Constituency Tests Ling201, Apr. 14 The following tests help us to determine whether a string of words forms a constituent. Key: Constituents are underlined. Non-constituents are wavy-lined. Warning: Not all tests will work for all constituent types! Fragment Answers Only a constituent can answer a question, while retaining the meaning of the original sentence. That ismy rother. → !: "ho#s that$ A: &y rother. 'e is making a mess. → !: "hat#s he doing$ A: &aking a mess. The keys are on the ta le. → !: "here are the keys? A: On the ta le. I want two of those apples. → !: 'ow many apples do you want$ A: *)wo of. 'e#s preserving in wa* the earwigs I gave him. → !: "hat#s he doing with the earwigs? A: *+reserving in wa*. I gave the dog the keys. → !: "hat did you do with the keys? A: *,ave the dog. Coordination Only constituents -of the same type) can e coordinated using conjunction words like and, or, and but. 'er friends from +eru went to the show. → &ary and her friends from +eru went to the show. "e peeled the potatoes. → "e peeled the potatoes and shucked the corn. /hould I go through the tunnel$ → /hould I go through the tunnel or over the ridge$ The doughnuts were full of 0elly. → The doughnuts were full of 0elly ut slightly disappointing. 'er friends from +eru went to the movies. → *'er friends from and two guys interested in +eru went1 "e peeled the potatoes. → *"e peeled the and washed the potatoes. /hould I go through the tunnel$ → */hould I go through or I go around the tunnel$ The doughnuts were full of 0elly. → *The doughnuts were full ut didn#t smell of 0elly. Pro-Form Substitution Only constituents can e substituted with pro-forms like it, that, them, then, there, do that, that way, 1 A man with dark glasses is following us. → 'e is following us. "e watched a movie a out cheese-making last week. → "e did that last week. Annette went away to 2ra3il. → Annette went there. /ome of them seemed rather tall for their age. → /ome of them seemed that way. A man with dark glasses is following us. → *'e with dark glasses is following us. "e watched a movie a out cheese-making last week. → *"e did that a out cheese-making last week. Annette gave away her last C4. → *Annette gave it5there/that. /ome of them seemed rather tall for their age. → */ome of them seemed that way for their age. Topica i!ation Only a constituent can e re ocated to the beginning of the sentence. -Note, topicali3ation sometimes re6uires a special type of supporting context.. 'e sold the record player to the thrift store. → The record player, he sold to the thrift store. "e#re going snow oarding over the reak. → Over the reak, we#re going snow oarding. (#ve always en0oyed going 8shing with my dad. → ,oing 8shing with my dad, (#ve always en0oyed. 'e sold the record player to the thrift store. → *The record player to the thrift store, he sold __ . "e#re going snow oarding over the reak. → *,oing snow oarding, we#re over the reak. (#ve always en0oyed going 8shing with my dad. → *:ishing with my dad, (#ve always en0oyed going. C e"ing Only a constituent can appear in the frame #____ is/are who/what%where%when/why%how …' They put the odies in the asement. → (n the asement is where they put the odies. "e#ll talk a out the answers to the '" next. → The answers to the '" are what we#ll talk a out next. They made us look like amateurs. → &ade us look like amateurs is what they did. /he seemed incredi ly lucky to me. → (ncredi ly lucky is how she seemed to me. They put the odies in the asement. → *+ut the odies is what they did in the asement. "e#ll talk a out the answers to the '" next. → *% out the answers is what we#ll talk to the '" next. They made us look like amateurs. → *&ade us is what they did look like amateurs. /he seemed incredi ly lucky to me. → *(ncredi ly lucky to me is how she seemed. (ntuiti)e Unit "hen all else fails, turn to your intuition. 4oes the string of words feel like it goes together as a complete unit, and has some meaning on its own, independent of the rest of the sentence? (f so, it#s pro a ly a constituent. (f not, it#s pro a ly not..