Floating quantifiers(FQs) in English exhibit both universal and language specific proper- ties This paper discusses how such syntactic and semantic characteristics can be explained in terms of a constraint-based, lexical approach to the floating quanti- fer construction within the framework of Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar(HPSG). Based on the assumption and FQs are base-generated VP modifiers, this paper proposes and account in which the semantic contribution of FQs consists of a "lexically retrieved" universal quantifier taking scope over the VP meaning.P meaning.