lec ii b cursuri

8/15/2019 LEC II B Cursuri

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2ND YEAR MINOR – SYNTAX 1COURSE INSTRUCTOR: ROXANA-CRISTINA PETCU, PhD

TRANSITIVE PREDICATES

We shall focus on the properties of a different class of predicates, namely transitive predicates.

Eg.(1) Mary built a house. * Mary built.

*Mary built last year a house. (2)Mary offered a gift to her sister. *Mary offered a gift. *Mary offered to her sister.

hey have an e!ternal argument, the sub"ect #n internal argument, the syntactic function of $hich is that of direct ob"ect. %t is not possible to omit the direct ob"ect (as a result of the application of the &ro"ection &rinciple) he verb assigns #ccusative case to its internal argument if the argument is ad"acent to the verb (in othe

$ords nothing can intervene bet$een the verb and its argument) he internal argument (direct ob"ect) can be either an affected ob"ect (denoting an entity affected by th

action the predicate refers to) or an effected ob"ect (denoting an entity that is the result of the evedescribed by the verb).Eg. #ffected ob"ects ' cut the bread, eat a cae, chop a tree, carve the stea Effected ob"ects ' build a house, bae a cae, compose a song, $rite a boo

he same verb may tae either an affected ob"ect or an effected ob"ectEg. ut the bread cut a road in the "ungle+ paint a housepaint a portrait+ carve the steacarve a statuepress the "uicepress the button

he internal argument may be a heme or a &atient We call such verbs monotranstive verbs here are transitive verbs that tae t$o internal arguments t$o -& complements (the e!amples under 2

he first -& functions as a direct ob"ect, $hile the second -& functions as an indirect ob"ect or aadverbial modifier of place. We call such verbs ditransitive verbs.

Eg. e offered flo$ers to his $ife. (#gent, heme, /oal) /randma made a cae for her grandsons. (#gent, heme, 0eneficiary)ohn put the boos on the table. (#gent, heme, ocation)

With the first category of ditransitives it is possible to reverse the order of the t$o -& complements.hreversal is accompanied by the deletion of the preposition tofor. 3uch a construction is called the doubob"ect construction.

With some ditransitive verbs it is possible to delete one of the t$o ob"ectsEg. he president assigned the tas to the secretary. he president assigned the secretary the tas. he president assigned the tas. he president assigned the secretary.

The syntactc st!"ct"!e #$ a t!anst%e %e!&

ransitive verbs are comple!, causative 4& structures, made up of t$o 4& shells. he higher 4& interpreted as an abstract causative light verb, 5, namely a null verb $ith a causative interpretation similato a verb lie mae. he causative light verb is affi!al in nature, or it can be null. he e!ternal argument the transitive verb is pro"ected in 63pec, 5p7 so as to e!press the causativeagentive role of the e!ternargument. he internal argument of a monotransitive verb is pro"ected as sister to 4 o..

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Eg. We built a house. (We made the house to come to be built)

%&

8& %9

%

o

5p 3pec 59

8& We 5o 4&

6:cause7 49

4 ; 8& 0uild a house

The st!"ct"!e #$ 't!anst%es that s"&cate(#!)e $#! *#cat#n

Eg. Mary put the glasses on the shelf. he shepherd got the horses into the stable.

he sentences above contain t$o prepositional phrases headed by the prepositions on and int&repositions are prototypically relational as they specify a spatial, temporal or other type of relatio

bet$een t$o entities. &repositions pro"ect structure containing both a complement and a specifier. %n thsentences above $e can consider that the 8&s that function as surface ob"ects of the verbs are pro"ected ithe 63pec, &&7 position $hile the 8&s functioning as ob"ects of the prepositions are pro"ected as sisters o&;.he 8&s functioning as direct ob"ects of the verb are ccommanded and governed by the verb, they $i

be assigned structural #ccusative by the verb.


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on the shelf

The *#cat#n+*#cat" ate!nat#n

a) bag, bottle, bo!, cage, can, corral, garage, "ail, shelve b) bandage, bar, bell, blindfold, clothe, curtain, fund, saddle

Eg. % put the glasses on the shelf. % shelved the glasses. e fitted the saddle on the horse. e saddled the horse.

he second sentences in the pairs above are syntactic counterparts of the analytic sentences containing put or fihe difference bet$een the sentences in these pairs is that the preposition is not overt and the upper verbal hea

$hich is occupied by put or fit in the first alternants in the e!amples above is also empty.

%&

8& %9

%; 5p

8& 59

% 5; 4& 6:cause7 49

4 ; &&

8& &9

the glasses &; 8&

shelf

he empty & head taes a complement (shelf) and it pro"ects a specifier (the glasses).0ecause it is emptyconflates $ith its complement, that is it fuses $ith its complement. he upper verb is also empty so it muconflate $ith its complement, namely the &, so the verbal head ac=uires phonological substance, becominshelve. his is possible because there is a relation of strict complementation, as the 4 governs thcomplement &, "ust lie the & governs the 8&. %t is a strict headhead relation and condition, other$ise thsentences $ould be illformed.

Eg. ohn corralled the co$s. (put the co$s in the corral) *ohn co$ed the corral.

he illformedess is motivated by the fact that the element undergoing conflation is pro"ected in th3pecifier position of the &&, not in the head of the pro"ection. herefore conflation of a specifier impossible.

4&

3


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4

4 ; &&

8& &9

he co$s &; 8&

orral

his is the reason $hy e!amples such as the ones belo$ are ungrammatical. Eg. *e booed on the shelf. (e shelved the boos) *We appled the bo!. (We bo!ed the apples)

*hey housed $ith a roof. (hey roofed a house. ' hey fitted the house $ith a roof)

The E!(at%e ate!nat#n .ca"sat%e+nch#at%e ate!nat#n/

Eg. he enemy san the ship. he ship san. hey stopped the machine. he machine stopped.

