Functions in Phrases Page 5

Specifiers

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Adjuncts can appear before the Head of a phrase, as well as after the Head. For example, in the following NP, the Adjunct sudden is part of what we have been calling the pre-Head string:

?	Adjunct	Head	Complement
the	sudden	realisation	that nothing has changed

In this section we will look at the function of the remaining part of the pre-Head string. In this example, what is the function of the in the phrase as a whole?

We refer to this part of the phrase as the SPECIFIER of the phrase. Again, Specifiers may occur in all the major phrase types, and we exemplify them in the following table:

Phrase Type	Head	Typical Specifiers	Examples
Noun Phrase (NP)	noun	determiners	the vehicle an objection some people
Verb Phrase (VP)	verb	`negative' elements	not arrive never plays the piano
Adjective Phrase (AP)	adjective	AdvP	quite remarkable very fond of animals
Prepositional Phrase (PP)	preposition	AdvP	just across the street

An important point about Specifiers is that they relate to the Head + Complement sequence, and not to the Head alone. For example, in the AP very fond of animals , the Specifier very relates to fond of animals, not just to fond:

Amy is very fond of animals

Q. Amy is very what?

A. *Fond

A. Fond of animals

In functional terms, then, the three-part structure of a phrase can be summarised as:

(Specifier) -- [Head -- (Complement)]

Identify the function of the bracketed strings in each of the following phrases:

1. early [editions] of the evening newspapers	Specifier Head Complement Adjunct
2. examined the evidence [with great care]	Specifier Head Complement Adjunct
3. [many] examples of Greek sculpture	Specifier Head Complement Adjunct
4. an [extraordinary] state of affairs	Specifier Head Complement Adjunct
5. very anxious [to make a good impression]	Specifier Head Complement Adjunct

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