NAME : ELIZABETH SANTA HINZANO

ADMISSION NUMBER :

UNIT CODE: ALE814

UNIT NAME: STRUCTURE OF MODERN ENGLISH SYNTAX

TASK: WITH RELEVANT EXAMPLES DISCUSS THE EXTENT TO WHICH PHRASES OBEY THE SELECTION
REQUIRMENTS OF THE HEAD USING BOTH C- SELECTION AND S- SELECTION

S-SELECTION

Also known as SEMANTIC SELECTION

Introduction:

Atop the x – framework, there exists a wealth of information intricately tied to each main element,
specifically detailing the elements it must harmonize with. This collection of information is termed the
discriminatory attributes of the main element.

A phrase refers to a small group of words standing together as a conceptual unit typically forming a
component of a clause . Phrases are the building blocks of sentences they include the following :
a) Noun phrases

b) Verb phrases

c) Prepositional phrases

d) Adjective phrases

e )Adverb phrases

Selection requirments determine the head in a phrase . The head is the most important word in a
phrase ,words that come before or after the head are known as pre –head or pre-modifiers and post
head or post modifiers respectively. head are guided by the selection requirement that the main word
or the word that determines the syntactic category becomes the head of the phrase as shown in the
below;

PHRASE TYPE HEAD ABBREVIATION EXAMPLE

Verb phrase Verb VP Eat the food …

Noun phrase Noun NP the boy is smart…

Adverb phrase Adverb Advp very slowly…

Adjective phrase Adjective AP excited to be here…

Prepositional phrase Preposition PP On the table…

PROPERTIES OF THE HEADS

1-They are obligatory items in a phrase

When the word eat is omitted in the sentence eat the food the sentence seem incomplete

Example ; *the food.

2- They determine the class of the entire phrase

Example ;Eat the food this phrase is headed by a verb so the entire phrase becomes a (VP)

3-Determines the meaning of the entire phrase

4-They have same distribution as the entire phrase

Wherever the whole phrase can occur , It’s possible to substitute just the head.

Example ;she liked extremely sugary snacks - we can say , she liked snacks

Main elements meticulously choose their complements, determining both the necessity and
permissibility of a complement, as well as the required category of the complement. Selection manifests
in two distinct forms:
a. Classification selection (C – selection)

b. Semantic selection (S – selection)

As depicted below:

C – Selection:

Predicates meticulously choose the syntactic category of their complement arguments. For instance,
nouns (phrase), verbs (phrase), adjectives (phrase), and more. In essence, they define the syntactic
category of their complements. C – selection also extends its focus to the quantity of arguments a
predicate possesses.

Below are instances illustrating how diverse lexical categories meticulously choose their complements.

Verbs:

Verbs such as eat and consume exhibit distinct C- selectional attributes. Eat can solely transpire with a
subject, whereas consume necessitates both a subject and an object.

Examples:

1a. Brenda ate.

1b. Brenda ate a mango.

SO

1c. *Brenda consumed.

1d. Brenda consumed pizza.

SO
Certain verbs, like put, opt for two complements: an NP and a PP.

For example:

i. She put the book on the table.

NP PP

ii. Kim exchanged her car for a new bike.

NP PP

Transitive verbs, requiring an object NP as a complement.

Examples:

iii. She admires famous linguists.

V NP

iv. The soldiers released the hostages.

V NP

Intransitive verbs.

Examine the examples below:

v. [Wondered] whether to leave.

vi. [Resorted] to the instruction manual.

The head verb in the aforementioned sentences isn't transitive because it lacks objects, yet it still
possesses complements. The clause selected by wonder is its complement, as is the PP selected by
resort. It should be noted that the PP complement is headed by a specific preposition, the choice of
which is determined by the verb (head).

A verb can be ambi -transitive; either transitive or intransitive.

Example:

i. Lee left Kim.

ii. Lee left.