8erived unaccusatives he 8> of the transitive sentence is the 3u of the intransitive sentence >ne argument verbs, namely the internal one, a heme $hich is pro"ected in the ob"ect position at 8

structure and moves to 63pec,%&7 at 3structure to be assigned case, as the intransitive counterpart unaccusative, it lacs an e!ternal argument, therefore cannot casemar the internal argument.

he transitive variant is causative. #lternating predicates involve a change of state and involve a #?3E predicate hey describe eventualities that are under the control of some e!ternal cause When used transitively, the e!ternal cause, is the sub"ect of the sentence hey do not allo$ thereinsertion (*here san a ship.)

%&

8& %9

%; 4&

49

ed 4 ; 8& 3in the ship

>ne can prove that such verbs are unaccusatives, namely that they lac an agent role since $e cannot insert ainstrument role $hich is licensed only if an agent is present overtly or implicitly.

Eg. *he ship san $ith a cannonball.*he machine stopped $ith a stic.

?naccusatives cannot control &@>. /enerally, &@> can be controlled if the original role e!ists, $hich is not thcase of unaccusatives.

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Eg. e $ants &@> to do that.

&@> is controlled by the sub"ect of the verb in the matri! clause, in the sense that $e can identify the emptcategory &@>, the sub"ect of the nonfinite infinitive $ith the help of the overt sub"ect of the verb $ant, the t$

being identical. With unaccusatives it is not possible.

Eg. *0abies often rollturn after &@> putting them to bed.

his sentence cannot possible be interpreted as meaning that those $ho put the babies in bed as also the ones tharollturn them, therefore control is not possible.

hese t$o tests prove that such verbs do not have a causative structure, so they do not contain a light 5p.

-ot all transitives have an ergative counterpart. here are transitive verbs that only select an agent as thee!ternal theta role, but there are other transitives that select other roles as e!ternal arguments.

Eg.(a) he baby ate the soup. *he spoon ate the soup. *unger ate the soup he barber shaved father. *he raAor shaved father.

(b) Mie6#/E-7 opened the door. he ey 6%-3@?ME-7 opened the door. he $ind6#?3E7 opened the door.

4erbs that have similar selectional properties ' roll, redden, brea, dro$n, enlarge

Where do these differences come fromBausality plays an important role in deciding thematic structures. here is an overlap bet$een ause and #gent ithe sense that if an argument is the agent of a change of state it is also the cause of that change. he maidifference bet$een agency and causality may be stated as the fact that agentivity involves properties of volitioand intention $here as causality does not. %f the verb is specified for both causality and agency (volition, intention(lie eat, shave) it can only select an #gent. %f a verb is specified only for causality (lie open, brea) it can selec

both and agent and an instrument (cause) as e!ternal argument. %n other $ords, only those transitives that aspecified only for causality, but not for volition, intention enter the ergative alternation.

De-a'0ect%a e!(at%e %e!&s

Eg. hin, narro$, cool, thicen, harden, soften, $iden, lengthen, shorten, broaden, loosen, tighten, darenredden, deepen, lo$er, enlarge

Eg. is eyes narro$ed. e narro$ed his eyes and grinned. he screen cleared $hen % bumped the eyboard. % cleared the screen $hen % bumped the eyboard.

8ead"ectival verbs also have analytical counterparts $hich can be either transitive or intransitive.

Eg. he leaves turned red. he cold turned the leaves red.

he li=uid froAe solid. We froAe the li=uid solid. he safe ble$ open. he charge ble$ the safe open.

he first sentence may be interpreted as a sentence containing a copulalie verb $hich subcategoriAes for a smaclause, that is in fact a resultative phrase. 3uch sentences may be interpreted as describing a change resulting instate. (he cold does something such that the leaves come to be red.)

he leaves turned red.

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%&

8& %9

%; 4&

8& 49

ed 4 ; 3#&

turn 8& #9

the leaves # ;

red

he cold turned the leaves red.

%&

8& %9

%; 5p

8& 59

ed the 5; 4& cold 6:cause7 49

4 ; 3#&turn 8& #9

the leaves # ;

red

What about dead"ectival verbsB

he sy reddened. he clouds reddened the sy.

%&

8& %9

%; 4& ed 8& 49 he sy 4 ; #

en red

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he ad"ective red moves and ad"oins to the verbal affi! 'en. %t is an instance of ead Movement. When moving thad"ective leaves a trace behind, so a chain is formed. he ad"ective is nc#!#!ate' under 4 ;. We may suppothe idea that Aeromorphology dead"ectival verbs behave in the same $ay and incorporation also taes place $itsuch verbs.

he transitive counterparts of such verbs involve the appearance of the causative light verb. %&8& %9

%

;

5p 8& 59 ed the 5; 4& louds 6:cause7 8& 49 he

3y 4 ; #

en redIn'"ce' Act#n Ate!nat#n

Eg. he rider "umped the horse over the fence. he horse "umped over the fence. % $aled the dog. he dog $aled.

♦ More restrictive ' only intransitive agentive verbs of manner of motion (in the presence of a directionphrase) are allo$ed to be used transitively Eg. 8rive, fly, gallop, leap, march, race, run, s$im, $al, etc

♦ he causee is generally an animate entity induced to act by the causerEg. 3he hurried him to the door. e $as running the horse do$n the hill.

