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.

They have an external argument, the subject An internal argument, the syntactic function of which is that of direct object. It is not possible to omit the direct object (as a result of the application of the Projection

Principle) The verb assigns Accusative case to its internal argument if the argument is adjacent to the

verb (in other words nothing can intervene between the verb and its argument) The internal argument (direct object) can be either an affected object (denoting an entity

affected by the action the predicate refers to) or an effected object (denoting an entity that is the result of the event described by the verb). Eg. Affected objects – cut the bread, eat a cake, chop a tree, carve the steak Effected objects – build a house, bake a cake, compose a song, write a book

The same verb may take either an affected object or an effected objectEg. Cut the bread/ cut a road in the jungle; paint a house/paint a portrait; carve the steak/carve a statue; press the juice/press the button

The internal argument may be a Theme or a Patient We call such verbs monotranstive verbs There are transitive verbs that take two internal arguments- two NP complements (the

examples under 2). The first NP functions as a direct object, while the second NP functions as an indirect object or an adverbial modifier of place. We call such verbs ditransitive verbs.Eg. He offered flowers to his wife. (Agent, Theme, Goal) Grandma made a cake for her grandsons. (Agent, Theme, Beneficiary) John put the books on the table. (Agent, Theme, Location)

With the first category of ditransitives it is possible to reverse the order of the two NP complements.This reversal is accompanied by the deletion of the preposition to/for. Such a construction is called the double object construction.

With some ditransitive verbs it is possible to delete one of the two objectsEg. The president assigned the task to the secretary. The president assigned the secretary the task. The president assigned the task. The president assigned the secretary.

The syntactic structure of a transitive verb

Transitive verbs are complex, causative VP structures, made up of two VP shells. The higher VP is interpreted as an abstract causative light verb, ν, namely a null verb with a causative interpretation similar to a verb like make. The causative light verb is affixal in nature, or it can be null. The external argument of the transitive verb is projected in [Spec, νp] so as to express the causative/agentive role of the external argument. The internal argument of a monotransitive verb is projected as sister to Vo..

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

IP

DP I’

Io νp

T Spec ν’ DP We νo VP [+cause] V’

V0 DP Build a house

The structure of ditransitives that subcategorize for Location

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

The sentences above contain two prepositional phrases headed by the prepositions on and into. Prepositions are prototypically relational as they specify a spatial, temporal or other type of relation between two entities. Prepositions project structure containing both a complement and a specifier. In the sentences above we can consider that the DPs that function as surface objects of the verbs are projected in the [Spec, PP] position while the DPs functioning as objects of the prepositions are projected as sisters of P0.The DPs functioning as direct objects of the verb are c-commanded and governed by the verb, they will be assigned structural Accusative by the verb.

From a semantic point of view such verbs (put, get, fit, pound, paint, etc) specify a change brought about by an agent, so the verbs are causative.

IP

DP I’

I0 νp

T DP ν’ Mary νo VP [+cause] V’

V0 PP

put DP P’

the books P0 DP

on the shelf

The Location/Locatum alternation

a) bag, bottle, box, cage, can, corral, garage, jail, shelve b) bandage, bar, bell, blindfold, clothe, curtain, fund, saddle

Eg. I put the glasses on the shelf. / I shelved the glasses. He fitted the saddle on the horse. / He saddled the horse.

The second sentences in the pairs above are syntactic counterparts of the analytic sentences containing put or fit. The difference between the sentences in these pairs is that the preposition is not overt and the upper verbal head which is occupied by put or fit in the first alternants in the examples above is also empty. IP

DP I’

I0 νp

T DP ν’ I ν0 VP [+cause] V’ V0 PP

DP P’

the glasses P0 DP

shelf

The empty P head takes a complement (shelf) and it projects a specifier (the glasses).Because it is empty it conflates with its complement, that is it fuses with its complement. The upper verb is also empty so it must conflate with its complement, namely the P, so the verbal head acquires phonological substance, becoming shelve. This is possible because there is a relation of strict complementation, as the V governs the complement P, just like the P governs the DP. It is a strict head-head relation and condition, otherwise the sentences would be ill-formed.

