Terminology

Adjunct: An non-obligatory modifier that is not selected by the head of the phrase or clause. Optional, non essential word or phrase that adds extra information.

Appositive: An appositive is a noun or a noun phrase that sits next to another noun to rename it or to describe it in another way

The buildings in London, the most interesting city in the world,

Argument: A noun phrase (or PP) that is required by the verb or adjective to complete its meaning.

Anaphoric dependency

A syntactic–semantic relationship in which one element in a clause (the anaphor) refers back to or is licensed by another element (the antecedent). It’s particularly important for relative clauses and pronouns, and distinguishes them from ordinary adjuncts or complements (from “anaphora”, to carry, in Ancient Greek)

Finite clause: A finite clause contains a verb that is inflected for tense, person, and/or number.

She runs every morning (3rd person singular present)

Genitive: The genitive case is predominantly used for showing possession

Infinitive marker: The word “to”, when it precedes the verb to form a to-infinitive

Non finite clause: A non-finite clause contains a verb that does not show tense, person, or number

Patient: semantic, entity that undergoes a change of state or is directly affected by an action

Postmodifiers: Postmodifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that come after a noun to describe, rename, or qualify it, including adjectival phrases, prepositional phrases, relative clauses, participial phrases, infinitive phrases, and appositive phrases.

Theme: The entity that the action is about or acts upon, whether or not it changes.

Two-object constructions: also called ditransitive constructions, are verbs that take two core argument: usually a direct object and an indirect object (often the recipient). These are essential for grammar analysis because they help distinguish arguments from adjuncts.

She gave her friend a gift (her friend is an indirect object) She gave a gift to her friend (PP, same role)