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3. NOMINAL COMPLEMENTATION AND ARGUMENT STRUCTURE<br />

just as adverbs typically correspond to adjuncts in the clause. Therefore, it is not surprising<br />

that adverbial adjuncts in a sentence become adjectives when the process of<br />

nominalization takes place. Take, for instance, the examples below, where the adverb<br />

frequently in (64a) becomes an adjective (frequent) in the NP in (64b).<br />

(64) a. Mary frequently criticized John.<br />

b. The frequent criticism of John (Haegeman and Guéron 1999:<br />

417).<br />

Adjectives usually function as modifiers in an NP, although they can also function<br />

as complements of a noun, as in (65) below (Payne and Huddleston 2002: 439). As<br />

happens with general nouns, adjectives in nominalizations can also be complements or<br />

modifiers. Take, for instance, the examples in (66) and (67) below, taken from Grimshaw<br />

(1990: 98).<br />

(65) an ecological expert (i.e. an expert in ecology)<br />

(66) a. The (man’s) gruesome murder<br />

b. The (man’s) murder was gruesome.<br />

c. *The murder was the man’s.<br />

(67) a. The unsuccessful (Central American) invasion<br />

b. The (Central American) invasion was unsuccessful.<br />

c. *The invasion was Central American.<br />

It is clear that the adjectives gruesome and unsuccessful in examples (66a) and (67a) above<br />

are to be considered modifiers since they can be related to the head across a copula (see<br />

instances [66b] and [67b]). However, the possessive phrase in (66a) and the group<br />

adjective in (67a) cannot be considered modifiers but rather complements, since their<br />

relation with the nominal across a copula is impossible, giving as a result the<br />

ungrammatical sentences (66c) and (67c).<br />

72

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