Eg. John corralled the cows. (put the cows in the corral) *John cowed the corral.

The ill-formedess is motivated by the fact that the element undergoing conflation is projected in the Specifier position of the PP, not in the head of the projection. Therefore conflation of a specifier is impossible.

VP

V

V0 PP

DP P’ The cows P0 DP

Corral

This is the reason why examples such as the ones below are ungrammatical. Eg. *He booked on the shelf. (He shelved the books) *We appled the box. (We boxed the apples) *They housed with a roof. (They roofed a house. – They fitted the house with a roof)

The Ergative alternation (causative/inchoative alternation)

Eg. The enemy sank the ship. / The ship sank. They stopped the machine. / The machine stopped.

Derived unaccusatives The DO of the transitive sentence is the Su of the intransitive sentence One argument verbs, namely the internal one, a Theme which is projected in the object

position at D-structure and moves to [Spec,IP] at S-structure to be assigned case, as the intransitive counterpart is unaccusative, it lacks an external argument, therefore cannot case-mark the internal argument.

The transitive variant is causative. Alternating predicates involve a change of state and involve a CAUSE predicate They describe eventualities that are under the control of some external cause When used transitively, the external cause, is the subject of the sentence They do not allow there-insertion (*There sank a ship.)

IP

DP I’

I0 VP

T V’

-ed V0 DP Sink the ship

One can prove that such verbs are unaccusatives, namely that they lack an agent role since we cannot insert an instrument role which is licensed only if an agent is present overtly or implicitly.

Eg. *The ship sank with a cannonball. *The machine stopped with a stick.

Unaccusatives cannot control PRO. Generally, PRO can be controlled if the original role exists, which is not the case of unaccusatives.

Eg. He wants PRO to do that.

PRO is controlled by the subject of the verb in the matrix clause, in the sense that we can identify the empty category PRO, the subject of the non-finite infinitive with the help of the overt subject of the verb want, the two being identical.With unaccusatives it is not possible.

Eg. *Babies often roll/turn after PRO putting them to bed.

This sentence cannot possible be interpreted as meaning that those who put the babies in bed as also the ones that roll/turn them, therefore control is not possible.

These two tests prove that such verbs do not have a causative structure, so they do not contain a light νp.

Not all transitives have an ergative counterpart. There are transitive verbs that only select an agent as their external theta role, but there are other transitives that select other roles as external arguments.

Eg.(a) The baby ate the soup. /*The spoon ate the soup. /*Hunger ate the soup The barber shaved father. / *The razor shaved father.

(b) Mike[AGENT] opened the door. / The key[INSTRUMENT] opened the door. / The wind[CAUSE] opened the door.

Verbs that have similar selectional properties – roll, redden, break, drown, enlarge

Where do these differences come from?Causality plays an important role in deciding thematic structures. There is an overlap between Cause and Agent in the sense that if an argument is the agent of a change of state it is also the cause of that change. The main difference between agency and causality may be stated as the fact that agentivity involves properties of volition and intention where as causality does not. If the verb is specified for both causality and agency (volition, intention) (like eat, shave) it can only select an Agent. If a verb is specified only for causality (like open, break) it can select both and agent and an instrument (cause) as external argument. In other words, only those transitives that are specified only for causality, but not for volition, intention enter the ergative alternation.

De-adjectival ergative verbs

Eg. Thin, narrow, cool, thicken, harden, soften, widen, lengthen, shorten, broaden, loosen, tighten, darken, redden, deepen, lower, enlarge

Eg. His eyes narrowed. / He narrowed his eyes and grinned. The screen cleared when I bumped the keyboard./ I cleared the screen when I bumped the keyboard.

De-adjectival verbs also have analytical counterparts which can be either transitive or intransitive.

