Noun complement
•As the name suggests, this type of complement is related to a noun
•It is important to distinguish between a noun complement and a modifier, e.g.:
•a jar of jelly è fondamentale quindi è Noun complement
•a jar in the fridge info aggiuntiva quindi è modifier
•Both of jelly and in the fridge (which are PPs) are preceded by a noun but one of
them is a complement and one is a modifier. How do we understand which is which?
•We can try and replace the phrase after the noun with a relative clause:
•a jar of jelly > *a jar which is of jelly
•a jar in the fridge > a jar which is in the fridge
•We can observe that while we can do this with in the fridge we cannnot do the same
test with of jelly. When a PP following a noun can be relativized it means that it is a
modifier. When it cannot be relativized it means that it is a noun complement.
Types of nouns which can have a complement
•Container nouns: a jar, a bottle, a glass, a cup etc.
•Quantity nouns: a surfeit, a plethora, a ton, a spoonful, a gram etc.
•Deverbal nouns, that is nouns derived from verbs. In this case, nouns can be derived
from intransitive and transitive verbs:
•Our plans changed. > a change in plans
•They lack water D.O.. > a lack of water