Othe! nstances #$ ca"sat%e ate!nat#n

♦ >ther basically intransitive verbs $hich denote internally controlled actions can, in certain cases be use

transitively, $hen e!ternally controlled.Eg. 0ang, buAA, ring, clang, beam, flash, bleed


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♦ $o main subcategories D

#) transitives $ith a 8> and an optional #dv of &lace 0) transitives $ith a 8> and an obligatory #dv of &lace

#.1. motion verbs ' amble, dance, float, gallop, hurry, "ump. march, =uiver, retire, roll, run, tumble, $al Eg. e $as ambling his horses along the river. 3he hurried the guest to the door.

he ing marched the army into the apital city. 8on9t run him on a tight rope hey all marched to ondon

#.2. positional verbs ' sit do$n , stand

Eg. % sat the old man do$n in a chair. he mother stood the baby upon the floor.

♦ Most recategoriAed verbs in the sentences above may undergo passiviAationEg. hey $ere all marched to ondon by their commanders.

0.1. 6animate7, 6abstract78> and an obligatory #dv of &lace. he 8> usually has an instrumental meaning.Eg. 3he leant her elbo$s on the table (she caused her elbo$s to lean on the table) 3he stayed her arms on her nees. 3he struc her hand against a stone. 3he dabbed a po$derpuff across her forehead.

Ph!asa t!anst%es

Eg. 0ob put his coat on. 0ob put on his coat.

&hrasal verbs ' verb : particle (or verb:preposition verb:particle:preposition verb:adverb) 0ut such a verb can be interpreted as a verb phrase containing a verb and a particle inside $hich a dire

ob"ect can intrevene bet$een the verb and the particle $ithout any change in the grammaticality osemantics of the phrase.

he verb and the particle form a semantic unit and can be paraphrased by a le!ical verbEg. /ive upFrenounce &ut offFpostpone 0uild upFdevelop

his analysis is supported by the idiomatic character of many phrasal verbs, in $hich the particle deviatefrom its literal meaning

Eg. urn do$n, blo$ up, figure out

%f the particle preserves its literal meaning, it is more liely that the predicate $ill allo$ &article movemen Eg. e put on his hat. e put his hat on %f the comple! phrasal verb is idiomatic &article Movement is bloced.

Eg. he terrorists ble$ up the building. *he terrorists ble$ the building up. -o adverbial , not even right or straight can intervene in the 4 &rt -& structure

Eg. e put on his hat. *e put right on his hat. %f the -& is heavy (for instance a very long -&, or an -& modified by a relative clause), a modifier ca

intervene bet$een the partcle and the verbEg. e looed up the ans$er % had given him. e looed right up the asn$er % had given him.

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%f the verb is deleted, it is deleted together $ith the particleEg. e put on his hat and 6G7 his coat.

%f the complement is a pronoun &article movement is obligatory Eg. *e too off it. e too it off.

8itransitive phrasal verbsEg. e gave bac the boo to ohn. *e have bac ohn the boo. (double ob"ect construction is ungrammatical) e gave the boo bac to ohn. (&article Movement possible across the direct ob"ect in

the prepositional variant of the sentence)

*e gave the boo to ohn bac. (&article Movement is bloced across both ob"ects) %f the ob"ect is very heavy it cannot intervene bet$een the verb and the particleEg. e turned off the light. *e turned the light $hich % had forgotten on off.

%f the direct ob"ect is clausal it cannot intervene bet$een the verb and the particleEg. e gave a$ay all the boos. *e gave $hat he had been able to gather throughout his life a$ay.

The Synta #$ h!asa t!anst%es

here have been a number of proposals for the synta! of such verbs. We shall adopt the small clause analysis.

Eg. ane looed 6sc the phone number up7.3mall clauses have a number or properties. hey do appear as derived nominals.

Eg. Mary considers 6ohn intelligent7. *Mary9s consideration of ohn intelligent

he se=uence above that $e have considered a small clause 6-& &rt7 is also e!cluded from this type onominaliAations.

Eg. *he looing of the phone number up

3mall clauses do not allo$ e!traction of a part of the postverbal -&Eg. his maes the bac of the car out last searching place. *ere9s the car that maes the bac of our lassearching place.

&hrasal transitives behave in a similar $ay.

Eg. he pressure has $orn Mary9s brother out. *Who has the pressure $orn the brother of outB

# small clause is interpreted as e!pressing a result

Eg. 3he filled 6my plate up7.

hey thre$ 6him out7.herefore, $e can say that the verb subcategoriAes for a small clause, a particle phrase $here the -& occupies thsub"ect position, namely the 3pec position. he problem that appears is case assignment, because the ma!impro"ection can be considered as a barrier to government. Hayne considers the &article pro"ection is not a barrieso the verb governs the -& inside the small clause and assigns #cc case to that -&. 0ut there are problems relateto the sentences $hich lie

3he filled up my plate.hey thre$ out the boy.

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I5 Anay)e the !e'cates n the sentences &e#6 D1. % shall have the boy re$rite the e!ercise.2. Cou mae me laugh. /et the children ready, $ill youB J. We9ll have to get this car repaired by the ne!t $ee. K. We convinced him to comeL. @emind me to call you on the phone ne!t $ee, $ill youB . War ruined her life. N. he sun blinded him as soon as h

$ent out of the house. N. hey freed all the political prisoners at the end of the $ar. O. he press belittled thsignificance of the byelections. 1;. he disease disables thousands every year. 11. he architect enlarged the origin

$indo$s. 12. eat $ill surely activate the electrons. 1I. Cou are #mericaniAing the department in every possible $ay.1he clouds blacened the sy. 1K. he strain of looing after her has considerably aged him. 1L. hat story horrifieeverybody. 1.Cour rudeness has lost you all your friends. 1N. 3he galloped the horse sho$ing no pity at all. 1O. Wal thdog before lunch, $ill youB 2;. he room $ill sit about 2; people. 21. he river floats a lot of ships. 22. ucily shmarried om in her youth. 2I. ur success e!ceeded our e!pectations. I;. hey may simplify populariAe the procedurI1. %n the end, he $ill surely tighten the rope. I2.3even days constitute a $ee. II. he ranger $ill fell those trees. Iis arrogance may enrage her. IK. he students have stopped the campaign. IL. he chairman opened the debaduring yesterday9s meeting. I. hey $ill disarm the group $hen they meet them. IN. Mother thicened the sauce badding some flour. IO. >il and grease $ill rot the rubber of your tires. J;. h

$asheddressedbathedhidsurrendered themselves. J1. is shabby appearance creates a bad impression on taudience. J2. We9ll mae a teacher of him yet. JI. he industry in this area causes a lot of pollution.

