Identifying Constituents

Using substitution & movement tests to identify constituents

Constituents

•  A constituent is a word or group of words that function as a unit and can make up larger grammatical units.

•  Native speakers have intuitive knowledge about the categories and functions of constituents.

The iggly trazed wombly through the harlish gloop.

Phrasal Categories

“My brother met me at the train station.”

•  my brother: NP

•  at the station: PP

•  met me at the station: VP

Phrasal Categories

Each type of phrase has a HEAD plus other constituents.

NP – Noun Phrase

VP – Verb Phrase

PrepP – Prepositional Phrase

AP – Adjective Phrase

Constituency Tests

Two common constituency tests are

SUBSTITUTION and MOVEMENT

Substitution Test

•  Douglas married the Italian woman.

•  The Italian woman was a lawyer.

•  The judge sided with the Italian woman’s client.

•  The judge sided with the Italian woman’s client.

•  Everyone thought the Italian woman was brilliant.

Pronouns can substitute for NPs that appear in different positions in a sentence.

Substitution Test

Leonardo spotted a mermaid with his binoculars.

•  A pronoun can replace the larger constituent:

Leonardo spotted her.

•  or it can replace the the smaller constituent:

Leonardo spotted her with his binoculars.

*Leonardo spotted the her with his binoculars.

Substitution Test

In the same way that pronouns replace NPs, pro-verbs replace VPs.

•  Sam fell down the stairs and John fell down the stairs too.

•  Sam fell down the stairs and John did too.

•  I like anchovies, and she likes anchovies too.

•  I like anchovies and she does too.

•  * I like anchovies and she does anchovies too.

Substitution Test

We also have ‘pro-forms’ that can substitute for PrepPs:

•  I got to work at 9 o’clock too.

•  I got to work then too.

Remember, pro-forms substitute for whole phrases, not just words:

•  * I got to work at then too.

•  I’ve been to Paris.

•  I’ve been there (not *to there).

Movement Test

Movement test: A constituent can be moved to the front of a sentence:

•  The chef cooked those fried green tomatoes.

•  Those fried green tomatoes the chef cooked.

•  I got to work at 9 o’clock.

•  At 9 o’clock I got to work.

Movement Test

Movement tests can also highlight AMBIGUITY.

•  Leonardo spotted the mermaid with the binoculars.

•  The mermaid Leonardo spotted with the binoculars.

•  The mermaid with the binoculars Leonardo spotted.

•  *The mermaid with Leonardo spotted the binoculars.