intensive (adj.)

A term used in some GRAMMATICAL analyses to refer to STRUCTURES where there is a close SEMANTIC identity between ELEMENTS of structure, such as between SUBJECT and COMPLEMENT (e.g. she is a dentist), between OBJECT and complement (e.g. they called him Fred) or in APPOSITION (e.g. John the butcher . . . ). The verbs involved in intensive constructions are called intensive verbs or ‘linking verbs’. In GOVERNMENT-BINDING THEORY some of these constructions are analyzed as SMALL CLAUSES. The term is opposed to EXTENSIVE.