subcategorize

As we see from the examples in (55):

(55) (a) John will put [_(NP) the car] [_(PP) in the garage]

(55) (b) ^✽John will put [_(NP) the car]

(55) (c) ^✽John will put [_(PP) in the garage]

(55) (d) ^✽John will put

the Verb put subcategorizes (i.e. ‘takesʼ) obligatory NP and PP complements (to simplify exposition here, we ignore the fact that the subcategorization properties of put may be predictable from its thematic properties, and from general word-order principles such as the STRICT ADJACENCY CONDITION).