In the first example, the verb left has an NP complement, while in the second sentence, it lacks one, yet
the meaning remains complete.

Ditransitive verbs, possessing two complements: either NP and PP or two NPs.

Examples:

i. Jane gave the chips to Martin.

NP PP

ii. Jane gave Martin chips.

NP NP

Other di transitive verbs include send, show, write, and buy. Frequently, such verbs have an alternative
classification as transitive verbs, resulting in instances like:

iii. I wrote a letter to Queen.

iv. I wrote a letter.

Prepositions:

Prepositions can be either transitive or intransitive.

A transitive preposition requires an object NP as its complement. Transitive prepositions include beside,
behind, into, etc.

Example:

i. She sings in the waiting room.

P NP

Some prepositions are intransitive.

For example:

ii. We should go out to the movies tonight.

P
If the sentence were to stop immediately after the preposition out, the result is a complete sentence.
Thus, out is an intransitive preposition in this example.

iii. She lives just nearby.

iv. *She lives nearby the bank.

Several prepositions take clausal complements.

For example:

v. Amina left before the bus arrived. Where the bus arrived is an entire clause.

Sometimes prepositions take PP complements.

For example:

vi. He emerged from under the blankets.

Nouns:

I. Nouns frequently accept optional complements but not obligatory ones. One exception is the noun
denizen. Being a denizen of a specific place is a requirement, such as a denizen of the local bar.

II. Complements to nouns may be PPs.

Examples:

a. Raj is a manufacturer of wires.

III. other nouns accept optional clausal complements.

Examples:

a. Her assertion that Martians would land soon astounded me.

b. They reiterated their demand for the library to stay open later.
S - Selection:

When addressing S – Selection concerning verbs, we are typically (though not always) delving into
thematic roles. Thematic roles serve as a means to classify how each argument meaningfully relates to
the predicate.

Examples:

a. The tree ran.

b. The wall will punch John.

These sentences sound peculiar for semantic reasons. Trees don't run, and walls don't punch. Both verbs
necessitate a subject that is an initiator, thus requiring animation. This role is termed an agent. The
subject of both run and punch is an agent or has the thematic role of an agent.

Conversely, the object of punch need not be executing an action; instead, it should be affected by the
action. This role is termed a patient.

Example:

a. They punch him.

Agent Patient

Note that, similar to C – Selection, sequence is crucial. It is not merely that punch needs to combine with
an agent and patient. The agent must be the subject, and the patient must be the object.

It is essential to bear in mind that S – Selection is somewhat broader than just the distribution of
thematic roles. For instance, the following sentences sound peculiar, but not because the thematic
structure is incorrect and not because the C – Selection requirements have not been met.

b. # The doctor gathered in the park.

c. # The soldier surrounded the castle.

d. # Jesse multiplied the number two.

The reason these sentences sound incorrect is that gather and surround demand a plural subject, while
multiply needs a plural object. This, again, is an S – Selectional requirement of these verbs, not a C –
Selectional requirement because the ungrammaticality stems from a semantic 'mistake,' not an issue
with the category of the arguments.

While examining C – Selection, we notice that the verb put selects for two complements, an NP and PP
(2i). However, it is more specific than that. Only certain PPs can fulfill put's requirement:

a. John put the book [on the table]/[under the chair]/[in the fire]/[near the sofa].

b. *John put the book [during the party]/[after the meeting]/[despite his misgivings] …

To be precise, put actually requires a PP describing a location. Nonetheless, it is unclear whether we

must specify that this complement of put needs to be a PP at all. Perhaps stating that one of put's
complements is a location is adequate; semantics might be able to inform us that locations can be
expressed syntactically as PPs but not, for instance, as VPs or NPs.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the above discussion underscores the meticulous nature of main elements in selecting
their complements. Generally, when encountering such selectivity, the inclination is to attribute it to
selection. In other words, we can employ the properties of selection as a diagnostic