Eg. The leaves turned red./ The cold turned the leaves red. The liquid froze solid. / We froze the liquid solid. The safe blew open. / The charge blew the safe open.

The first sentence may be interpreted as a sentence containing a copula-like verb which subcategorizes for a small clause, that is in fact a resultative phrase. Such sentences may be interpreted as describing a change resulting in a state. (The cold does something such that the leaves come to be red.)

The leaves turned red.

IP

DP I’ I0 VP T DP V’

-ed V0 SC/AP

turn DP A’ the leaves A0

red

The cold turned the leaves red.

IP

DP I’ I0 νp

T DP ν’ -ed the ν0 VP cold [+cause] V’ V0 SC/AP turn DP A’ the leaves A0

red

What about de-adjectival verbs?

The sky reddened. / The clouds reddened the sky.

IP

DP I’

I0 VP T -ed DP V’ The sky V0 A

-en red

The adjective red moves and adjoins to the verbal affix –en. It is an instance of Head Movement. When moving the adjective leaves a trace behind, so a chain is formed. The adjective is incorporated under V0. We may support the idea that zero-morphology de-adjectival verbs behave in the same way and incorporation also takes place with such verbs.

The transitive counterparts of such verbs involve the appearance of the causative light verb. IPDP I’ I0 νp T DP ν’ -ed the ν0 VP Clouds [+cause] DP V’ The Sky V0 A -en red

Induced Action Alternation

Eg. The rider jumped the horse over the fence./ The horse jumped over the fence. I walked the dog. / The dog walked.

More restrictive – only intransitive agentive verbs of manner of motion (in the presence of a directional phrase) are allowed to be used transitivelyEg. Drive, fly, gallop, leap, march, race, run, swim, walk, etc

The causee is generally an animate entity induced to act by the causerEg. She hurried him to the door. He was running the horse down the hill.

Other instances of causative alternation

Other basically intransitive verbs which denote internally controlled actions can, in certain cases be used transitively, when externally controlled.

Eg. Bang, buzz, ring, clang, beam, flash, bleed Fly, dangle, hang, stand, swing, sit Lodge, burp

Eg. The visitors rang the bell./ The bell rang. They stood the statue on the pedestal. / The statue stood on the pedestal. The soldiers lodge in the schoolhouse. / The army lodged the soldiers in the schoolhouse. The nurse burped the baby. / The baby burped.

Intransitives recategorized as causative transitives

Eg. He walked the horses up and down. They generally graze their sheep on the neighbouring meadows. The general worked his men ruthlessly.

You may sit down ten people with ease.

All the verbs in the sentences above are inherently intransitive verbs recategorized as transitive causative verbs.

Two main subcategories :

A) transitives with a DO and an optional Adv of Place B) transitives with a DO and an obligatory Adv of Place

A.1. motion verbs – amble, dance, float, gallop, hurry, jump. march, quiver, retire, roll, run, tumble, walk Eg. He was ambling his horses along the river. She hurried the guest to the door. The king marched the army into the Capital city. Don’t run him on a tight rope! They all marched to London

A.2. positional verbs – sit down , stand

Eg. I sat the old man down in a chair. The mother stood the baby upon the floor.

Most recategorized verbs in the sentences above may undergo passivizationEg. They were all marched to London by their commanders.

B.1. [-animate], [-abstract]DO and an obligatory Adv of Place. The DO usually has an instrumental meaning.

Eg. She leant her elbows on the table (she caused her elbows to lean on the table) She stayed her arms on her knees. She struck her hand against a stone. She dabbed a powder-puff across her forehead.

Phrasal transitives

Eg. Bob put his coat on. Bob put on his coat.

Phrasal verbs – verb + particle (or verb+preposition / verb+particle+preposition/ verb+adverb)

But such a verb can be interpreted as a verb phrase containing a verb and a particle inside which a direct object can intrevene between the verb and the particle without any change in the grammaticality or semantics of the phrase.