II5 A!e the !e'cates n the sentences &e#6 nhe!enty t!anst%e7

1. he nurse $as "umping the baby on her nees. 2. he &rince retired the cavalry from &oland.I. he teacher stood the pupin a ro$. J. 3he stood a case against a $all. K. We shall dine the apanese in our living room. L. he captain rested hsoldiers and horses. .he $aves floated the boat a$ay. N. he sight curdled the blood in her veins. O. he scorchinheat $ithered the leaves. 1;. e pointed the $eapon at the $olf. 11. e galloped the horse. 12. he teacher $ored uhard. 1I. % can $al the baby $hile you are cooing dinner.1J. e9s run me off my feet. 1K. Cou9ve cried your eyes ou1L. 0arely three $ees later the terrorists9 bombs rained terror do$n on their city. 1. 3he tried to stare the other ou1N. e9ll cheat the trousers off your feet. 1O. e9s shot his $ay into the leadership of the cult. 2;. e bared out hans$er.

III5 8hat tye #$ ate!nat#ns '# the sentences &e#6 "st!ate7

1.hey dropped the stone to the bottom of the lae. he stone dropped to the bottom of the lae. 2. he "uice reddened th $ater. he $ater reddened. I. he $ind cleared the sy. he sy cleared. J. he $aiter cleared the table. *he tabcleared. K. hey illed their enemy. *heir enemy illed. L. 3ociety $idened the gap bet$een the rich and the poorhe gap bet$een the rich and the poor $idened. . 3he hurried om to the door. om hurried to the door. N. e $arunning the horse do$n the hill. he horse $as running do$n the hill. O. he patient $as bleeding. he doctor ble

the patient. 1;. he patrol flashed a flashlight along the road. he flashlight flashed along the road.11.% put the glasson the shelf. % shelved the glasses. 12. Mary put the co$s in the corral. Mary corralled the co$s.*Mary co$ed thcorral. 1I.he leaves turned red. he cold turned the leaves red. 1J. is eyes narro$ed. e narro$ed hid eyes. 1K. fitted the saddle on the horse. e saddled the horse.

IV5 De!%e the sentences &e#6:

1. he student $rote a paper. 2. he shop assistant put the goods on the counter. I. he librarian shelved the boos. J. hidnappers blindfolded the hostages. K. We opened the $indo$. he $indo$ opened.L. % cooled the soup. he soucooled.. 3he looed up the phone number. 3he looed the phone number up.

V5 S"y s"&cate(#!)at#n $!aes $#! the $##6n( %e!&s:

#>W, #3H, #-3WE@, 0E. /@?8/E, >3, 8E-C. #-/E, E-4C, @/%4E, @E


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1. 3he stood up and s$itched straight on the lamp. 2. % can drop 8aisy off on my $ay home. I. he


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1. -u are niciodatR nici un moment pentru sine deoarece trebuie sR aibe gri"R de copii. 2. 3au recunoscut SnfrUnTi.I. 3e!primR cu o mare uVurinTR. J. >mul se poate autoguverna. K. rebuie sR stabileascR o relaTie cu o lume total nouR necunoscutR. L. rebuie sR te SntRreVti sufleteVte Snainte de a te duce la dentist. . 3a strRduit din rRsputeri sR ie!amenul N. -uTi mai rRmUne nimic altceva de fRcut decUt sR te aduni, cRci toatR familia ta depinde de tine.O. MafRcut util Sn timpul pregRtirii reuniunii pentru cR an vrut sR mR pub bine cu Veful. 1;. tia cu siguranTR ce se petrecea sinea lui, dar nu voia sR recunoascR. 11.&acientul a leVinat din cauAa sUngerRrii. 12. MiAeria a transformato SntrpersoanR cinicR Vi egoistR. 1I. 4rR"itorul la transformat pe prinT Sntrun pitic diAgraTios. 1J. 4Sntul a sfRrUmat corab

Sn bucRTi.1K. &loaia a transformat praful Sntrun strat gors de noroi. 1L. @evoluTia a dat naVtere unei noi atitudini d viaTR.1. #ccidentul sRu de maVinR a fost cauAat de o e!ploAie. 1N. earta cu mama sa ia provocat un infact. 1O. #m puo pe servitoare sR ne aducR ceva de mUncare.2;. &RrinTii o vor obliga pe ane sR se cRsRtoreascR cu un bRrbat pe car

nul iubeVte.21. Mau convins sR plac cu ei. 22. Xn cele din urmR. negli"enTa lea ruinat afacerea. 2I. #u tRiat niVte copa Sn pRdure.2J. rebuie sRTi faci viaTa mai bunR cu orice preT. 2K. onchistadorii iau obligat pe bRVtinaVii din #meriatinR sR treacR la catolicism.2L. 8rumul acela prin uraVul Sntunecat Vi pustiu mia adUncit Vi mai mult teama. 2

#titudinea asta de totalR lipsR de interes mR va innebuni cu siguranTR. 2N. Und sa suit pe tron noul rege Via decapitduVmanii. 2O. %sus hristos ia imputernicit pe apostoli sRl repreAinte pe pamUnt. I;. red cR aceastR schimbare d

