Sentence

structure: Verb
phrases (I)
Instructor: Ta Le Minh Phuoc
 TYPES OF VERBS

(1) I can swim very fast.

(2) She is watching TV.
(3) I have eaten breakfast.
What are the differences between the verbs in red
and the verbs in blue?
 TYPES OF VERBS

There are 2 types of verbs:

+ Lexical verbs: indicate the main action taking place
in the sentence. --> our focus.
+ Auxiliary verbs: function as ‘helping verbs’, always
precede a lexical verb and add extra meanings to
main verb.
 TYPES OF LEXICAL VERBS

There are 6 types of lexical verbs:

(1) TRANSITIVE,
(2) INTRANSITIVE,
(3) DITRANSITIVE,
(4) INTENSIVE,
(5) COMPLEX TRANSITIVE,
(6) PREPOSITIONAL.
 TRANSITIVE VERBS

(1) I love my dog.

(2) My mom is baking some cookies in the kitchen.
(3) John drank a cup of tea yesterday.
What feature(s) do the verbs in red all have in
common?
 TRANSITIVE VERBS

A transitive verb is one which requires a single NP as

its complement. The NP that complements a transitive
verb is said to function as its direct object. The NP
receives objective case if it is a pronoun.
Ex: I ate a cake.
V dO
TRANSITIVE VERBS

When an NP is a
sister of the head V
bearing the [trans]
feature, we know
that the NP is
dO functioning as
DIRECT OBJECT.
Practice 1: Draw phrase markers for the following
VPs.

(1) I love my dog.

(2) My mom baked some cookies.
(3) John drank a cup of tea.
 INTRANSITIVE VERBS

(1) I slept at 10 p.m yesterday.

(2) My dad just smiled.
(3) Danny died.
What feature(s) do the verbs in red all have in
common?
 INTRANSITIVE VERBS

An intransitive verb is one which requires no complement

after it.
Ex: She coughed.
INTRANSITIVE VERBS

There is NO
constituent as a
sister of the head V
in the VP.
Practice 2: Draw phrase markers for the following
VPs.

(1) He slept.
(2) My dad smiles.
(3) Danny died.
 DITRANSITIVE VERBS

(1) William gave Millie some bleach.

(2) The staff sent the general a message.
(3) Max buys his butler all necessary work-clothes.
What feature(s) do the verbs in red all have in
common?
 DITRANSITIVE VERBS

A ditransitive verb is one which requires TWO NPs as

complements. The first NP is the recipients or
beneficiaries of the action and functions as an indirect
object (I.O), the second NP functions as a direct object
(D.O). The 2 NPs receive objective case if they are
pronouns.
Ex: I sent him a letter.
V iO dO
 DITRANSITIVE VERBS

The 2 NPs are

sisters of the head V.

iO dO
 DITRANSITIVE VERBS

Indirect objects can take the form of either an NP or a PP

containing to or for.
Ex: I sent a letter to him.
V dO iO
I made a cake for him.
V dO iO
 DITRANSITIVE VERBS

The NP and the PP

are sisters of the
head V.

dO
iO
Practice 3: Draw phrase markers for the following
VPs.

(1) Sheila sent a package to Joe.

(2) My mom made me a cup of tea.
(3) I envy him his garden.
(4) My mother baked a cake for me.
(5) My teacher explained the lesson to me.
Challenge 1: Are the 2 sentences (1) and (2) similar
in terms of meaning?

(1) My mom made me a cake.

(2) My mom made a cake for me.
Challenge 2: Are the 2 PPs parts of the complementation of a
DITRANSITIVE verb? Explain your answer. Diagram the 2
sentences.
(1) I wrote two letters to John.
(2) I wrote two letters to the USA.
 INTENSIVE VERBS

(1) She is very clever.

(2) You seem happy.
(3) I became a member of this club.

How many complement(s) do the verbs in red require?

Are the complements influenced by the action?
 INTENSIVE VERBS

v Intensive verbs (also called ‘linking/copular verbs’)

require a single complement (AP, NP or PP).

v Predicatives: to attribute properties to things/people.

v The complement of an intensive verb functions as a

Subject predicative (sP) because it attributes
properties to the Subject.
 INTENSIVE VERBS

Ex: She is very clever.

V (sP)

sP
The AP is a sister of the
head V.
Practice 4: Draw phrase markers for the following
VPs.

(1) You seem happy.

(2) I became a member of this club.
(3) She looked tired.
(4) John got mad.
(5) This cake tastes delicious.
Challenge 3: Are the 2 verbs in the 2 sentences similar?
Explain your answer. Diagram the 2 sentences.

(1) The fried chicken smelled delicious.

(2) She smelled the flower.
 COMPLEX TRANSITIVE VERBS

(1) I considered him my best friend.

(2) I sent him a letter.

How many complement(s) do the verbs in red require?

Are the complements parts of the complementation of a
DITRANSITIVE verb? Explain your answer.
 COMPLEX TRANSITIVE VERBS

• Complex transitive verbs take 2 complements: a direct

object (NP) and an object-predicative (NP, PP, or AP).

