Editing Verb phrase

{{short description|Sentence constituent}}
{{Distinguish|phrasal verb}}
In [[linguistics]], a '''verb phrase''' ('''VP''') is a [[syntax|syntactic]] unit composed of a [[verb]] and its [[argument (linguistics)|arguments]] except the [[subject (grammar)|subject]] of an [[independent clause]] or [[coordinate clause]]. Thus, in the sentence ''A fat man quickly put the money into the box'', the words ''quickly put the money into the box'' constitute a verb [[phrase]]; it consists of the verb ''put'' and its arguments, but not the subject ''a fat man''. A verb phrase is similar to what is considered a ''[[predicate (grammar)|predicate]]'' in [[traditional grammar]]s.

Verb phrases generally are divided among two types: finite, of which the [[Head (linguistics)|head]] of the phrase is a [[finite verb]]; and nonfinite, where the head is a [[nonfinite verb]], such as an [[infinitive]], [[participle]] or [[gerund]]. [[Phrase structure grammar]]s acknowledge both types, but [[dependency grammar]]s treat the subject as just another verbal dependent, and they do not recognize the finite verbal phrase [[constituent (linguistics)|constituent]]. Understanding verb phrase analysis depends on knowing which theory applies in context.

==In phrase structure grammars==
In phrase structure grammars such as [[generative grammar]], the verb [[phrase]] is one [[head (linguistics)|headed]] by a [[verb]]. It may be composed of only a single verb, but typically it consists of combinations of main and [[auxiliary verb]]s, plus optional [[Specifier (linguistics)|specifier]]s, [[Complement (linguistics)|complement]]s (not including subject complements), and [[adjunct (grammar)|adjunct]]s. For example:

:Yankee batters '''hit the ball well enough to win their first World Series since 2000'''.
:Mary '''saw the man through the window'''.
:David '''gave Mary a book'''.

The first example contains the long verb phrase ''hit the ball well enough to win their first World Series since 2000''; the second is a verb phrase composed of the main verb ''saw'', the complement phrase ''the man'' (a [[noun phrase]]), and the adjunct phrase ''through the window'' (an [[adverbial phrase]] and [[prepositional phrase]]). The third example presents three elements, the main verb ''gave'', the noun ''Mary'', and the noun phrase ''a book'', all of which comprise the verb phrase. Note, the verb phrase described here corresponds to the [[Predicate (grammar)|predicate]] of traditional grammar.

Current views vary on whether all languages have a verb phrase; some schools of generative grammar (such as [[principles and parameters]]) hold that all languages have a verb phrase, while others (such as [[lexical functional grammar]]) take the view that at least some languages lack a verb phrase constituent, including those languages with a very free word order (the so-called [[non-configurational languages]], such as Japanese, Hungarian, or Australian aboriginal languages), and some languages with a default [[verb-subject-object|VSO]] order (several Celtic and Oceanic languages).

Phrase structure grammars view both finite and nonfinite verb phrases as constituent phrases and, consequently, do not draw any key distinction between them. Dependency grammars (described below) are much different in this regard.

==In dependency grammars==
While [[phrase structure grammar]]s (constituency grammars) acknowledge both [[finite verb|finite]] and [[non-finite verb|non-finite]] VPs as [[Constituent (linguistics)|constituents]] (complete subtrees), [[dependency grammar]]s reject the former. That is, dependency grammars acknowledge only non-finite VPs as constituents; finite VPs do not qualify as constituents in dependency grammars. For example:

::John '''has finished the work'''. <small>– Finite VP in bold</small>
::John has '''finished the work'''. <small>– Non-finite VP in bold</small>

Since ''has finished the work'' contains the finite verb ''has'', it is a finite VP, and since ''finished the work'' contains the non-finite verb ''finished'' but lacks a finite verb, it is a non-finite VP. Similar examples:

::They '''do not want to try that'''. <small>– Finite VP in bold</small>
::They do not '''want to try that'''. <small>– One non-finite VP in bold</small>
::They do not want to '''try that'''. <small>– Another non-finite VP in bold</small>

These examples illustrate well that many clauses can contain more than one non-finite VP, but they generally contain only one finite VP. Starting with [[Lucien Tesnière]] 1959,<ref>Concerning Tesnière's rejection of a finite VP constituent, see Tesnière (1959:103–105).</ref> dependency grammars challenge the validity of the initial binary division of the clause into [[Subject (grammar)|subject]] (NP) and [[Predicate (grammar)|predicate]] (VP), which means they reject the notion that the second half of this binary division, i.e. the finite VP, is a constituent. They do, however, readily acknowledge the existence of non-finite VPs as constituents. The two competing views of verb phrases are visible in the following trees:

::[[File:Johnhasfinishedthework-1.jpg|Trees illustrating VPs]]

The constituency tree on the left shows the finite VP ''has finished the work'' as a constituent, since it corresponds to a complete subtree. The dependency tree on the right, in contrast, does not acknowledge a finite VP constituent, since there is no complete subtree there that corresponds to ''has finished the work''. Note that the analyses agree concerning the non-finite VP ''finished the work''; both see it as a constituent (complete subtree).

