The Basic Verb

Phrase
VERBS
Lexical Verbs (the indefinitely large general vocabulary of the
language)
e.g. run, eat, seem, explain, recycle, shatter, prepare, depend
Auxiliary Verbs (special and very restricted set of verbs)
e.g. be, have, and do (they can also be lexical) can/could,
will/would, shall/should, may/might, must, and need. More
discussion in chapter 6.
The complements of lexical verbs
 Look at this sentence
Phil dreads affectionate cats.
 ‘dread’ is a verb, ‘affectionate cats’ is a NP complementing ‘dread’.

 Not all lexical verbs require a NP as a complement

 ‘dread’ must take an NP, ‘sunbathe’ cannot take an NP

 Lexical verbs are sub-categorised according to what other

elements MUST appear with them in the VP.
 In other words, they are sub-categorised in terms of what
complements they demand.
Continued..

Just because an NP cannot follow the V sunbathe doesn’t mean

that nothing can follow the V in the VP.  PP beside a stream
can
But this PP cannot be the complement of sunbathe because it is
not required to complete the meaning of the VP.
Beside a stream just gives extra – optional – information.
All VPs can include (optional) modification by a PP
Phil dreads affectionate cats in the hay-fever season
6 Sub-categories of
Lexical Verbs
1. Transitive
2. Intransitive
3. Ditransitive
4. Intensive
5. Complex transitive
6. Prepositional
Transitive Verbs
A transitive verb is a verb which requires a single NP to
complement it.
dread, make, spot, throw, and inspect are transitive verbs
The NP that complements a transitive verb is said to
function as its direct object.
So, in “Phil dreads affectionate cats”, “affectionate cats” is
complementing the transitive verb “dread” as its direct
object.
Phill dreads affectionate cats
Intransitive verbs
An intransitive verb is a verb that does
not require any further constituent as a
sister in the VP.
Disappear, die, laugh, vegetate (and
play
Since an intransitive verb requires no
further element to form a complete
predicate, an intransitive verb counts as
a complete VP in its own right.
Omar sighed
Ditransitive verbs
Ditransitive verbs require TWO NPs as complements.
William gave Millie some bleach.
The staff sent the general a message.
Max buys his butler all necessary work-clothes.
The first complement, Millie, the general, and his butler
function as the indirect objects since they are the recipients
or beneficiaries of the action. The second complement NP
(in italics) functions as the direct objects.
 Determine which of the following are ditransitive verbs!
 (a) show (b) offer (c) see (d) tell (e) announce
Max showed Matilda his collection of razors.
Tarzan offered Jane his hairy arm.
Heseltine told his boss the news.

Do these sentences make sense?

Max saw Matilda his collection of razors.
Heseltine announced his boss the news.
Intensive verbs
 Intensive verbs require a single complement, which can take the form of
an Adjective Phrase, a Noun Phrase or a Prepositional Phrase.
 The most obvious and commonly used intensive verb is be. As the
central example of the intensive sub-category of verb, be is called ‘the
copula’.
 Ed is rather extravagant. (AP)
 Sigmund was an auctioneer. (NP)
 Oscar and the First Mate were in the engine room. (PP)

 The complement of an intensive verb functions (more specifically) as a

predicative.
 Other intensive verbs are: become, seem, appear, turn, remain, look, taste,
feel, smell, sound
Ambiguity [transitive vs intensive]
 When a verb is complemented just by an AP, you can be sure
you are dealing with an intensive verb.
 When a verb is complemented by an NP, you will have to
decide whether [V + NP] is an example of [transitive V +
direct object] or an example of [intensive V + predi- cative]
Sigmund was an auctioneer.
Sigmund spotted an auctioneer
 Note the difference between Predicative and Direct Object

 Predicatives are used to attribute properties to the things

referred to by other expressions. Unlike direct/indirect
objects, they do not themselves refer to things or people.
Be careful! Some words could act as
intensive and transitive verbs

Max turned a subtle shade of green.

Max turned another card.
Tarzan felt a real idiot.
Tarzan felt a tap on his shoulder.
The captain sounds an absolute tyrant.
The captain sounded the ship’s horn.
Complex transitive verbs
 Complex transitive verbs take two complements: a direct object (NP)
and an object-predicative.
 Again, the predicative can take the form of an AP, an NP or a PP.
 Jack finds his own jokes extremely funny. (AP)
 They made Stella their spokesperson. (NP)
 Liza put the liquor under her bed. (PP)

 The difference is that the predicative in a complex transitive VP

characterises (attributes a property to) the direct object, not the subject,
hence the name ‘object-predicative’.
Prepositional verbs
 Glance (at NP), reply (to NP), refer (to NP), and worry (about NP)
are examples of prepositional verbs – complemented by a
Prepositional Phrase.
  Max glanced. (it’s not intransitive)
 Max glanced the falling acrobat. (it’s not transitive)
 Max glanced at the falling acrobat. (it demands a PP
complement)
Exercise
What are the subcategories of the verbs and draw the
phrase markers
1. Armand looks unprepared.
2. The government gives us scholarships.
3. A slice of cedar on top pleased that picky eater.
4. The eggs cracked
5. The decision depends on these reports
6. The class appointed Jim their class leader