Syntax: Complementizer Phrases

Subordinate clauses embedded in other clauses are referred to as such as complementizer phrases (CPs). An example of a CP is the clause, 'if she is coming to the party', which is embedded in the sentence “We wonder if she is coming to the party”. Common complementizers in VPs in English include 'whether', 'that', 'if' and 'for'. These complementizers head a phrasal structure which we call CP. When in VPs, the CP attaches as the complement sister of the verb. CPs can also be found in NPs as modifiers of the noun. Common complementizers in NPs in English include 'that' and 'who'. For example, in the sentence "The idea that global warming is destroying the planet is controversial," the emboldened CP modifies the NP "the idea." Diagram the sentences below, with CP in both VP and NP, and then check your trees using the answers below. (CPs are in italics; both simple and X-bar answers are given).