TRANSITIVE PATTERNS
SUMMARY
1 Monotransitive patterns contain a two-place verb (carry, say) and have a Direct Object or a Prepositional Complement (PC). Objects, like Subjects, most typically represent an entity (a person or thing), less typically a fact or a situation within the main situation. Entities are typically realized by group structures, facts and situations by clauses.
2 Ditransitive patterns contain a three-place verb (give, offer, rob, blame). Semantically, they express situations in which three participants are involved, encoded syntactically as the subject and the two objects. There are two main patterns.
3 One pattern contains a verb such as give, send, owe, which takes two Objects, Indirect and Direct, sequenced in that order (give Jo a copy), each of which can potentially become subject in a passive clause.
4 The second pattern, with verbs such as remind and rob, takes a Direct Object followed by a PC, whose preposition is controlled by the verb (It reminds me of Italy). Only the Direct Object can become subject in a passive clause.
5 The complex-transitive pattern has one Object and one Complement, after verbs such as appoint, name and find.
6 We here use Verb instead of Predicator as it is the verb that controls the type of complement.
