Question

Do the bolded words in the sentence below form a constituent?

The farmer milks the cow every Saturday.

a.
Yes

b.
N

Answer 1

To determine if the bolded words "the cow" form a constituent in the sentence "The farmer milks the cow every Saturday," we can analyze the structure.

A constituent is a word or a group of words that functions as a single unit within a larger structure. In this case, "the cow" acts as a noun phrase (NP) that serves as the object of the verb "milks."

Since "the cow" can stand alone in response to questions like "What does the farmer milk?" (with the answer being "the cow"), and it has a specific grammatical function in the sentence, we conclude that it does indeed form a constituent.

So the answer is:

**a. Yes**