Obligatory Vs. Optional Arguments
A further division blurs the line between arguments and adjuncts. Many arguments behave like adjuncts with respect to another diagnostic, the omission diagnostic. Adjuncts can always be omitted from the phrase, clause, or sentence in which they appear without rendering the resulting expression unacceptable. Some arguments (obligatory ones), in contrast, cannot be omitted. There are many other arguments, however, that are identified as arguments by the relative clause diagnostic but that can nevertheless be omitted, e.g.
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- a. She cleaned the kitchen.
- b. She cleaned. -
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- a. We are waiting for Larry.
- b. We are waiting. -
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- a. Susan was working on the model.
- b. Susan was working. -
The relative clause diagnostic would identify the constituents in bold as arguments. The omission diagnostic here, however, demonstrates that they are not obligatory arguments. They are, rather, optional. The insight, then, is that a three-way division is needed. On the one hand, one distinguishes between arguments and adjuncts, and on the other hand, one allows for a further division between obligatory and optional arguments.
Read more about this topic: Argument (linguistics), Distinguishing Between Arguments and Adjuncts
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