Dependency grammars point to the results of many standard [[constituent (linguistics)|constituency tests]] to back up their stance.<ref>For a discussion of the evidence for and against a finite VP constituent, see Matthews (2007:17ff.), Miller (2011:54ff.), and Osborne et al. (2011:323f.).</ref> For instance, [[topicalization]], pseudoclefting, and [[answer ellipsis]] suggest that non-finite VP does, but finite VP does not, exist as a constituent:

:: *...and '''has finished the work''', John. <small>– Topicalization</small>
:: *What John has done is '''has finished the work'''. <small>– Pseudoclefting</small>
:: What has John done? – *'''Has finished the work'''. <small>– Answer ellipsis</small>

The * indicates that the sentence is bad. These data must be compared to the results for non-finite VP:

::...and '''finished the work''', John (certainly) has. <small>– Topicalization</small>
::What John has done is '''finished the work'''. <small>– Pseudoclefting</small>
::What has John done? – '''Finished the work'''. <small>– Answer ellipsis</small>

The strings in bold are the ones in focus. Attempts to in some sense isolate the finite VP fail, but the same attempts with the non-finite VP succeed.<ref>Attempts to motivate the existence of a finite VP constituent tend to confuse the distinction between finite and non-finite VPs. They mistakenly take evidence for a non-finite VP constituent as support for the existence a finite VP constituent. See for instance Akmajian and Heny (1980:29f., 257ff.), Finch (2000:112), van Valin (2001:111ff.), Kroeger (2004:32ff.), Sobin (2011:30ff.).</ref>

==Narrowly defined==
Verb phrases are sometimes defined more narrowly in scope, in effect counting only those elements considered strictly verbal in verb phrases. That would limit the definition to only main and [[auxiliary verbs]], plus [[infinitive]] or [[participle]] constructions.<ref>Klammer and Schulz (1996:157ff.), for instance, pursue this narrow understanding of verb phrases.</ref> For example, in the following sentences only the words in bold form the verb phrase:

:John '''has given''' Mary a book.
:The picnickers '''were being eaten''' alive by mosquitos.
:She '''kept screaming''' like a football maniac.
:Thou '''shalt''' not '''kill'''.

This more narrow definition is often applied in [[functionalism (linguistics)|functionalist]] frameworks and traditional European reference grammars. It is incompatible with the phrase structure model, because the strings in bold are not constituents under that analysis. It is, however, compatible with [[dependency grammar]]s and other grammars that view the verb [[catena (linguistics)|catena]] (verb chain) as the fundamental unit of syntactic structure, as opposed to the [[constituent (linguistics)|constituent]].

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*[[Auxiliary verb]]
*[[Constituent (linguistics)|Constituent]]
*[[Dependency grammar]]
*[[Finite verb]]
*[[Non-configurational language]]
*[[Non-finite verb]]
*[[Phrase]]
*[[Phrase structure grammar]]
*[[Predicate (grammar)]]
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
{{refbegin|2}}
*Akmajian, A. and F. Heny. 1980. An introduction to the principle of transformational syntax. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
*Finch, G. 2000. Linguistic terms and concepts. New York: St. Martin's Press. 
*Klammer, T. and M. Schulz. 1996. Analyzing English grammar. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
*Kroeger, P. 2004. [https://books.google.com/books?id=fIAleOSnXpIC Analyzing syntax: A lexical-functional approach]. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
*Matthews, P. 2007. Syntactic relations: A critical survey. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 
*Miller, J. 2011. [https://books.google.com/books?id=a0UQHXUzR9AC A critical introduction to syntax]. London: continuum.
*Osborne, T., M. Putnam, and T. Groß 2011. Bare phrase structure, label-less structures, and specifier-less syntax: Is Minimalism becoming a dependency grammar? The Linguistic Review 28: 315–364.
*Sobin, N. 2011. Syntactic analysis: The basics. Malden, MA: Wiley–Blackwell. 
*Tesnière, Lucien 1959. Éleménts de syntaxe structurale. Paris: Klincksieck.
*van Valin, R. 2001. An introduction to syntax. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
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[[Category:Syntactic categories]]