Intensive verb Syifa Khoirunnisa Introduction 1 Intensive verb

Intensive verb Syifa Khoirunnisa

Introduction 1. Intensive verb (sometimes referred to as relational, linking, or copular) belong to a small group which include verbs like, be (most commonly), seem, appear, become, look and so on. What these verbs have in common is that what follows the verb in a sentence relates back to what precedes the verb (I. e. the noun-phrase subject). For examples: qsally became a doctor q. George is in the garden q. Sue is in the garden

In each of these examples what is given after the verb relates back to the subjects, describing their states. The bit that comes after the verb functions as the Subject Complement, shorthand version SC. Although the functions of all these bits are the same, the forms, as you may have noticed are different. In the first example, an NP functions as the SC (subject Compliment), and in the second, a PP functions as the S. (in example 3) corresponds to a structure we looked at earlier when discussing the adjective phrase (AP). This example illustrates one function of the adjective phrase ; this is, SC (subject complement. The intensive verb are the only class of verb that can appear in the kind of construction at (in example 3), where the VP is completed by an AP alone.

We can now update the ‘rule to remember’ for adjective phrases and prepositional phrases to incorporate this SC function. Rules to remember : Adjective • Examples: • Sue seems unhappy Phrases (AP) AP (Adverb P) + A Function: SC • The dog is (quite disgustingly) Rules to remember: prepositional • Example • Sally looked up phrase (PP) • Sally looked up the chimney PP P (+ NP) • Sue gave a jumper to Oxfam Function: 1. A 2. i. O 3. s. C • George is in the garden

It is important to note that verbs in the intensive verb class, like transitive and ditransitive verbs, are incomplete on their own. In other words, some sort of s. C is obligatory, as can be seen from: • Sally became • George is • Sue seems Whereas all (and only) intensive verbs can appear with just the category AP, the verb be is the only intensive verb which can appear with any of the categories like: v Sally is a doctor (NP) v Sally is in the garden (PP) v Sally in unhappy (AP) We can have: Ø Sally became a doctor (NP) Ø Sally became unhappy (AP) But not: § Sally became in the garden (PP) Or: ü Sally seems in the garden (PP)

• The tree diagrams for the examples: S NP N VP V NP (Intens) det sally became a N doctor

S S NP N VP V NP PP N (intens) P George is in NP DET N the garden VP v (intens) AP A Sue seems unhappy

In terms of function the sentence patterns are the same. • Sally became a doctor s p s. C • George is in the garden Rules to remember intensive verb VP intensive verb + s. C s p s. C NP or PP or AP • Sue seems unhappy e. g 1. sally – is – a doctor s p s. C 2. George – is – in the garden 3. sue – seems - unhappy

Complex-transitive Verb Another class of verb to appear with a complement is called COMPLEX-TRANSITIVE. With this type of verb the complement relates to the object, not the subject. The complement is therefore an OBJECT COMPLEMENT and the shorthand version is o. C. For examples : a. The voters elected Mary president S P d. O b. Kate thought John S P d. O a fool o. C

With this type of verb, two elements are obligatory to complete the verb phrase, in these cases, two noun phrases. Some verbs can belong to more than one verb class. Elected, for instance, can also be classified as a transitive verb, as in : c. Kate thought john a fool. NP + NP d. The voters elected Mary S P d. O

• The tree diagram from c is: S NP N VP v NP NP (Complex) Kate thought N DET N John a fool

Where it occurs simply with the direct object Mary. When it appears in a complex-transitive verb slot, however, an object complement (o. C) is necessary. (in example (a) president, which relates back to Mary). The structure of sentence at (30) is also, you may have noticed, very similar to that given at (9 a) to illustrate a ditransitive verb. That is, in both cases the verb phrase is completed by two consecutive NPs. I. Ray told the children a story NP + NP