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3. NOMINAL COMPLEMENTATION AND ARGUMENT STRUCTURE<br />

structure. Complements are found only with simple event nominals” (Grimshaw 1990: 92).<br />

However, I will not go further into this distinction since it is not pertinent for the study. I<br />

will therefore follow Fanego (1996) in simply considering that all the items appearing with<br />

nominalizations are dependents, which will be divided into pre- and post-head dependents,<br />

according to the place they occupy in the NP. Both will be analyzed in detail in what<br />

follows.<br />

3.3.1. Pre-head dependents<br />

This section analyzes the main dependents preceding the nominal head. The items found in<br />

this position can be determiners, possessives (not only pronouns but also genitive NPs),<br />

adjectives, nouns and adverbs. A description of each of these categories is provided below.<br />

3.3.1.1. Determiners<br />

For Grimshaw (1990: 54), the difference between complex event nominals, i.e. action<br />

nouns, and other nominals lies not only in their argument-taking properties but also in the<br />

kind of determiners they can take. According to her, the indefinite article, the numeral one<br />

and demonstratives like that can only appear with result nominals, while the definite<br />

article the appears with all kinds of nominal, as shown in the examples below. Only the<br />

result nominal in sentence (50a) can be preceded by the indefinite article, as happens with<br />

singular count nouns. When the nominal is a complex event nominal, having argument<br />

structure, as in sentences (50b) and (50c), the only determiner that can be used is the.<br />

(50) a. They studied the/an/one/that assignment.<br />

b. They observed the/*an/*one/*that assignment of the problem.<br />

c. The assignment of that problem too early in the course always<br />

causes problems.<br />

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