Question

In the sentence “The gunman sprayed the building with bullets”, the preposition phrase (PP) ‘with bullets’ is attached to _________.

• A. ‘sprayed’, because it meets the selectional restriction of ‘sprayed’
• B. ‘sprayed’, because it serves as the adjunct of the verb ‘sprayed’
• C. ‘the gunman’, because the gunman has the gun
• D. ‘the building’, because of proximity

Hint:

Selectional restrictions are crucial for resolving PP attachment ambiguities in syntax.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding PP attachment.
Prepositional phrase attachment concerns which element in a sentence a PP semantically and syntactically modifies. This is determined by argument structure and selectional restrictions rather than surface proximity.
Step 2: Analysis of the verb ‘spray’.
The verb spray typically selects an instrument or material argument, often introduced by the preposition with (e.g., spray paint, spray water). Thus, “with bullets” satisfies the verb’s selectional requirements.
Step 3: Eliminating incorrect options.
(B) is incorrect because ‘with bullets’ is not merely an optional adjunct but a semantically selected argument.
(C) is incorrect because possession of a gun does not license PP attachment.
(D) is incorrect because proximity alone does not determine syntactic attachment.
Step 4: Conclusion.
The PP ‘with bullets’ attaches to the verb ‘sprayed’ as it fulfills the verb’s selectional restriction.
Final Answer: (A)