[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by jwschang

I think that we can look at it as a shortened adjective phrase with both the heading preposition "in" and (say) the noun "condition" abandoned, leaving only the modifier "brand new" from the adjective phrase "in a brand-new condition". As an adjective phrase, it's position is not abnormal, in "I sold him my car in a brand new condition". So, SVC? :wink:

That's an interesting analysis.

It'd be SVC is V were a linking verb et al, like this:

My car is brand new. (SVC)

Let's look at an SVOC structure:

They named (V) the baby(O) George (C). (SVOC)

'named' takes an object and that object requires a complement. In fact, if we switch the order of the object and the complement the result is ungrammatical:

*They named (V) George (C) the baby (O).

In short, with SVOC structures the O and the C cannot be switched. On the other hand, with SVOO structures the DO and the IO can be switched:

I sold (V) him (IO) the car (DO) brand new. (SVOO+Adjunct)

I sold (V) it (DO) to him (IO) brand new. (SVOO+Adjunct)

Note, 'brand new' is added information; information not required by the verb to express its basic meaning. The same holds true for 'in a brand new condition', as well as other information that's not stated inside the verb's subcategorization frame:

sold [something, to someone]; [someone, something]

:D