Basic Clause Patterns(140)a. NP AUX [VPV NP {PP/AdvP}]We can represent these VPs by the trees:
(140)b. VP (140)c. VPV NP PP V NP AdvP
You probably noticed the parallel between patterns 3/4 and patterns 7/8. Pat-
terns 3 and 7 are the intransitive version of patterns 4 and 8. Patterns 3 and 7
represent, respectively, an attribute and a Location/Goal of the subject, while
4 and 8 represent, respectively, an attribute and a Location/Goal of the direct
object.
Note that pattern 8 clauses cannot be rephrased as pattern 5 clauses:
(141) *Oscar put the laundry room his bicycle.Before we leave these clause patterns, we should briefly discuss just why we
regard them as basic. First, they are all simple sentences; that is, none of them
includes another clause within it. Second, they can all be elaborated by the ad-
dition of various types of optional modifiers, such as adverbial phrases. Third,
and most important, is the fact that each pattern is a direct reflection of the
class of verb that heads the verb phrase. In particular, each pattern is a reflec-
tion of the semantic roles assigned by the verb to the phrases (if any) in the
predicate. Each pattern is also a reflection of the formal requirements imposed
by its head verb. Some verbs require two NPs, some an NP and a PP, and some
nothing at all. Thus verbs impose both semantic and formal requirements on
the clauses they head.
Exercise
(a) Identify the (whole) Location or Goal phrase in each of the following
clauses. (b) Using one appropriate criterion, prove that the phrase you
identified as a Location/Goal phrase really is a Location/Goal phrase.
(c) Draw both Reed/Kellogg and structural diagrams for each clause.
a. The king is in his counting-house.
b. Eleanor put the eggs in the refrigerator.
c. I left my laptop on the bus.
d. My son eventually put his clothes away.