MODIFICATION VERSUS COMPLEMENTATION IN THE STRUCTURE OF ENGLISH NOUN PHRASES
MODIFICATION VERSUS COMPLEMENTATION IN THE STRUCTURE OF ENGLISH NOUN PHRASES

Summary/Abstract: Modification versus Complementation in the Structure of English Noun Phrases. Apart from its head, the core element around which all the other phrasal constituents cluster, the noun phrase may contain dependent elements effecting determination (which poses few taxonomical issues), modification or complementation (two functions notoriously difficult to demarcate). This article outlines the inconsistent ways in which reference grammars make the distinction between modification and complementation in the structure of English noun phrases, and offers a more unified approach aimed to solve the terminological quandary.

• Details
• Contents