English Phrasal Verb Constructions under VP Shells

This paper proposes an analysis on the linearization in the English phrasal verb constructions, e.g., Mary turned the TV on/turned on the TV, employing the VP shell structure (Larson 1988, Chomsky 1995) and the verb-preposition complex formation (Chomsky 1957, Farrell 2005). In this approach, different derivations of the two PVC types (V-P-DP and V-DP-P) are licensed by the projection possibility of the preposition. A main focus is given to an analysis of the so-called particle shift in various phrasal verb constructions, which have the patterns of P-DP, P-DP-DP, P-DP-PP[to], P-PP, P-CP, etc. Other related issues are also addressed such as the V-P unity, degree adverb modification, coordination, lexical idiosyncrasies, unstressed pronouns, and the information structure. A merit of the proposed analysis is that neither separately stated linear precedence rules (pace Farrell 2005) nor dubious DP or P movements are required.