Slide show for an introductory linguistics course on identifying grammatical constituents. Includes movement and substitution tests.

1. Identifying Constituents
Using substitution & movement tests
to identify constituents

2. Constituents
• A constituent is a word or group of words that
function as a unit and can make up larger
grammatical units.
• Native speakers have intuitive knowledge about the
categories and functions of constituents.

3. The iggly trazed wombly through the harlish gloop.

4. Phrasal Categories
“My brother met me at the train station.”
• my brother: NP
• at the station: PP
• met me at the station: VP

5. Phrasal Categories
Each type of phrase has a HEAD plus other constituents.
NP – Noun Phrase
VP – Verb Phrase
PrepP – Prepositional Phrase
AP – Adjective Phrase

6. Constituency Tests
Two common constituency tests are
SUBSTITUTION and MOVEMENT

7. Substitution Test
• Douglas married the Italian woman.
• The Italian woman was a lawyer.
• The judge sided with the Italian woman’s client.
• The judge sided with the Italian woman’s client.
• Everyone thought the Italian woman was brilliant.
Pronouns can substitute for NPs that
appear in different positions in a sentence.

8. Substitution Test
Leonardo spotted a mermaid with his binoculars.
• A pronoun can replace the larger constituent:
Leonardo spotted her.
• or it can replace the the smaller constituent:
Leonardo spotted her with his binoculars.
*Leonardo spotted the her with his binoculars.

9. Substitution Test
In the same way that pronouns replace NPs, pro-verbs
replace VPs.
• Sam fell down the stairs and John fell down the stairs too.
• Sam fell down the stairs and John did too.
• I like anchovies, and she likes anchovies too.
• I like anchovies and she does too.
• * I like anchovies and she does anchovies too.

10. Substitution Test
We also have ‘pro-forms’ that can substitute for PrepPs:
• I got to work at 9 o’clock too.
• I got to work then too.
Remember, pro-forms substitute for whole phrases, not just
words:
• * I got to work at then too.
• I’ve been to Paris.
• I’ve been there (not *to there).

11. Movement Test
Movement test: A constituent can be moved to the
front of a sentence:
• The chef cooked those fried green tomatoes.
• Those fried green tomatoes the chef cooked.
• I got to work at 9 o’clock.
• At 9 o’clock I got to work.

12. Movement Test
Movement tests can also highlight AMBIGUITY.
• Leonardo spotted the mermaid with the binoculars.
• The mermaid Leonardo spotted with the binoculars.
• The mermaid with the binoculars Leonardo spotted.
• *The mermaid with Leonardo spotted the binoculars.