Assignment 8:  The Real Structure of VP

An interesting thing can happen to VPs:

(1)  I can swim under water, and Sally can swim under water (too).
(2)  I can swim under water, and Sally can (too).

Here (and elsewhere in life) ignore 'too'.

(3)  I can swim under water, and Sally can make delicious pizza.
(2)  I can swim under water, and Sally can.

Note what (2) means.

This is an ellipsis phenomenon.  Remember that "ellipsis" is a fancy term
for leaving things out.  You can think of it as a way to make a certain
phrase optional.  Your job here will be to try to figure out exactly what
is being left out in examples like these.  Here are a few more:

(4)  I never put a snake in my pocket, but I might.
(5)  We thought the students had solved the problem, and a few of them had.
(6)  Harvey is feeding the chickens or his brother is.
(7)  We are hoping that Harvey has overcome his fear of ducks, and he may have.
(8)  We expected that Harvey would win the election, and he did.

Bearing in mind that ellipsis is a diagnostic for phrasehood (if a string
of words can be left out due to ellipsis, it's probably a phrase),
what conclusions can you draw about the structure of Verb Phrases?

Corroborate those conclusions using the coordinate structure test for
constituency.

Now extend your investigation to include examples like the following:

(9)  If Harvey isn't feeding the chickens, his brother is.
(10) Even if you haven't been feeding the chickens, I have.
(11) It's not likely that Sue will have passed all of her exams, but she might.
(12) I haven't been being investigated for fraud, but my cousin has.

What further conclusions can you draw about the structure of Verb Phrases?

Corroborate those conclusions using the coordinate structure test for
constituency.

Amend the grammar as necessary to conform to your revised assumptions about
the structure of VPs.  Do you need to make any new subcategorization rules?

Bear in mind that we would like to see a clear argument, supported by
examples and trees.  And every example that you cite should appear in your paper.

A CAUTION: THIS PROBLEM IS NOT ABOUT THE STRUCTURE OF COORDINATION OR ADVERBIAL
CLAUSES.  IT IS ABOUT THE STRUCTURE OF VPs.