• Object predicatives (oP): attribute properties to the

direct object.
Ex: I considered him my best friend.
V dO oP
COMPLEX TRANSITIVE VERBS

The 2 NPs are

sisters of the head V.

oP
dO
Practice 5: Draw phrase markers for the following
VPs.

(1) I made my mom very sad.

(2) John put the book on the table.
(3) She likes her coffee hot.
(4) He withdrew money from the bank.
(5) The judge declared him guilty.
(6) Danny painted the house blue.
(7) People elected him the president of the USA.
(8) Villagers found a woman dead.
 PREPOSITIONAL VERBS

• Prepositional verbs take one PP as its complement.

• The complement is called a prepositional complement
(PC).
Ex: I looked at the window.
V PC
PREPOSITIONAL VERBS

The PP is a sister of
PC
the head V.
Practice 6: Draw phrase markers for the following
VPs.

(1) I complained about the food.

(2) My father stared at me.
(3) The teacher talked about the history of Vietnam.
SUMMARY
 Notes

In different structures, a lexical verb may behave

differently.
Ex:
(1) I try to stay healthy. Intensive verb

(2) He decided to stay. Intransitive verb

(3) He stayed at a hotel. Prepositional verb

 Notes

Ex:
(1) He has arrived. Intransitive verb

(2) He arrived at the airport. Prepositional verb

(3) He lives in the countryside. Prepositional verb

(4) The patient has only six months to live. Intransitive verb

(5) He tried to live his dream. Transitive verb

Challenge 4: Are the 2 verbs in (1) and (2) prepositional verbs?
Explain your answer.

(1) I looked up the sky.

(2) I looked up a word.
 Challenge 4

Prepositional verb Phrasal verb

 PHRASAL VERBS

• A phrasal verb consists of a verb + a particle (Prt) . The

particle forms a constituent with the verb.
Ex: I looked up a word.
Prt. dO
• The particle can appear in the position after the direct
object.
Ex: I looked a word up.
dO Prt
 PHRASAL VERBS

• When the direct object is a pronoun, the particle MUST

appear in the position after the direct object.
Ex: (1) I looked IT up.
dO Prt
(2) *I looked up IT.
Prt dO
PHRASAL VERBS
 PHRASAL VERB TESTS

Test 1: A phrasal verb allows the direct object to be located

between the verb and the particle. But a prepositional verb
does not allow this.
Ex: (1) I looked a word up.
(2) *I looked the sky up.
 PHRASAL VERB TESTS

Test 2: We cannot move the particle to another position in

the sentence.
Ex: (1) Up the sky I looked.
(2) *Up a word I looked.
 TYPES OF PHRASAL VERBS

There are different types of phrasal verbs:

1/ TRANS: call off, look up, hand over, etc.
2/ TRANS and INTRANS: give up, give in, throw up, etc.
3/ PREP: put up (with NP), run out (of NP), sign up (for
NP), etc.
4/ INTENS: turn out, end up, wind up, etc.
Practice 7: Draw phrase markers for the following
VPs.

(1) He gave up smoking.

(2) I drank up the wine/ I drank the wine up.
(3) The weather turns out wet.
(4) I put up with him.
(5) We run out of petrol.
(6) The man turned up.
 ELLIPSIS

(1) A: Who sent John a letter?

(2) B: I sent.
The verb “sent” is a ditransitive verb, which requires 2 NPs
as its complements. But as in (2), the 2 NPs can be
understood from the context à there is no need to repeat à
Ellipsis.
à The structure is ACCEPTABLE but not GRAMMATICAL.
 ELLIPSIS

• Syntax is concerned with the form of sentences,

without taking into account the effects of uttering
sentences in a context.
à When drawing phrase markers, the original structure
must be maintained.
ELLIPSIS

The 2 NPs have been

ellipted because they can
be understood from the
context. But on the phrase
marker, we must keep the
original structure and use
the symbol E for the
ellipted elements.
ADVERBIALS
 ADJUNCT ADVERBIALS (VP MODIFIERS)

My mother ate a cake yesterday.

Identify the complement and the adjunct (modifier) of
the VP. You may depend on your instinct.

Do we have any test to identify whether a constituent

is a complement or an adjunct?
 DO-SO (PRO-FORM) TEST

(1) My mother ate a cake yesterday and my father did so a cake

yesterday, too.
(2) My mother ate a cake yesterday and my father did so yesterday,
too.
1/ What does ‘did so’ replace in each sentence? Is each sentence
grammatical or not?
2/ For ‘a cake’ and ‘yesterday’, which one is a complement, which one is
an adjunct?
Hint: do-so can only replace a complete verb phrase.
 DO-SO TEST

(1) *My mother ate a cake yesterday and my father

did so a cake yesterday, too.
(2) My mother ate a cake yesterday and my father
did so yesterday, too.
à In (1), ‘did so’ replaces ‘ate’ and the sentence is
ungrammatical.
à In (2), ‘ did so’ replaces ‘ate a cake’ and the
sentence is grammatical.
 DO-SO TEST

(1) *My mother ate a cake yesterday and my father did so a

cake yesterday, too.
(2) My mother ate a cake yesterday and my father did so
yesterday, too.
à ‘did so’ can only replace a complete VP à ‘a cake’ must
be a complement because without it, the VP cannot be
complete. While ‘yesterday’ must be an adjunct because
even without it, the VP is still complete.
 Challenge 5

(1) My father repaired my bike in the garage.

