How do the Noun phrases in the following sentence acquire case ?
-It is odd that Bill should have refused the offer
It has been noted that Noun phrases need case because they need to be visible in order to receive a theta role . Discuss the problems raised for this approach by the following example
It is thought that it is regrettable that John has left.
Discuss the assignment of case for the following sentence, are their any problems in case assignment ?
The detective and his wife are coming back soon .
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To understand how noun phrases in a sentence acquire case, it's important to first understand what case is. Case refers to the grammatical category that reflects the relationship of a noun phrase (or pronoun) to other elements in a sentence, such as the verb or prepositions. It typically indicates the function or role of the noun phrase in the sentence.
In the given sentence, "It is odd that Bill should have refused the offer," let's analyze the noun phrases and how they acquire case:
1. "It" is a pronoun functioning as the subject of the sentence. It does not acquire case in this sentence because it is a neutral pronoun that does not change form based on its grammatical function.
2. "odd" is an adjective modifying the pronoun "it." Adjectives, unlike noun phrases, do not acquire case.
3. "Bill" is a proper noun functioning as the subject of the embedded complement clause "Bill should have refused the offer." The case assigned to "Bill" is the nominative case, as it is the subject of the clause.
4. "should have refused" is a verb phrase in the complement clause, and verb phrases do not acquire case.
5. "the offer" is a noun phrase functioning as the direct object of the verb "refused." Since it is a direct object, it acquires the accusative case.
In the sentence "It is thought that it is regrettable that John has left," there are also some noun phrases that require case assignment. Analyzing them:
1. "It" is a pronoun functioning as the subject of the sentence. Similar to the previous example, it does not acquire case.
2. "thought" is a verb that does not acquire case.
3. "that it is regrettable" is a complement clause, where "it" is the subject.
4. "regrettable" is an adjective modifying the pronoun "it," so it does not acquire case.
5. "John" is a proper noun functioning as the subject of the embedded complement clause "John has left." It acquires the nominative case as the subject of the clause.
6. "has left" is a verb phrase in the complement clause, which does not acquire case.
Now, let's analyze the sentence "The detective and his wife are coming back soon" and discuss the assignment of case:
1. "The detective" is a noun phrase functioning as the subject of the sentence. It acquires the nominative case as it is the subject.
2. "and" is a coordinating conjunction and does not acquire case.
3. "his wife" is a noun phrase functioning as a second subject, connected by the coordinating conjunction "and." It also acquires the nominative case.
4. "are coming back soon" is a verb phrase that does not acquire case.
In summary, the assignment of case in the given sentence is grammatically accurate, and there are no problems in case assignment.