X­bar theory

 

1 Complements vs. adjuncts
Use the diagnostics discussed in class (one­replacement, adjacency to the head,
ability to be reordered) to determine if the PPs in the following examples are ad­
juncts or complements.
1. the collection [of figurines] [in the window]
2. the statue [of Napoleon] [in the corner]
3. every window [in the building] [with a broken pane]
2 Binding theory
Draw a phrase structure tree for the following sentence. Use the following X­bar
theoretic rules for every category other than S:
1. XP → (Y) X
2. X → (YP) X
3. X → X (YP)
4. X → X (YP)
Remember to make sure that the tree you draw can be generated by our phrase structure rules. Be careful to distinguish complements from adjuncts.
(1) The old man walked to Mexico in the rain last year.

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