The verb and the particle form a semantic unit and can be paraphrased by a lexical verbEg. Give up=renounce Put off=postpone Build up=develop

This analysis is supported by the idiomatic character of many phrasal verbs, in which the particle deviates from its literal meaning

Eg. Turn down, blow up, figure out If the particle preserves its literal meaning, it is more likely that the predicate will allow

Particle movement Eg. He put on his hat. / He put his hat on

If the complex phrasal verb is idiomatic Particle Movement is blocked.

Eg. The terrorists blew up the building. / *The terrorists blew the building up. No adverbial , not even right or straight can intervene in the V Prt NP structure

Eg. He put on his hat. / *He put right on his hat. If the NP is heavy (for instance a very long NP, or an NP modified by a relative clause), a

modifier can intervene between the partcle and the verbEg. He looked up the answer I had given him. / He looked right up the asnwer I had given him.

If the verb is deleted, it is deleted together with the particleEg. He put on his hat and [_] his coat.

If the complement is a pronoun Particle movement is obligatoryEg. *He took off it. / He took it off.

Ditransitive phrasal verbsEg. He gave back the book to John. *He have back John the book. (double object construction is ungrammatical) He gave the book back to John. (Particle Movement possible across the direct object in the prepositional variant of the sentence) *He gave the book to John back. (Particle Movement is blocked across both objects)

If the object is very heavy it cannot intervene between the verb and the particleEg. He turned off the light. *He turned the light which I had forgotten on off.

If the direct object is clausal it cannot intervene between the verb and the particleEg. He gave away all the books. *He gave what he had been able to gather throughout his life away.

The Syntax of phrasal transitives

There have been a number of proposals for the syntax of such verbs. We shall adopt the small clause analysis.

Eg. Jane looked [sc the phone number up].

Small clauses have a number or properties. They do appear as derived nominals.

Eg. Mary considers [John intelligent]. / *Mary’s consideration of John intelligent

The sequence above that we have considered a small clause [NP Prt] is also excluded from this type of nominalizations.

Eg. *The looking of the phone number up

Small clauses do not allow extraction of a part of the post-verbal NP

Eg. This makes the back of the car out last searching place. / *Here’s the car that makes the back of our last searching place.

Phrasal transitives behave in a similar way.

Eg. The pressure has worn Mary’s brother out. /*Who has the pressure worn the brother of out?

A small clause is interpreted as expressing a result

Eg. She filled [my plate up]. They threw [him out].

Therefore, we can say that the verb subcategorizes for a small clause, a particle phrase where the NP occupies the subject position, namely the Spec position. The problem that appears is case assignment, because the maximal projection can be considered as a barrier to government. Kayne considers the Particle projection is not a barrier, so the verb governs the NP inside the small clause and assigns Acc case to that NP. But there are problems related to the sentences which like She filled up my plate.They threw out the boy.

For which Kayne suggests movement of the NP, which is in fact movement to the right, when we know that movement always occurs to the left.

A solution to this problem would be to accept the small clause analysis but the status of this small clause is that of a Particle Phrase with a resultative meaning. As Particles are not case assigners they can intervene between the verb and the NP without being a barrier to government and case assignment. The verb is transitive therefore it will assign Accusative. No movement is stipulated for the structures above. Movement will occur with structures in which the NP intervenes between the verb and the Prt. The NP moves to [Spec, Prt]. Movement occurs when the NP has topic-like features, that is when its reference is quite determined.

She filled my plate up.

