Quote:
Originally Posted by CHOMAT  How do you understand the following example ?
The instructor suggested the students to study
In what case should one use the verbal form suggest to ?
Subcategorisation aims at reducing ambiguity by showing the expected links between different words semantically and syntactically speaking.
To cut a potato with a knife .
Is it To cut a potato and to cut a knife.
To cut a potato which has a knife
To cut a potato by means of a knife.
To cut : the predicate entails a direct object : potato
The semantic dimension ( common knowledge): if with is followed by a word ( tool) it is linked to the predicate cut : to cut with
if not , it belongs to the direct object
To cut a potato with a hole.
I'm waiting for your answer . I'll try to help you I'll do my damnest! |
Okay, I re-read the chapter again and the sentence is ungrammatical because of the words to and for. They do not belong there it should have had the complement "that" as in "The professor suggest that the students study" The verb suggest needs to be followed by a direct object.
................S ............../\ ..........Np.........Vp ........./\....../\ ......det
...N
.........V
......NP
.......|
......|........|
....../\ .....The..Prof..suggest N'...NP ...............................|.../_\ ............................adjp ....| ..................................That the students study I am not sure I did the tree right as usual. 
The C-selection (sub-categorization) seems to restrict what categories (VP, NP, PP etc.) sentences can use as a complement. With the first sentence on the test "The Prof. suggested the students to study" The transitive verb "suggested" requires a NP complement. Most NPs need for a restrictive clause "that" to head the NP complement. In other words there are restrictions on what complements can head certain sentence complements. And restrictions that Sub-categorization places on sentences. The trantitive verb is suggesting "the students" and it is using them as a direct object, and that does not work.