Constituency Tests

1. Movement.
Only a constituent can be moved as a
unit.
One kind of movement test: swap
the subject and the object by making
the sentence passive:
The monkey fooled the man with the
yellow hat. [active]
The man with the yellow hat was
fooled by the monkey. [passive]
Another movement test: cleft
sentences:
It was the monkey who/that fooled the
man with the yellow hat.
It was the man with the yellow hat
who/that the monkey fooled.
2. Replacement (proform test)
Only a constituent can be replaced by
a single proform (for instance, a
pronoun).
I like the man with the yellow hat very
much.
I like him very much.

3. Coordination/Conjunction
A constituent can be coordinated (=
conjoined) with another constituent
of the same category.
The man with the yellow hat was
dancing on the table.
The man with the yellow hat and the
woman in the blue dress were
dancing on the table.
4. Sentence fragment test
A constituent can be used as a
sentence fragment on its own,
for instance in answer to a question:
Question: Who was dancing on the
table?
Answer: The man with the yellow hat.

Preposition Phrase (PP)

with the yellow hat
in the kitchen
at UBC
Movement: I always get lost at UBC.
At UBC, I always get lost.
Replacement: I saw her at UBC.
I saw her there.
Coordination: I saw her at UBC.
I saw her at UBC and at SFU.
Fragment: Where did you meet him?
At UBC.
Verb Phrase (VP)
loves syntax
abduct George from Africa
told Mary that I loved her
danced
Coordination: George loves syntax
but hates phonology.
Replacement:
George loves the man with the yellow
hat, and Bill does too.
Movement (harder to apply):
The man says he will abduct George
from Africa, and abduct George from
Africa he will.