Abstract
The present study aims at examining the internal structure and external distribution of sentential complements in Standard English by shedding light on the syntax and semantics of sentential complementation. The present study focuses its attention on the sentential complements that are realized by a whole clause. These complements are determined by the verb that used in the main clause. Thus, the verb is regarded as the head that subcategorizes for certain clause to be its complement. Sentential complementation in SE has certain features in both its internal structure and external distribution. For instance, the sentential complementation that is introduced by a ‘that- clause’ contains a subject that should be in the nominative case. As regards external distribution, some sentential complements cannot be preceded by a preposition. The present study treats the sentential complementation in Standard English depending on the model adopted by Quirk and his followers.
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