduction
The current group assignment leans over a set of constituency tests exercises under Syntax I
subject on the course and department aforementioned.
Constituency tests refer to a set of procedures that we can use to conclude whether or not a
sequence of words act as constituent of a sentence.

Thus, this works intends to solve exercise provided by the Tutor's subject on the UL's Moodle
platform. Participated on the work, all the students aforementioned on the cover and inner
cover.

2. Constituency Tests
1-Complete the table below by grouping the tests you studied in the sources indicated above
into major classes.
Class Transposition/ Delection Substitution Coordination Semantic
movement

Main If a group of words Constituent Constituents Linking of two or Constituent

Character can be moved can be taken can be more constituents s act as
istics together without out of the replaced by by a coordinating short
changing the sentence and single word conjunction answer to
grammaticality of the maintain a and the open
sentence, then it is a good sentence questions
constituent. sentence. remains
grammatical
Types of Front movement and Omission test Replacement Conjunction test; Stand-alone
Tests clefting and insertion Cleft and Pseudo- test;
tests clefting tests

2-A single constituency test is not enough to conclude whether a certain sequence of words
(or single word) is a constituent part of a sentence or a Phrase. By rule, the minimum of three
tests are required to decide whether one sequence is a constituent or not. Using three tests at
your choice show whether the elements in brackets are or are not constituents.

i) I received beautiful flowers [for my birthday].

Omission test: I received beautiful flowers…;
Movement test: For my birthday, I received beautiful flowers;
Stand alone Test: Why did you receive beautiful flowers? A: For my
birthday.
Conclusion: the string [for my birthday] is constituent of the phrase in i).

ii) [For him to kill that poor fly] was wrong.

Movement test: It was wrong for him to kill that poor fly

Replacement Test: He was wrong.

 Omission test:

iii) [The man] from New York flew only ultra-light planes.

Replacement test: People from New York flew only ultra-light planes.
Movement test: From New York the man flew only ultra-light planes.
Omission test: From New York flew only ultra-light planes.
Conclusion: The string [the man] is constituent of the phrase in iii.

iv) Ruben called [the man] with the umbrella.

Movement test: The man with umbrella was called by Ruben.
Stand-alone Test: Who did Ruben call? A: The man.
Replacement test: Ruben called him with the umbrella.
Conclusion: the string [the man] is constituent of the phrase in iv).

v) Paul placed the [book carefully] on the desk.

Movement test: On the desk, Paul placed the book carefully.

Replacement: Paul placed [it] on the desk.

Insertion test: Paul placed the book carefully and slowly on the desk.

vi) The president may fear [congress will regret his proposal].

Replacement test: The president may fear it.

Insertion test: The president may fear that probably congress will regret his
proposal.

Coordination test: Congress will regret his proposal and the president may fear it.

Conclusion: Thus the string[congress will regret his proposal.] is constituent of

the phrase in vi).

3-Produce two cleft and three pseudo-clefting sentences from each of the following ones:
a) The government spends thousands of pounds on road safety every year.

Cleft:

It is thousands of pounds that the government spends on road safety every year.

It is thousands of pounds on road safety that the government spends every year.

Pseudo-clefting:

Thousands of pounds on road safety is what the government spends every year.

Thousands of pounds on road safety every year is what the government spends.

Every year thousands of pounds is what the government spends on road safety.

b) The policeman met several young students in the park last night.

Cleft:

It was in the park last night that the policeman met several young students.

It was several young students that the police met in the park last night.

Pseudo-clefting:
Who the policeman met in the park last night were several young students.
Several young students are who the policeman met in the park last.

In the park last night several young students is what the policeman me

3. Reference List
Roberts, N.B ANALYSING SENTENCES, An introduction to English Syntax, 3rd Ed.
Aarts, B. English Syntax and Argumentation, 2nd Ed.