SnfRTiVare te SnfrumuseTeayR. I1. 3R nu idealiAeAi niciodatR pe numeni.I2. ipsa de perspectivR la demoraliAat complII. -oua sa nuvelR ia adus un renume e!traordinar. IJ. %n fiecare Ai SVi plimbR cUinele Sn parcul din faTa casei. IK. grRbit pe pacient sR iasR din cabinet pentru cR era de"a Sn SntUrAiere. IL. #m intrat Sn casR Vi am aVeAat umbrela Spicioare lUngR perete. I. red cR nu este bine sR aVeAi scaunul Sn mi"locul camerei, se poate Smpiedica cineva de el. Ieful SVi pune oamenii sR munceascR fRrR nici o Sncetare. IO. &riveliVtea masacrului lea fRcut sR li se SnceToVeAprivirea. J;. 3tRtea cu coatele pe marginea mesei.

2ND YEAR MINOR – SYNTAX 1COURSE INSTRUCTOR:ROXANA-CRISTINA PETCU, PhD

EN3*IS4 SYNTAX – T4E DOU


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(b) he teacher gave the students bad mars. (2) 3he made a shirt for her niece. (0eneficiary) 3he made her niece a sirt.

The Dat%e Ate!nat#n

lasses of verbs denoting causation of change of possession $hich enter the 8ative #lternation

#) (%e verbs ' give, pass, sell, pay, loan, serve, feed, lease, lend, refund, rent, repay, trade

Eg. % rented the house to om. % rented om the house.

0) %e!&s #$ $"t"!e ha%n( offer, promise, leave, for$ard, allocate, assign, advance, grant, a$ard, allo

concede, issue, leave, o$e, vote.

Eg. We granted the money to him. We granted him the money.

) %e!&s #$ th!#6n( bash, bat, flic, fling, hurl, hit, ic, pass, pitch, shoot, slam, slap, sling, thro$, titoss

Eg. e passed the ball to ohn.

e passed ohn the ball.

8) %e!&s #$ sen'n(> %e!&s #$ nst!"ents #$ c#"ncat#n ' cable, send, mail, signal, email, 3hip, fa!, $ire, telephone, radio, tele!,

Eg, 3he emailed the ne$s to me. 3he emailed me the ne$s.E) %e!&s #$ c#"ncat#n ' as, tell, sho$, teach, $rite, pose, read, =uote, cite, preach

Eg. e preached the /ospel to the natives.

e preached the natives the /ospel.


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Othe! %e!&s 6hch a!e c#at&e 6th the chan(e #$ #ssess#n c#ncet, &"t '# n#t a#

the '#"&e #&0ect c#nst!"ct#n

1/ anne! #$ sean( %e!&s ' babble, bar, bello$, chant, call, murmur, roar, $hisper, yell, stammegrumble, etc

Eg. 3he $hispered the ne$s to her mother. *3he $hispered her mother the ne$s.

2/ %e!&s #$ c#"ncat#n s"&cate(#!)n( $#! a c#eent ca"se ' admit, allege, announc

articulate, say, assert, communicate, =uestion, claim, report, declare, confess, mention, state, repearecount

Eg. (a)3he communicated the ne$s to ohn. (b) 3he communicated to ohn 6that she $ould go there by all means7& functioning as 8irect >b"ect clause. *3he communicated ohn the ne$s.

?/ sceane#"s ' entrust, present, provide, supply, credit, furnish, carry, pull, push, lift, lo$er, raise

Eg. hey presented the priAe to her. *hey presented her the priAe.

he 6:animate7 constraint

Eg. 3he brought disaster to the village. *3he brought the village disaster. 3he brought a boo to Mary. 3he brought Mary a boo. The P!eNP @anateB - nee's t# &e !ec#(n)e' as a #tenta #ssess#!5

I'#s – the double ob"ect construction is allo$ed irrespective of the 6:animate7 constraint. %n fact, it the only possible form.

E(5 give the house a coat of paint, give the door a ic, give the problem one9s full attention, give somebodthe creeps, give something his all, etc

He gave the house anew coat of paint./ *He gave a new coat of paint to the house.The ' an e$$ecte' #&0ect

Build verbs – arrange, assemble, blow, build, carve, knit, embroider, forge(metal), hammer,roll,

sculpt, compile

P!ea!e %e!&s ' mi!, blend, coo, bae, boil, bre$, fi!, toast, toss, grind, light, clear, fry, iron, poach,

pour, prepare, roast, scamble, $ash3et %e!&s ' boo, buy, cash, catch, fetch, find, gather, hire, lease, leave, order, phone, pic, pluc,procure, pull, reach, rent, reserve, save, secure, slaughter, sreal, vote

C!eate %e!&s ' design, dig, mint Ve!&s #$ e!$#!ance – dance, play, sing, spin, $histle,

Synta

(arson)

15


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(a)ohn gave a boo to his $ife.

4&

3pec 49

4 4&

6e7-& 49

heme

4 && give & -&

/oal

(b) ohn gave his $ife a boo.

4&

3pec 49

4 4& 6e7

-& 49 /oali

49 -& heme

4 -& /ive ti

The VP she anayss

Eg. hey got the teacher a present. e passed me the salt. % sho$ed her my letter.

he le!ical verb originates as the head of the le!ical 4&, $hile the 8& the teacher occupies the 63pec, 4

position and the 8& a present the complement position, as if it $ere a representation of The teacher got present . he le!ical verb then raises to ad"oint to the light causative verb that heads 5p. he sub"ect theoriginates in 63pec, 5p7 and is assigned the role #gent by the causative light verb.

