Verb Complementation Linguistics 140 Winter, 2014Complementation:Overview Types of complementation we’ll cover here: • Infinitives To ~ Bare ~ Purpose ~ (On the slides but only FYI) • Gerunds (-ing) • That-complements • Subjunctive - mandativeComplementation Infinitive complements • Believe type: The students believe the course to be a good introduction to the field. • Advise type: We advised them to play baseball outside. • Attempt type: I tried to avoid the ice on the road. • Want type: I want to clean the house. • Let type: The teacher let the students go home early. Gerund complements Fred disliked making phone calls to John. Mary preferred doing other things with her time.Complementation Can we identify some basic semantic tendencies of the verbs in the different complementation patterns?Complementation Semantic correlates: verbs and their complement patterns • Infinitive complement verbs: An agent named in the main clause is related to/has some interest in the real or hypothetical occurrence of the event depicted in the complement clause. Mary wanted Ted to come home sooner. The teacher allowed the students to leave. • Gerund complement verbs: Encode actions that are vivid, real, ongoing in the present or completed in the past; they represent the success in the main verb/gerund in accomplishing some outcome. Bob enjoys going to the movies. Sue avoided talking to Barry.Complementation Semantic correlates: verbs and their complement patterns • That-complement verbs: typically denote mental states or attitudes regarding the truth of the proposition in the complement clause I think/assume/imagine/know/understand/say that it will rain today. • Subjunctive complement verbs: exhibits the speaker’s orientation towards bringing a certain state of affairs into being They demanded that he be held for questioning. The college requires that freshmen stay in dormitories.Complementation Infinitive vs. gerund complementation • Verbs taking infinitives: begin, choose, continue, dare, expect, fail, forget, hate, hope, intend, like, love, manage, prefer, proceed, promise, refuse, regret, remember, start, tend, try, want, vow • Verbs taking gerunds: admit, appreciate, avoid, begin, continue, defend, deny, dislike, enjoy, finish, forget, hate, intend, like, love, prefer, quit, recall, regret, remember, resume, risk, start, stop, try • Bolinger (1968): • Infinitives: Express hypothetical, future, unfulfilled • Gerunds: Express real, vivid, fulfilledComplementation Infinitive vs. gerund complementation (a) He forgot to reply to the e-mail message. How can we paraphrase this? (b) She remembered to do her homework. What happened first? (c) He forgot having replied to the e-mail message. How can we paraphrase this? (d) She remembered doing her homework. What happened first?Complementation Infinitive vs. gerund complementation (a) He forgot to reply to the e-mail message. He didn’t reply to the e-mail. (b) She remembered to do her homework. First she remembered, then she did the homework. (c) He forgot having replied to the e-mail message. He replied to the message but didn’t remember doing so. (d) She remembered doing her homework. She did her homework and then remembered the activity.Complementation Ordinary vs. purpose infinitives – This is only FYI – we’ll skip in lecture due to time limitations. Won’t be on the quiz! • Purpose infinitives are different from regular infinitives in that they are not associated with a main clause verb They covered the porch to shield out the sun. This drill bit is used to drill holes in metal. This drill bit is used for drilling holes in metal. • Purpose infinitives are adverbial, so they can be moved, while true infinitives cannot: We used the wrench to fix the sink. To fix the sink, we used the wrench. We hope to take a vacation soon. (true infinitive) *To take a vacation soon, we hope. • Purpose infinitives can be distinguished from other infinitives by attempting to substitute in order to for toComplementation That-complementation • Many verbs permit (or even require) that-complements as objects: believe, claim, expect, know, assume, discover, explain, find, find out, imagine, learn, perceive, point out, promise, prove, see, show, think, understandComplementation Also just FYI (don’t need to know for quizzes/final): Factors determining the presence/absence of that • Formality: The more formal the register, the likelier that I think I’ll hit the sack. The President announced he would take a vacation. • Frequency: The more frequent the verb, the less likely that He said he wasn’t interested. ?He snarled he wasn’t interested. • Intervening material between verb and complement: increases the likelihood of that ?He said in a report released yesterday by UPI he wasn’t interested. • Degree of speaker endorsement: the higher, the less likely that: I think I want to go home.Complementation Subjunctive complements • Superficially similar to that-complements, but differ in that the form of the verb does not vary by person, number, and tense. They use the bare infinitive (base form). • They are common after ask, prefer, propose, recommend, request, require, suggest They insisted that all the students sign up for counselors. The customer is demanding that the store return his money. We recommend that you be at the airport by 3 p.m.Complementation Some ESL/EFL student problems and errors The general commanded/ordered him to leave. *My father demanded me to study harder. I like to study history. *I dislike to study math. My sister advised me to go abroad. *My friend recommended/suggested me to take a Black Studies course. The teacher let us go home early. *Our parents allowed us stay up late.Complementation Corrections: My father demanded that I study harder. (Mandative subjunctive) I dislike studying. (dislike takes a gerund complement) My friend recommended/suggested that I take a Black Studies course. (subjunctive that-clause) Our parents allowed us to stay up late. (allow someone to do something – infinitive needed)More complementation error analysis Identify, correct and explain the following errors 1. They kept to drive all night until they