IPDP I’ I0 νp

-ed DP ν’ She ν0 VP [+cause] V’ V0 PrtP

Spec Prt’ DP My plate i Prt0 DP Up ti

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

ENGLISH SYNTAX SEMINAR -TRANSITIVE PREDICATION

I. Analyze the predicates in the sentences below:1. I shall have the boy rewrite the exercise.2. You make me laugh. 3. Get the children ready, will you? 4. We’ll have to get this car repaired by the next week. 5. We convinced him to come. 6. Remind me to call you on the phone next week, will you? 7. War ruined her life. 8. The sun blinded him as soon as he went out of the house. 8. They freed all the political prisoners at the end of the war. 9. The press belittled the significance of the by-elections. 10. The disease disables thousands every year. 11. The architect enlarged the original windows. 12. Heat will surely activate the electrons. 13. You are Americanizing the department in every possible way.14. The clouds blackened the sky. 15. The strain of looking after her has considerably aged him. 16. That story horrified everybody. 17.Your rudeness has lost you all your friends. 18. She galloped the horse showing no pity at all. 19. Walk the dog before lunch, will you? 20. The room will sit about 20 people. 21. The river floats a lot of ships. 22. Luckily she married Tom in her youth. 23. Fortunately, they caught the burglars on the premises.24. This gallery contains 19th c prints. 25. They ate the food with zest. 26. Your hat should match your bag. 27. You resemble your father. 28. She had already dressed the child. 29. Our success exceeded our expectations. 30. They may simplify/ popularize the procedure. 31. In the end, he will surely tighten the rope. 32.Seven days constitute a week. 33. The ranger will fell those trees. 34. His arrogance may enrage her. 35. The students have stopped the campaign. 36. The chairman opened the debate during yesterday’s meeting. 37. They will disarm the group when they meet them. 38. Mother thickened the sauce by adding some flour. 39. Oil and grease will rot the rubber of your tires. 40. They washed/dressed/bathed/hid/surrendered themselves. 41. His shabby appearance creates a bad impression on the audience. 42. We’ll make a teacher of him yet. 43. The industry in this area causes a lot of pollution.

II. Are the predicates in the sentences below inherently transitive?

1. The nurse was jumping the baby on her knees. 2. The Prince retired the cavalry from Poland.3. The teacher stood the pupils in a row. 4. She stood a case against a wall. 5. We shall dine the Japanese in our living room. 6. The captain rested his soldiers and horses. 7.The waves floated the boat away. 8. The sight curdled the blood in her veins. 9. The scorching heat withered the leaves. 10. He pointed the weapon at the wolf. 11. He galloped the horse. 12. The teacher worked us hard. 13. I can walk the baby while you are cooking dinner.14. He’s run me off my feet. 15. You’ve cried your eyes out. 16. Barely three weeks later the terrorists’ bombs rained terror down on their city. 17. She tried to stare the other out. 18. He’ll cheat the trousers off your feet. 19. He’s shot his way into the leadership of the cult. 20. He barked out his answer.

III. What type of alternations do the sentences below illustrate?

1.They dropped the stone to the bottom of the lake./ The stone dropped to the bottom of the lake. 2. The juice reddened the water. / The water reddened. 3. The wind cleared the sky. / The sky cleared. 4. The waiter cleared the table. /*The table cleared. 5. They killed their enemy. /*Their enemy killed. 6. Society widened the gap between the rich and the poor./ The gap between the rich and the poor widened. 7. She hurried Tom to the door./ Tom hurried to the door. 8. He was running the horse down the hill./ The horse was running down the hill. 9. The patient was bleeding. / The doctor bled the patient. 10. The patrol flashed a flashlight along the road. / The flashlight flashed along the road.11.I put the glasses on the shelf. / I shelved the glasses. 12. Mary put the cows in the corral./ Mary corralled the cows./*Mary cowed the corral. 13.The leaves turned red. / The cold turned the leaves red. 14. His eyes narrowed./ He narrowed hid eyes. 15. He fitted the saddle on the horse. / He saddled the horse.

IV. Derive the sentences below:

1. The student wrote a paper. 2. The shop assistant put the goods on the counter. 3. The librarian shelved the books. 4. The kidnappers blindfolded the hostages. 5. We opened the window. / The window opened.6. I cooled the soup. / The soup cooled.7. She looked up the phone number./ She looked the phone number up.

V. Supply subcategorization frames for the following verbs:

ALLOW, ASK, ANSWER, BET. GRUDGE, COST, DENY. CHANGE, ENVY, FORGIVE, REFUSE, TEACH.

