Verb Phrase Article Index for
Verb 		Website Links For
Phrase 		 

Information About

Verb Phrase
  CATEGORIES ABOUT VERB PHRASE
   
syntactic categories
   
SHOPPER'S DELIGHT
 
Shop For:  
Department
Price Minimum:
Price Maximum:
      




VPS IN X-BAR THEORY AND OTHER GENERATIVE FRAMEWORKS

In X-bar Theory and other Generativist frameworks a VP is a Phrase whose Head is a Verb . A verb phrase consists of a verb, often one or two Complement s, and any number of Adjunct s.

Examples:

In the Sentence

  • ''Mary saw the man through the window''.

  • ''John gave Mary a book''.

  • ''The baby cried''.


Note that on this defiition, a VP very much corresponds to what is sometimes called the Predicate .


A NARROWER DEFINITION

A narrower definition of 'verb phrase' is that it is the sentence constituent only that contains verbal elements. On this definition, VPs contain a Main Verb (which is the head), a number of Auxiliaries , and many languages Infinitive markers and other verbal praticles.

Examples:
  • ''John gave Mary a book.''

  • ''They were being eaten alive.''

  • ''She kept screaming like a maniac.''

  • ''Thou must not '''kill'''.

  • ''Eat lead, sucker!''


This definition is often employed in Functionalist frameworks and traditional British and European Reference Grammar s.


SEE ALSO