The English Language english language

Delahunty and Garvey

up in the following sentences:

(1) a. Bill looked up the number.
b. Bill looked the number up.

These two sentences differ only in the position of the particle up. In the
first it occurs between the verb and the object; in the second, to the right
of the object. Both sentences contain the same words, and the phrases, par-
ticularly the NPs, perform the same grammatical functions in both: Bill is
the subject; the number is the direct object. Moreover, the two sentences are
synonymous. By this we mean specifically that the semantic roles (see our
chapter on Basic Clause Patterns) assigned to the NPs are the same in both
sentences. Bill is the Agent and the number is the Theme. As native speak-
ers we can assert these facts with certainty, and expect universal agreement
among English speakers. Because knowledge of the relationships between
sentence pairs like these is part of every native English speaker’s competence,
it must be expressed in a grammar. At issue is how to do this.
We can assign the following analyses to sentences (1a,b)

(2)a. S

NP VP

N V PRT NP

DET N

Bill looked up the number

(2)b. S

NP VP

N V NP PRT

DET N

Bill looked the number up