Video 3.2 Constituency Tests

About this Video

• Video Title: Video 3.2 Constituency Tests
• Channel: Carnie 2021 Syntax 4th Edition
• Speakers: Andrew Carney
• Duration: 00:17:47

Introduction

This video tutorial explains constituency and provides several tests to identify constituents within a sentence. The main purpose is to teach viewers how to analyze sentence structure using modification, replacement, ellipsis, and stand-alone tests, alongside a less reliable conjunction test. The video emphasizes using multiple tests for accurate identification.

Key Takeaways

• Constituents represent semantically connected material: Words and phrases that are meaningfully related tend to form constituents.
• Constituency tests: The video outlines five tests to determine if a group of words is a constituent: modification, replacement (including pro-forms), ellipsis, stand-alone (sentence fragment), and conjunction (use with caution).
• Multiple tests are recommended: Using several tests increases accuracy in identifying constituents, mitigating potential errors from individual tests.
• Modification Test: If one word modifies another, they likely belong to the same constituent.
• Replacement Test: Replacing a group of words with a single word (or pro-form) indicates a constituent.