Complements and adjuncts

Abstract

The distinction of "complement" versus "adjunct" seems to have wide currency in linguistics and in language pedagogy. Obligatoriness is often seen as a central distinguishing factor. Yet, matters are much more complicated. This chapter first discusses the distinction between complements and adjuncts by looking at how the two major grammars of English (Quirk et al. 1985, and Huddleston 2002) deal with the problem. Following this, a third section will then look at the issue from the perspective of linguistic gradience (Aarts 2007) and finally usage-based Construction Grammar (Hoffmann and Trousdale 2013). In conclusion, it will be suggested that a Construction Grammar approach might be able to resolve some of the most intractable problems in this age-old controversy. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.