VP shell

In GOVERNMENT-BINDING THEORY and the MINIMALIST PROGRAMME, a view of the VERB PHRASE in terms of two different PROJECTIONS, each of which is called a ‘shell’. VPs are seen as having an outer VP shell and an inner VP shell. Some ARGUMENTS (e.g. AGENT) originate within the outer shell and some (e.g. THEME) within the inner shell. The notion was introduced by Richard Larson (b. 1952) in relation to such constructions as the double-OBJECT (e.g. She gave the dog a drink). The derivation of a VP-shell structure involves the ADJUNCTION of a verb to a LIGHT VERB, forming a complex category of the form V-v.