(2) My father put my bike in the garage.

Identify whether ‘in the garage’ in each sentence is

a complement or an adjunct. Explain your answer
by using ‘do-so’ test.
 Challenge 5 - Answer

(1) My father repaired my bike in the garage and I did so

in the garage, too.
(2) *My father put my bike in the garage and I did so in
the garage, too.
(3) My father put my bike in the garage and I did so, too.
 ADJUNCT ADVERBIALS (VP MODIFIERS)

My mother ate a cake yesterday.

Try to draw a phrase marker for the sentence.
First attempt…

Do you recognize any

problem(s) with this
phrase marker?
Problem 1

We cannot differentiate
which is a complement,
which is an adjunct. Both
are sisters of the head V.
Problem 2

The verb ‘ate’ is a

transitive verb, which
requires only ONE
complement after it.
This phrase marker
may confuse us.
Problem 3

Question: Does
‘yesterday’ modify ‘ate’ or
‘ate a cake’?
à ‘Yesterday’ modifies
the whole constituent ‘ate
the cake’ à ‘yesterday’
should be located at a
higher level.
 Solution

Build a higher level for the adjunct.

Summary
 What if there are more than 2 adjuncts…

(1) My mother ate a cake in the kichen yesterday.

Adjunct 1 Adjunct 2
 Do-so test

(1) My mother ate a cake in the kitchen yesterday.

(2) And I did so yesterday, too.

à In (2), ‘did so’ replaces ‘ate a cake in the kitchen’.

à In (1), ‘yesterday’ modifies ‘ate the cake in the
kitchen’ --> ‘yesterday’ should be at a higher level.
What if there are more than 2 adjuncts…
 LET’S CHANT 3 TIMES…

ONE LEVEL CAN ONLY

ACCOMMODATE ONE ADJUNCT
 PRE-VERBAL ADJUNCTS

Some adverbs typically appear in

preverbal position:
+ Degree adverbs: I hardly meet him.
+ Adverbs of frequency: He often visits
me.
+ Adverbs that indicate order: I first
met him in 2015
 POST-VERBAL ADJUNCTS

MANNER > LOCATION > TIME

Ex: He slept quietly on the sofa last night.
Manner Location Time
 Notes

Some time expressions

(‘today’, ‘tomorrow’,
‘yesterday’, etc.): even though
they function as ‘adverbials’,
they are still represented as
NPs on the tree diagram.
Practice 8: Draw phrase markers for the following
sentences.

(1) I go to school at 8 am in the morning.

(2) My mother became a member last year.
(3) I sleep on the sofa every night.
(4) I always consider him my best friend.
(5) He sometimes complains about the service.
 Challenge 6

I hardly slept at night.

1/ Decide whether ‘hardly’ modifies ‘slept at night’ or
‘at night’ modifies ‘hardly slept’.
2/ Draw the phrase marker for the sentence.
 Challenge 6 – Solution 1

I hardly slept at night.

(1) At night, I hardly slept.
(2) *Hardly, I slept at night.
à ‘at night’ must modify ‘hardly slept’ because ‘at
night’ can be moved to the front of the sentence
without changing its meaning.
à ‘at night’ should be located at a higher level.
Challenge 6 – Solution 1
 Challenge 6 – Solution 2

I hardly slept at night.

(1) A: You hardly slept at night?
B: No, I hardly did so.
(2) A: You hardly slept at night?
B: No, I did so at night. (The meaning is different)
à ‘hardly’ must modify ‘slept at night’.
à ‘hardly’ must be at a higher level.
Challenge 6 – Solution 2
 The mobility of adverbials

Adverbials can appear in all sorts of positions in the

sentence.
Ex:
(1) I put the vase on the table very carefully.
(2) Very carefully, I put the vase on the table.
(3) I very carefully put the vase on the table.
(4) I put the vase very carefully on the table.
 SENTENCE ADVERBIALS

(1) He admitted everything frankly. (VP-adverbial/adjunct)

(2) He admitted everything, frankly. (Sentence adverbial)

à Sentence adverbials modify the whole sentence, not

just the VP.
 SENTENCE ADVERBIALS

There are 2 types of sentence adverbials:

+ Disjuncts: to give comments on the situation.
+ Conjuncts: to connect between sentences.
Ex:
(1) He admitted everything, frankly. (Disjunct)
(2) Moreover, he admitted everything. (Conjunct)
SENTENCE ADVERBIALS
Practice 9: Draw phrase markers for the following
sentences.

(1) Interestingly, she barely gets on with her

colleagues.
(2) Firstly, I met a woman at a supermarket.
(3) He remained silent, surprisingly.
(4) Furthermore, the Earth is round.