Constituency Tests

Question 1

Substitution Test

Answer 1

• Substitute constituent by 1 word
Ex: My friend will cycle tomorrow = She will cycle tomorrow

Question 2

Movement Test

Answer 2

• Constituent moves together
Ex: She will cycle today.
Today she will cycle.

Question 3

Cleft/Pseudo-Cleft Sentence Test

Answer 3

• The constituent can be turned into an emphatic sentence
▪︎Cleft sentence: It is/was (constituent) that …
▪︎Pseudo-Cleft Sentence: What … is/was (constituent*).

Question 4

Coordination Test

Answer 4

•The constituent can be coordinated with a phrase of the same category.
Ex: My friend and my sister will cycle.

Question 5

Ellipsis Test

Answer 5

•The constituent can be omitted to avoid repetition (goes hand in hand with the coordination test)
Ex: My friend will cycle today and my sister ———- too