Auxiliary Verbs and NICE Properties

Flashcards covering the definition and characteristics of auxiliary and lexical verbs, focusing on the four NICE properties: Negation, Inversion, Code, and Emphasis, as discussed in the lecture notes.

Auxiliary Verbs

Verbs that can be used to make sentences negative, form questions by inversion, allow for deletion of a following verb phrase (code), and be stressed for emphasis, unlike lexical verbs.

Lexical Verbs

Also known as regular verbs, these verbs do not possess the four syntactic characteristics of NICE properties (negation, inversion, code, emphasis) and typically require 'do-support' for questions and negation.

NICE Properties

An acronym standing for Negation, Inversion, Code, and Emphasis, which are the four syntactic characteristics that distinguish auxiliary verbs from lexical verbs in English grammar. These properties were identified by linguist Rodney Huddleston.

Negation (NICE Property)

The ability of auxiliary verbs to form negatives by adding 'not' directly after the auxiliary, without the need for 'do-support', creating a negative sentence.

Inversion (NICE Property)

The characteristic of auxiliary verbs to move to a pre-subject position to form interrogative (question) constructions, applicable to both yes-no and wh- questions.

Code (NICE Property)

The ability of auxiliary verbs to 'stand for' or 'code' a previously mentioned verb phrase, allowing the following verb phrase to be deleted, as seen in tag questions and ellipsis.

Emphasis (NICE Property)

The attribute of auxiliary verbs to be stressed for prosodic emphasis (the force with which something is uttered), a feature not allowed by lexical verbs without 'do-support'.

Do-support

The use of the auxiliary verb 'do' (or 'does', 'did') to form questions, negations, or emphasis when a sentence contains only a lexical verb.

Clausal Negation

A type of negation where the entire clause is syntactically negative, as in 'You had better not eat anything'.

Subclausal Negation

A type of negation where syntactically, negation affects only a constituent within the clause (e.g., an embedded complement clause), and not the clause as a whole, as in 'I might as well not have gone'.

Tag Questions

A construction exemplifying the 'Code' property, where a question is added to the end of a statement, repeating the first auxiliary and inverting it with the subject (e.g., 'She should not eat kimchi, should she?').

Ellipsis

A construction demonstrating the 'Code' property, where a verb phrase is deleted because its meaning is understood from the preceding context (e.g., 'I should see the doctor, and so should she.').

Copular Be

The verb 'be' when it acts as a linking verb, which follows the pattern of auxiliaries (and not lexical verbs) with respect to the NICE properties, particularly 'Code'.

Prosodic Emphasis

The force with which something is uttered, indicated by stress, which is a key component of the 'Emphasis' NICE property distinguishing auxiliary verbs from lexical verbs.