%&

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8& %9

%; 5p

8& 59

hey 5; 4&

:cause 8& 49 he eacher 4 ; 8&

/et a present

The VP-she Sa Ca"se anayss #$ the !e#st#na %a!ant

hey got a present to the teacher.

%&

3pec %9

%o Z&

8& Z9 they Z o 4&

6:cause7 49

4 ; 3&&

/et 8& &9 # present

&; 8& to the teacher

Pesetsys anayss

e proposes that a double ob"ect construction contains a null element (a preposition) / $hich casemarthe second -&.

Eg. ohn offered Mary / flo$ers.

&esetsy describes this preposition as null and affi!al, and its role is to introduce the heme argument ithe double ob"ect construction.his null preposition is the one $hich assigns case to the the hemargument the $ay the overt preposition to assigns case in the prepositional variant. 0ecause / is an affi!needs a host, that is it must be ad"oined to a nonaffi!al category, so / moves and ad"oins to the governin

verb.

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%&

8& %9

%; 5p

8& 59

ed ohn 5

;

4& :cause 49

49 &&

4 ; -& &9

>ffer Mary &; -& [ flo$ers

D$$e!ences &et6een T# an' 3

-ominaliAations based on the double ob"ect constructions are ungrammatical $hereas those rebased othe tovariant are grammatical, because, as &esetsy says affi!ation of / to the verb prevents furthederivation.

Eg. *ohn9s offer of Mary (of) flo$ers *Mar9s rental of ulie (of) a flat

ohn9s offer of flo$ers to Mary Mar9s rental of a flat to ulie

o selects a /oal and / selects a heme.


EN3*IS4 SYNTAX SEMINAR 5 T4E DOU


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V5Ay Dat%e M#%eent n the sentences &e#6> $ t s n#t #ss&e ean 6hy51. hey brought some flo$ers to Mary. hey brought some flo$ers to the table. 2. he sun baed these cooiefor ohn. /randmother baed these cooies for ohn. I. e $rote a letter to his sister. e $rote a letter for hsister. J. hey donated the boos to om to the library. K. he storm brought disaster to the cityd$ellers. L.

$ill teach Mary9s students for her. . 3he made a ne$ dress for her daughter. N. &rofessor ones thaned th@ector for his students. O. hey promised a re$ard to the finder. 1;. e o$es a great sum of money to me.

VI5 I$ necessa!y, c#!!ect the sentences &e#6:1. 3he admitted me the mistae.2.% had to deny his re=uest to him. I. 0ill decided not to mention his sore throat tthe doctor.J.hey e!plained me the procedure. K. he suspect confessed the police his crime.L. We all envied h

lifestyle to him.. 3he announced her decision the delegates.N. hat adventure cost him his life. O. My granparents gave a coat of paint to the house.1;.he scientists demonstrated the ne$ method to thecolleagues.11.hey built us a ne$ house.12. er ne$ coat cost a fortune to her.1I. % reported my boss ththeft.1J.0ecause of her present financial difficulties, %9m afraid $e must refuse you a pay rise.1K. % pointed out thdanger to the mechanic.1L. #nn didn9t have the time to tae her library boos bac, so % too them to her.1made him a cup of coffee.1N.an you describe the attacer to meB1O.ould % introduce you ohnB2;.he universia$arded a \1;,;;; grant 8r.enderson, allo$ing him to continue his research.

VII5 In the sentences &e#6 !#n#na)e the t6# #&0ects, ay Dat%e M#%eent.$ #ss&eay O&0ect Deet#n .$ #ss&e/:1. e $ill hand in the paper to the teacher tomorro$. 2. 3he hasn9t $ritten a letter to us for ages. I. 3usan readstory to little om. J. he $ar ruined our future for us. K. % offered the boo to ohn. L. Mary bought some flo$erfor herself. . as he paid the money to youB N. he earth=uae brought disaster to %ran. O. e e!plained thincredible story to me. 1;. he lecturer distributed the handouts to the students.

VIII5 C#ns'e! the 'at%e st!n(s &e#6 n te!s #$: 1) possible pronominaliAation+ 2) possible nonprepositional 8ouble >b"ect occurrenceD1. ohn has handed his room ey to the receptionist. 2. @obert has taught English to all the youth of eylon an%ndia. I. % lent my type$riter to a friend for the $eeend. J. he E!press magaAine offers \ 1;;; to any reade

$ho could relate some details on the murder. K. @ose bought a piece of cheese for her sister. L. he last earth=ua brought disaster to apan. . 3he gave a iss to her son.IX5 The $##6n( Vs ay #cc"! 6th ethe! a 3#a #! a


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c)the semantic level ' a change in the relation bet$een the underlying rolestructure of the sentencand its organiAation. he agent(sub"ect) no longer appears in the sub"ect position in the sentence, $hithe patient (the ob"ect) appears in sub"ect position. 3tylistically speaing, the &assive maes the discourse more ob"ective, $hat is important is not th

agent anymore, but the event denoted by the verb itself. The Pass%e M#!h##(y ' be : the past participle. &assive verbs behave lie unaccusativ

verbs. he e!ternal theta role of the verb that undergoes passiviAation is absorbed by the passivmorphology, namely the past participle of the verb. he verb is generated from the e!icon a

passive, and it behaves as an unaccusative that only has an internal argument $hich has to movto 63pec,%&7 in order to be assigned case and also to satisfy the E!tended &ro"ection &rincipl $hich says that all finite sentences must have a sub"ect. #s it behaves as an unaccusative verb does not thetamar an e!ternal argument so it cannot assign #ccusative case. he internaargument moves to 63pec,%&7 and leaves behind a trace that forms a chain $ith the moveconstituent ]8&i , ti ^ he e!ternal argument of the original active verb can be recovered in thpassive sentence as a prepositional phrase headed by the preposition 0C $hich assigns it the thetrole #gent as $ell as case or it can be implicit. %n other $ords, the e!ternal role of the passive veris active both semantically and syntactically. # verbal passive is al$ays related to a syntacticallpresent -& that acts as its logical sub"ect, either a &y-h!ase or a c#%e!t NP5

