Complement
X
X’
Adjunct
D
XP
General pattern of X-bar syntax - BASICS
Function
Useful information
Examples
Determiner
They stand always before the head:
- Articles
- Possessives – her, his etc
- Quantifiers (many,more, less, so, such etc)
- Demonstratives (this, that etc)
- ASPECT – in verb phrases – continuous or perfect – symbol ASP
- Additional words like right, straight etc
A ripe apple
So beautiful
My bike
That fond of Mary
He is going to work
I have been to England
He put the vase straight on the table
Phrase close to the head, often obligatory:
- Direct objects
- Parts of compounds(often adjectives)
- Prepositional phrases dependent on another phrase
- Phrases semantically connected with the head (often beginning with “of”)
John gave the book to Mary
a pool table
fond of her husband
look at the table
the king of England
Adjunct/Attribute
Additional information: adjectives which describe a noun, adverbs, phrases of time, place, manner, indirect object
He could have easily been killed.
She bought the book in the bookshop on Tuesday
a wooden table
Exercises:
Draw the trees of these phrases:
[my participation in this contest]
[has bought some flowers for his girlfriend]
[right under the wooden table]
[that bored of the lecture]
[absolutely independently of his research]
[an old English teacher] (ambiguity)
Draw the trees of these sentences:
John will have read the book completely
Students from University of Gdansk have no problems with syntax.
We will pass the exam with flying colours.
He laughed at the clown
I know you love grammar.
We would like you to stay.
I will arrange for my boyfriend to see a specialist.
When will you finally come?
Will you marry me?
Futterwacken