rec.puzzles Archive

What English verb has the most possible complements?

language/english/meaning/verb.complements New

New entry, edited from material collected for the archive and not yet in a released version.

Problem

What English verb has the most possible complements?

The best I can do is "sign": up, in, out, on, off, over.  (The last can
be done if you sign over your bank account to me.)

Note that I'm looking for complements, not prepositions or adverbs, so
you can run off 100 copies of this post, but you cannot run over me;
you can knock it off, but not knock me over.

-- David Grabiner <grabiner@math.harvard.edu>
Show solution
Assuming you mean verb complements (i.e., not "sign post"), here is a
list of all I can find with five or more (not counting complements
that are homographs):

16 go: go about [vi] go along [vi] go around [vi] go by [vi] go down [vi] go in [vi] go off [vi] go on [vi] go out [vi] go over [vi] go round [vi] go through [vi] go to [vi] go under [vi] go up [vi] go without [vi]
16 get: get about [vi] get across [vi] get along [vi] get around [vi] get away [vi] get back [vi] get by [vi] get down [vi] get in [vi] get off [vi] get on [vt] get out [vi] get over [vi] get round [vb] get through [vi] get up [vi]
16 come: come about [vi] come across [vi] come along [vi] come around [vi] come back [vi] come by [vi] come down [vi] come in [vi] come off [vi] come on [vi] come out [vi] come over [vi] come round [vi] come through [vi] come to [vi] come up [vi]
15 put: put about [vi] put across [vt] put away [vt] put by [vt] put down [vb] put down [vt] put in [vb] put off [vb] put on [vb] put out [vb] put over [vt] put through [vt] put to [vb] put together [vt] put up [vb]
15 turn: turn about [vb] turn around [vb] turn away [vt] turn back [vi] turn down [vi] turn in [vt] turn off [vi] turn off [vt] turn on [vt] turn out [vt] turn over [vt] turn round [vb] turn to [vi] turn under [vt] turn up [vt]
13 lay: lay about [vi] lay aside [vt] lay away [vt] lay by [vt] lay down [vt] lay in [vt] lay low [vt] lay off [vt] lay on [vt] lay out [vt] lay over [vt] lay to [vt] lay up [vt]
11 knock: knock about [vt] knock around [vt] knock back [vt] knock down [vt] knock off [vi] knock off [vt] knock on [vt] knock out [vt] knock over [vt] knock under [vi] knock up [vt]
11 take: take about [vt] take away [vb] take back [vt] take down [vb] take in [vb] take off [vb] take off [vi] take on [vb] take out [vb] take over [vt] take up [vb]
11 send: send away [vt] send back [vt] send down [vt] send forth [vt] send in [vt] send off [vt] send on [vt] send out [vt] send over [vt] send round [vt] send up [vt]
11 run: run along [vi] run around [vi] run away [vi] run down [vt] run in [vt] run off [vt] run on [vi] run out [vi] run over [vi] run through [vt] run up [vi]
11 hold: hold away [vi] hold back [vb] hold down [vb] hold forth [vb] hold in [vb] hold off [vb] hold on [vi] hold out [vb] hold over [vb] hold together [vt] hold up [vb]
10 throw: throw about [vi] throw away [vt] throw back [vt] throw by [vt] throw down [vt] throw in [vt] throw off [vt] throw out [vt] throw over [vt] throw up [vb]
10 pull: pull away [vi] pull down [vt] pull in [vt] pull off [vt] pull out [vi] pull over [vi] pull round [vt] pull through [vt] pull together [vi] pull up [vt]
10 lie: lie along [vi] lie athwart [vi] lie back [vi] lie by [vi] lie down [vi] lie in [vi] lie off [vi] lie over [vi] lie to [vi] lie up [vi]
10 cast: cast about [vt] cast around [vi] cast away [vt] cast back [vt] cast behind [vt] cast down [vt] cast off [vt] cast on [vt] cast out [vt] cast up [vt]
10 bring: bring about [vt] bring down [vt] bring forth [vt] bring forward [vt] bring in [vt] bring off [vt] bring on [vt] bring out [vt] bring to [vt] bring up [vt]
9 sit: sit around [vi] sit back [vi] sit by [vi] sit down [vi] sit in [vi] sit out [vt] sit over [vi] sit through [vt] sit up [vi]
9 set: set back [vt] set by [vt] set down [vt] set in [vt] set off [vt] set on [vt] set out [vt] set to [vi] set up [vt]
