Secondary Predication

Abstract

This chapter examines the thematic and aspectual properties of two constructions of secondary predication, resultatives and depictives. The thematic and aspectual constraints on the two types of secondary predicate and their hosts are detailed, as are the semantic constraints on the relation between the main verb and each of the secondary predicate types and the structural representation of these relations. The final sections focus on the issue of the argument or adjunct status of the different types of depictive and resultative (such as true versus false resultative) predicates, the role of each type in the event structure representation, and the possibility of distinguishing between secondary predicates and certain adverbial types. As noted by the studies reviewed in this chapter, an examination of secondary predicate constructions sheds light on properties of verb and adjective types, the characterization of argument versus adjunct, and the thematic and aspectual underpinnings of event structure.