P!#e!tes #$ %e!&a ass%es accounted for in terms of the presence of the e!ternargument, either overtly or covertlyD

1. the logical sub"ect controls the &@> sub"ect of an infinitival purpose clause (the &@> sub"ect othe infinitive can be identified as the logical sub"ect of the passive verb). %n e!ample a) the logicasub"ect is overt, $hile in e!ample b) it is covert+ $e can assume it is the -& the peasants $hich not overtly e!pressed in the sentence, yet it controls the &@> sub"ect of the infinitive

eg. a) he meeting $as started on time by 3usani &@>i to please the host. b) his corn has been gro$n (by the peasantsi) &@>i to stave off famine.

2. a syntactically present animate sub"ect (an agent) needs to be present so as to allo$ th

occurrence of sub"ectoriented volitional adverbs

eg. a) >ur $orers are better paid intentionally by the ne$ boss. b) *>ur $orers are better paid intentionally. c) *Most of our furniture is still unmoved on purpose by the company.

%n sentence a) the logical sub"ect, the -& by the ne$ boss is animate, agentive and overt, therefore licenses a volitional adverb. %n sentence b), the logical sub"ect is covert, so it cannot license volitional adverb, $hile in sentence c) the logical sub"ect, the -& by the company is not animate, socannot license the adverbial on purpose, $hich is sub"ectoreinted.

• The Synta #$ the Pass%e

he professor $as invited.

%&

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8& %9

%; 4&

4 ; 4& && ed 0E 49 (by the students)

4 ; 8&

%nvited the professor

he 8& the professor (the internal argument of the verb) moves to 63pec, %&7 in order to be assignestructural -ominative by %o, it leaves behind a trace $hich $ill be coinde!ed $ith the moved 8&+ th #u!iliary verb 0E rises to %o to chec the ense feature. he && by the students recovers the #gent and may be overt or covert. he -& inside the && is assigned thetarole and case by the preposition by.

onditions on the &assive ' the ad"ancency constraint(the double ob"ect construction+ the dativ verbs) (even $ith nonarguments of the verb)

Eg. (1) 3he gave a boo to me. # boo $as given to me. *% $as given a boo to. 3he gave me a boo. % $as given a boo. *# boo $as given me.(1)3he $ore her pullover thin. er pullover $as $orn thin. (2)e shouted us into silence. We $ere shouted into silence no refle!ives and reciprocals (e $atched himself. *imself $as $atched by him) no idiomatic % ( his argument eats it. *% is eaten by this argument.)

The D#an #$ the Pass%e

T!anst%e %e!&s eg. he ne$comer solved the puAAle. he puAAle $as solved by a ne$ comer.

- the position of the #dverbials of mannereg. e $rote the letter rapidly. he letter $as rapidly $ritten.

NO Pass%e: reciprocal verbs ' resemble, marry

eg. Music resembles poetry.

*&oetry is resembles by music state verbs (verbs of possession) ' have, possess, o$n

eg. e o$ns a house. *he house is o$ned by him.

3tative verbs (verbs of feelings) ' love, hate, loathe, abhorEg. e loves Mary. *Mary is loved by him.

@efle!ives

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Eg. Mary admired herself in the mirror. *erself $as admired by Mary in the mirror.

Dt!anst%e %e!&s . change of possession, the %ndirect >b"ect is a beneficiary+ both ob"ects maundergo &assiviAation )E(5 e gave the flo$ers to Mary

he flo$ers $ere given to Mary. Mary $as given the flo$ers.

NO Passive

8itransitives (no change of possession, the %ndirect >b"ect is not a beneficiary, but aE!periencer)Eg. e gave me a push, *% $as given a push. *# push $as given to me.

Une!(at%es 6th a !e#st#na #&0ectEg. e insisted upon the invitation. he invitation $as insisted upon. hey taled about the movie. he movie $as taled about.

NO Passive

%ntranstitives $ith =uantifier phrases ' cost , $eigh, stretch, lastEg. he t$o ticets cost \1;;. *\1;; are cost by the ticets.

@elational intransitives – belong to, pertain to, Eg5 he boo belongs to me. *% am belonged to by the boo

%ntransitives $ith ocative and directional #dverbial &hrasesEg. he house stands by the hill. *he hill is stood by by the house

%nherently refle!ive intransitiveEg. e availed himself of the opportunity. *imself $as availed of the opportunity.

Int!anst%e 6th a!tce an' !e#st#nEg. hey did a$ay $ith that la$. hat la$ $as done a$ay $ith.

Int!anst%es 6th t6# !e#st#na #&0ects

Eg, tal to smb about smth+ lecture+ spea+ apologiAe+ appeal hey never spoe to her about her late husband. *3he $as never spoen to about her late husband. *er late husband $as never spoen about (in her presence).

he passive is possible only if the verb occurs $ith only one prepositional ob"ect. %n this case th verb : preposition is interpreted as one single le!ical unit, so the ad"acency constraint is n violated. he preposition is retained in the passive sentence.

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Eg. hey never spoe to her. 3he $as never spoen t#.

I'#atc h!ases

Eg. ae strong e!ception to smth+ mae an e!ample of smth+ foist all one9s problems on smth+ pone9s faith on smth+ mae too much of smth+ eep close tabs on smth+ tae advantage of smth,+ etc Eg. hey made an e!ample of his behaviour. is behaviuour $as made an e!ample of.

