Chapter 5 - Verb Phrases(121) vP
DP v'
Gary 1 v vP
v 3 v DP v'
gave 2 v e Pete v VP
e t 3 DP V'
a present V DP
t 2 t 1
The verb movement is as we have seen before. As both light verbs are bound
morphemes, both will need supporting and so the verb will move from one to the other
forming a complex head adjunction structure in the top head position. As far as Case
relationships are concerned, the subject DP is in a Caseless position and hence will
move to the clause subject position to get nominative Case. The indirect object gets
accusative from the upper light verb in the position it moves to and the direct object
gets Case from the lower light verb without moving. The word order is as predicted
with the verb preceding both the objects and the indirect object moved in front of the
direct object.
2.7 Phrasal verbs
A set of verbs which demonstrate some unique properties are known as phrasal verbs.
These appear with what looks to be a preposition, traditionally referred to as a
particle, following them:
(122) a the plane took off
b the patient came to
c time ran out
One obvious fact about these verbs is that their meaning is usually idiomatic in that it
is not straightforwardly computed from the meaning of the verb and the meaning of
the preposition combined. To take off, for example, means ‘to become airborne’ and to
come to means ‘to become conscious’.
These verbs do not behave like those which take a PP complement and the two
types of verb can be distinguished in a number of ways:
(123) a he took off his hat he took his hat off
b he lived in a hut *he lived a hut in
(124) a in this hut, he lived for ten years
b *off this hat, he took in an instant