300 Glossary[two] are cracked, two is both determiner and head. In the poor the adjective
poor is si multaneously modifier and head.
Futurate. Prototypically, a use of the present tense, permitted in main clauses, to
indicate future time: The week ends tomorrow; Exams start next week. Also cor
responding uses of the preterite: I thought that exams started next week.
Gender. A grammatical classification which in English applies primarily to the
3rd person singular personal pronouns. It correlates largely (not perfectly) with
sex: he (masculine) usually refers to males, she (feminine) to females, and it
(neuter) to inanimates.
Genitive. An inflectional case of the noun whose primary use is to mark an NP as
determiner within the structure of a larger NP: Kim 's book. Some pronouns have
two genitive forms: dependent genitive (my) and independent genitive (mine).
Gerund-participial. Clause with a gerund-participle as head verb: I recall her
being there.
Gerund-participle. The form of the verb marked by the suffix ·ing: They are
sleeping.
Goal. Clause constituent prototypically indicating where something moves to: I
went home.
Gradable. Denoting a property that can apply in varying degrees. Gradable adjec
tives take degree modifiers: very hot, rather good, slightly dubious, etc.
Grade. The system of contrasts between plain, comparative, and superlative.
Head. The function of the most important element in a phrase. Often stands alone
without any dependents, as in Dogs were barking: the subject NP contains just
the head noun dogs.
Hollow clause. Non-finite clause with missing non-subject element such as an
object deriving its interpretation from an antecedent: He 's easy to get on with;
It's a difficult thing to do.
Idiom. Combination of words with meaning not systematically derivable from the
meanings of those words: kick the bucket (= "die"); tie the knot (= "get
married").
Imperative clause. Clause type characteristically used to express a directive:
Don 't move; Please sit down. Verb in plain form; subject usually omitted but
understood as "you".
Imperfective interpretation. An interpretation of a clause making reference to the
internal temporal structure of a situation rather than taking it as a whole: Kim was
writing a letter.
Indefinite article. The determinative a (or an), prototypically used as determiner
in count singular NPs indicating that the content is not sufficient to identify a
specific referent: q bus.
Indefinite NP. An NP that is not definite: a book, some dogs, several students.
Independent genitive. See dependent vs independent genitive.
Indirect complement. Complement licensed not by the head but by a dependent.
In a longer delay than we expected the than phrase is in the NP but licensed by a
modifier (longer).