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The SPECIALIST Lexicon

Light Verb Constructions (LVCs)

Light verb constructions are verb and noun combinations in which the verb has lost its meaning to some degree and the noun is used in one of its original senses, typically denoting an event or an action. Light verb constructions (LVCs) are not multiword terms in the Lexicon because they are recorded in the verb complement types in the lexRecord of the associated verbs. For example, “make love” and “give birth”, are coded as “tran=np|love|” and “ditran=np|birth|,pphr(to,np)” in the lexRecords of “make” (E0038623) and “give” (E0029785), respectively, as shown bellows. The information on these types of MWEs is stored inside the lexRecords and they are not considered multiword terms (not a base form or inflectional variants of a lexical entry). They can be retrieved/identified from the Lexicon by a parser (LexCheck). 

{base=give
entry=E0029785
	cat=verb
	variants=irreg|give|gives|gave|given|giving|
	intran
	intran;part(out)
	intran;part(over)
	intran;part(in)
	intran;part(up)
	tran=np
	tran=np;part(back)
	tran=np;part(over)
	tran=np;part(out)
	tran=np;part(off);noprtmvt
	tran=np;part(in)
	tran=pphr(to,np);part(in)
	tran=pphr(on,np);part(up)
	tran=np;part(up)
	tran=np;part(away)
	tran=whinfcomp:arbc;part(away)
	tran=ingcomp:subjc;part(up)
	tran=ingcomp:subjc;part(out)
	ditran=np,np|short shrift|
	ditran=np,pphr(to,np);datmvt
	ditran=np,pphr(to,np);part(back);datmvt
	ditran=np,pphr(for,np)
	ditran=np,pphr(to,np);part(out)
	ditran=np,pphr(to,np);part(over)
	ditran=np,pphr(for,np);part(up)
	ditran=np,pphr(to,np);part(back)
	ditran=np|rise|,pphr(to,np)
	ditran=np|birth|,pphr(to,np)
	cplxtran=np,infcomp:objr
	cplxtran=np,infcomp:objr;part(out)
	cplxtran=np,ingcomp:arbc;part(over)
	nominalization=gift|noun|E0029737
	class_type=unassigned
}

{base=make
entry=E0038623
	cat=verb
	variants=irreg|make|makes|made|made|making|
	intran;part(off)
	intran;part(out)
	intran;part(up)
	tran=np
	tran=np|headway|
	tran=np|love|
	tran=np|mischief|
	tran=np|merry|
	tran=np|believe|
	tran=np|decision|
	tran=np|it|
	tran=np;part(out)
	tran=np;part(up)
	tran=np;part(over)
	tran=pphr(after,np)
	tran=pphr(with,np);part(away)
	tran=pphr(with,np);part(off)
	tran=pphr(for,np);nopass
	tran=pphr(at,np)
	tran=pphr(of,np);nopass
	tran=pphr(with,np);part(out)
	tran=pphr(to,np);part(up)
	tran=pphr(for,np);part(up)
	tran=pphr(for,ingcomp:subjc);part(up)
	tran=ascomp:subjc;part(up)
	tran=whinfcomp:subjc;part(out)
	tran=whfincomp;part(out)
	tran=fincomp(o);part(out)
	tran=infcomp:subjc
	tran=np|mistake|
	ditran=np,pphr(for,np);datmvt
	ditran=np,pphr(of,np)
	ditran=np,pphr(to,np);datmvt
	ditran=np,pphr(for,np)
	ditran=np,pphr(into,np);part(over)
	ditran=np|love|,pphr(to,np)
	ditran=np|love|,pphr(with,np)
	ditran=np,pphr(to,np);part(over)
	ditran=np,pphr(with,np);part(up)
	link=np
	cplxtran=np,ascomp:objc;part(up)
	cplxtran=np,np
	cplxtran=np,adj
	cplxtran=np,advbl
	cplxtran=np,edcomp:objc
	cplxtran=np,binfcomp:objc
	cplxtran=np,infcomp:objc
	cplxtran=np,infcomp:objc;part(out)
	cplxtran=np,pphr(into,np)
	cplxtran=np,pphr(out of,np)
	nominalization=mischief-making|noun|E0040451
	nominalization=merrymaking|noun|E0039645
	nominalization=decisionmaking|noun|E0021045
	nominalization=lovemaking|noun|E0502721
	nominalization=makeup|noun|E0038625
	class_type=unassigned
}