S#e P!e#st#na Ph!ases sh#6n( #cat#nhey have sat on the chair. hat chair has been sat on.

NO Passives

C#ntent h!ases .6th/Eg. eem $ith, s$arm $ith, be cra$ling $ith, buAA $ith, drip $ith, ooAe $ith, dace $ithEg. he to$n $as dancing $ith light and shado$. *ight and shado$ $ere being danced $ith.


24/28

they are one argument verb, the agent is not overt in the sentence.%t may be understood as Qone9 or Qpeopin general9, although it may be specific at times.

Eg. he car handles smoothly $hen ohn drives it.

?naccusatives do not have an e!ternal argument, not even an implicit one, so they can cooccur $ith all bitself , in the sense that something happens $ithout e!ternal aid, agentlessly, unlie middles, ahich cannocooccur $ith all by itself , $hich indicates the fact there in the semantic structure of the Middles there an #gent

Eg. he boat san all by itself. *he play acts $ell all by itself.

he meaning contribution of the sub"ect of a middle sentence is different from the meaning contribution othe sub"ect in a passive sentence, as the theta roles assigned to the sub"ects of a middle sentence are verdifferent.

Eg. he boo reads easily. 6heme7 hildren scare easily. 6E!periencer7 he truc loads easily. 6ocation7

Eg. he boo reads easily. (%t can be paraphrased as _the boo has the necessary properties that allo$it to read easily. 3omeho$ the sub"ect is responsible for the actiondenoted by the verb.)

he boo $as easily read. %n an unaccusative sentence the sub"ect cannot be interpreted as responsible because it refers to a concrete entity

Eg. he door opens $ith difficulty.

3o, the sub"ect of a middle sentence is an entity, a non#gent $hich is responsible for the action denoted by th verb, in the sense that it has the necessary properties $hich mae the situation denoted by the verb possible.

Middles are generic sentences that do not describe particular events in time. hey are seen as stative, atelpredicates, lie individual level predicates. hey are compatible $ith al$ays and incompatible $ith thprogressive. When they occur in the progressive they denote a change bet$een successive stages. hey dnot occur in the imperative.

Eg. his boo al$ays reads easily. he manuscript is reading better and better.

*andle smoothly, car

Middle generally occur $ith obligatory modifications. %t can be a Manner #dverbial, a ocative #dverbial,clausal modifier (nonpurpose), a negative operator or an overt modal verb. he role of the modifier is tstativiAe the predicate. #t the same time it indicates the presence of an #gent in the semantic structure oMiddle verbs.

Eg. his boo translates easily. (Manner) Mae sure the sddress reads through $indo$. (&lace)

>fficials bribe before reaching high office. (#dverbial clause of time) his te!t does not translate. (-egation) his te!t $ill not translate.(overt modal and negation)

#gent oriented adverbs are not allo$ed in middle sentences.

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Eg. *>fficials bribe evidently.

M''es ha%e an A(ent 6hch s syntactcay nact%e, &"t seantcay act%e5

M''e 9#!at#n

>nly transitive verbs that have an affected argument enter Middle


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T4E PASSIVE > MIDD*E 9ORMATION

I5 Ment#n the #st #!tant !#e!tes #$ the En(sh M''es an' !#%'e eaes5II5 Ean 6hy the sentences &e#6 a!e "n(!aatca:1. *3uch deeds do not admit easily.2.*3uch stories do not tell fast.I.&oliticians praise a lot on 4. J.*E!ams forgeasily. K.*his ind of bread buys easily. L. *%nnocent victims murder easily..*lever people lie instantly.N.*haim achieves $ith difficulty. O.*


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men.J2.3ome girls love it if men pay them compliments.JI.3omeone gave me this pen for hristmas.JJ.Everyon $as listening to the ne$s bulletin $ith avid interest.JK.hey told him curtly to go a$ay.JL.hey are no$ buildingne$ cinema there.J.% assure you that the authorities are investigating your complaint.JN.3ome people ob"ect others mae them $or hard.JO.% hate it $hen people mae fun of me, though % don9t mind it if they teasme.K;.My sister9s fianc is cooing dinner tonight.%t smells all right any$ay.K1.e left $ithout anyone noticinhim.K2.e is tired of other people sponging him on.KI.&eople believe the authorities accused them of planninamn armed revolt. KJ.hey s$amped the ordinary voters $ith information about the candidates.KK.&rovided $do not press the terms to far, $e can identify the @epublicans as the #merican conservatives and the 8emocrats athe liberals.KL.he la$ fi!es the dates of the #merican presidential elections and there is no margin f

discretion.K.he voters mandate each member of the electoral college in advance. KN. hey e!pect the ongre $ill appoint him leader of the party.KO.3omebody broe the vase during the party.L;.3ome craAy ids destroyemy neighbour9s car last night.IX5T!ansate nt# En(sh:1.-u se pRstreaAR nici o dovadR referitoare la viAita pe care spune cR a fRcuto la &aris Sn 1ON.2.um Sni e!pira

viAa mi sa interAis sR mai intru Sn TarR.I.4a fi aVteptat la aeroportBJ.8irectorului % sa trimis o invitaTie din parteconsilului administrativ sR se preAinte pe data de 2; ale lunii Vi sR "ustifice propunerile ce fuseserR fRcute privinmodificarea organigramei Sntreprinderii.K.Mare parte din ce sa spus la Sntrunire a fost notat Sn proces

verbal.L.>peraTia la care a fost supus a durat L ore..3a auAit un strigRt la celRlat capRt al coridorului Vi sa vRAutumbrR neagrR prelingUnduse pe perete.N.otRrUrea ei de a nu se cRsRtori cu acel domn a fost aprobatR de Sntreagfamilie.O.


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lec ii b cursuri

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