Degree Adverbs In Vp Selectivity

This paper discusses the selectivity of VP of degree adverbs. It is composed of two parts with five chapters apart from the preface and the conclusion. The first part gives a brief discussion of the categories and characteristics of VP that can be modified by degree adverbs from the point of view of this category as a whole. It includes categories, characteristics and principles of meanings. Chapter 1 illustrates the verbs that can be modified by this kind, including psychological and non-psychological verbs. Though the non-psychological verbs do not imply the meaning of inner activities, they have the same abstract quality as those psychological ones, thus leading to the possibility of being modified by degree adverbs. Chapter 2 continues to discuss the verbal phrases that are available to adverbs. In modern Chinese, there are mainly four kinds of verbal phrases for modifications by degree adverbs, namely verb-object phrases, verb-complement phrases, "jian-yu" phrases and "pian-zheng" phrases with quality. All of these above are gradable and can be modified. Numeral phrases can be modified only by "a little" and "very", which implies the meaning of small and large amounts. Chapter 3 tells the principles of meaning for these VP in the process of modification. In the second part we discuss the selection of VP by each degree adverb of different grade. As any degree adverb is different from each other in terms of characteristics of meaning and grammar, there lie some differences when they select VPs. Some are so powerful in modification that they can even modify all kinds of VPs mentioned above. However, others can only select a part of VPs within the limit of characteristics of meaning and grammar. Another issue concerns that each kind of adverb has suitable VPs for itself. Therefore, beginning with an analysis of the general categories within the field of degree adverbs, chapter 4 shows the selectivity of VP of comparative degree adverbs and modifying characteristics as counterparts, and chapter 5 focuses on absolute ones. The final part is the conclusion.