Idiom with V, D, and N anchors: Tnx0VDN1

Description:

This tree family is selected by idiomatic phrases in which the verb, determiner, and NP are all frozen (as in He kicked the bucket.). Only a limited number of transformations are allowed, as compared to the normal transitive tree family (see section 6.3). Other idioms that have the same structure as kick the bucket, and that are limited to the same transformations would select this tree, while different tree families are used to handle other idioms. Note that John kicked the bucket is actually ambiguous, and would result in two parses - an idiomatic one (meaning that John died), and a compositional transitive one (meaning that there is an physical bucket that John hit with his foot). 21 idioms select this family.

Examples:

kick the bucket, bury the hatchet, break the ice
Nixon kicked the bucket. The opponents finally buried the hatchet. The group activity really broke the ice.

Declarative tree:

See Figure 6.47.

{Declarative Transitive Idiom Tree: $\alpha$nx0VDN1

 

Other available trees:

subject relative clause with and without comp, declarative, wh-moved subject, imperative, NP gerund, adjunct gapless relative with comp/with PP pied-piping, passive, w/wo by-phrase, wh-moved object of by-phrase, wh-moved by-phrase, relative (with and without comp) on subject of passive, PP relative.