9 hang: hang around [vi] hang back [vi] hang behind [vi] hang off [vi] hang on [vi] hang out [vi] hang over [vi] hang together [vi] hang up [vt]
9 give: give away [vb] give back [vi] give down [vt] give in [vt] give off [vt] give on [vi] give out [vb] give over [vb] give up [vb]
9 fall: fall away [vi] fall back [vi] fall down [vi] fall in [vi] fall off [vi] fall out [vi] fall over [vi] fall to [vi] fall together [vi]
8 talk: talk around [vt] talk away [vt] talk back [vi] talk down [vt] talk in [vt] talk out [vt] talk over [vt] talk up [vt]
8 stand: stand by [vi] stand down [vi] stand in [vt] stand off [vi] stand on [vi] stand out [vi] stand over [vi] stand up [vb]
8 look: look around [vi] look back [vi] look down [vb] look in [vi] look on [vi] look out [vb] look over [vt] look up [vb]
8 kick: kick around [vt] kick back [vi] kick in [vt] kick off [vi] kick out [vi] kick over [vi] kick through [vi] kick up [vt]
8 keep: keep away [vi] keep back [vt] keep down [vt] keep in [vt] keep off [vt] keep out [vt] keep under [vt] keep up [vt]
8 carry: carry away [vt] carry back [vt] carry forward [vt] carry off [vt] carry on [vt] carry out [vt] carry over [vt] carry through [vt]
8 belly: belly bump [vi] belly bunt [vi] belly bust [vi] belly dance [vi] belly flop [vi] belly gut [vi] belly in [vi] belly whop [vi]
8 let: let bug [vi] let dab [vi] let down [vt] let in [vt] let off [vt] let on [vi] let out [vt] let up [vi]
8 break: break away [vt] break back [vi] break even [vi] break in on [vt] break in upon [vt] break into [vt] break off [vi] break out [vi]
7 walk: walk back [vi] walk down [vt] walk off [vt] walk on [vi] walk out [vi] walk over [vi] walk up [vt]
7 do: do away [vt] do down [vt] do for [vt] do in [vt] do up [vt] do with [vt] do without [vt]
7 cut: cut across [vt] cut back [vt] cut down [vt] cut on [vt] cut over [vt] cut round [vi] cut under [vt]
7 call: call down [vt] call forth [vt] call in [vb] call in [vt] call off [vt] call out [vt] call up [vt]
7 blow: blow away [vt] blow down [vt] blow in [vi] blow off [vi] blow out [vi] blow over [vi] blow up [vt]
7 beat: beat about [vi] beat back [vt] beat down [vt] beat off [vb] beat off [vt] beat out [vt] beat up [vi]
6 strike: strike back [vi] strike below [vt] strike in [vi] strike off [vt] strike out [vt] strike up [vi]
6 shut: shut away [vt] shut down [vi] shut in [vt] shut off [vt] shut out [vt] shut up [vb]
6 play: play back [vi] play forward [vi] play off [vt] play on [vi] play out [vt] play up [vi]
6 pass: pass away [vb] pass by [vt] pass off [vt] pass out [vi] pass over [vt] pass up [vt]
6 make: make down [vi] make off [vi] make out [vi] make out [vt] make over [vt] make up [vt]
6 hand: hand down [vt] hand in [vt] hand off [vt] hand on [vt] hand out [vt] hand over [vt]
6 draw: draw away [vt] draw back [vt] draw down [vt] draw in [vt] draw into [vt] draw out [vt]
6 close: close down [vi] close in [vb] close off [vt] close out [vt] close up [vb] close with [vt]
6 back: back away [vi] back down [vi] back in [vi] back off [vt] back out [vi] back up [vi]
5 write: write down [vt] write in [vt] write off [vt] write out [vt] write up [vt]
5 trade: trade down [vi] trade in [vt] trade name [vt] trade off [vi] trade up [vi]
5 tear: tear around [vi] tear away [vt] tear down [vt] tear off [vt] tear up [vt]
5 stick: stick around [vi] stick off [vb] stick on [vi] stick out [vi] stick up [vi]
5 step: step back [vi] step down [vt] step in [vi] step out [vi] step up [vt]
5 sign: sign in [vi] sign off [vi] sign on [vi] sign out [vi] sign up [vi]
5 rub: rub down [vt] rub in [vt] rub off [vi] rub out [vt] rub up [vt]
5 round: round in [vt] round off [vt] round out [vb] round to [vi] round up [vb]
5 roll: roll back [vt] roll in [vi] roll out [vi] roll over [vt] roll up [vt]
5 pick: pick in [vt] pick off [vt] pick out [vt] pick over [vt] pick up [vb]
5 check: check in [vi] check off [vt] check out [vi] check over [vt] check up [vb]
5 buy: buy in [vt] buy into [vt] buy off [vt] buy out [vt] buy up [vt]
5 work: work in [vt] work off [vt] work out [vt] work over [vt] work up [vb]

[ Editor: the reply was posted unsigned from Questrel, Inc. ]