VI. Decide whether the sentences below containing phrasal verbs are grammatical or not. If they are ungrammatical explain why.

1. She stood up and switched straight on the lamp. 2. I can drop Daisy off on my way home. 3. The French and the British wanted to hold Chinese textile competition on the free market off as long as possible.4. Don’t out off it till tomorrow. 5. She handed the book back to Peter. 6.She handed Peter the book back. 7. They singled out Peter. 8. They rent that nice house which they parents built for them out. 9.We had to work until midnight to finish them of. 10. Who has the cold weather gotten the sister of down? 11. You seem to fit in an enormous amount of work every day. 12. A national strike would bring the government down / A national strike would bring down the government. / A national strike would bring what we know as the authorities down. 13.Epidemics wiped right out the local population. 14. Visitors wear out us more than the children do. 15. Inspector Standish was trying to clear a complicated problem up. / Inspector Standish was trying to clear up a complicated problem. / Inspector Standish was trying to clear what seemed to be a very complicated problem up.

VI. Fill in the blanks in the sentences below using MAKE or DO:

1. He ……… a lot of money last year. 2. They …….. peace last year. 3. I always ……. my best. 4. That glass of wine has ……. Me good. 5. Will you …….. me a favour? 6. Are you trying to ……….out a liar? 7. You must ………… up for the lost time. 8.’Will this ……… for you?’ ‘I think I can ……. it ……..’. 9. You’ve only half an hour left, so you’d better …………. the most of it. 10.I could ……. With a few more people like you to ………… up for the time I’ve lost with the others.

VII. Translate into English:

A. Make use of the verb MAKE:1. Am aranjat să plecăm împreună la munte în luna februarie. 2. Populaţia a făcut atâtea sacrificii încât nu mai este dispusă să cedeze promisiunilor guvernului. 3. Trebuie neapărat să-mi promiţi ceva. 4. Te rog să nu mai faci treaba de mântuială cum îţi este obiceiul. 5.A încercat să pună mâna pe putere, dar adversarii săi politici au fost mai abili şi l-au învins. 6. Hoţul a luat-o la sănătoasa cînd a auzit ca mai incerca cineva uşa de la intrare. 7. Deşi nu ar fi vrut-o, s-a văzut nevoit să mărturisească totul pentru ca ceilalţi aveau deja prea multe dovezi împotriva lui. 8. După o absenţă de cinci ani, când nimeni nu mai credea că este posibil, actriţa a revenit din nou pe scenă şi a avut un succes deplin în noul rol. 9. Comportarea ta va avea clar un impact asupra acestei situaţii dacă vei continua să te porţi tot aşa.10. Fiica lui urma să se căsătorească, aşa că a trebuit să se scobească în buzunar şi să plătească toate cheltuielile, oricât de rău i-ar fi părut după bani.

B. Make use of the verb DO:1. Şi-a luat licenţa în drept. 2. Nu-mi vine să cred, a jefuit o bancă în tinereţe, de aceea este atât de bogat. 3. Restaurantul acesta serveşte numai prânzul şi cina, nu şi micul dejun.4. Ieri primul ministru a ţinut un discurs în care a acordat toată atenţia cuvenită contribuţiei partidelor de opoziţie la invitaţia pentru aderarea la NATO. 5. A făcut pe dracu în patru şi a reuşit să-i convingă să meargă cu el în acea călătorie foarte periculoasă. 6. Ştiu că m-a minţit de la obraz dar aştept să-i vină mintea la cap şi să-mi spună singur adevărul. 7. Nu trebuie să te grăbeşti, poţi să faci treaba asta când socoteşti tu de cuviinţă, dar te rog să nu fie mai târziu de sfârşitul lunii. 8. Mâine dau o petrecere aşa că am apelat la un specialist să-mi facă aranjamentele florale. 9. Când ai de gând să faci curat în cameră? 10. Directorul fabricii a vrut să-l angajeze dar s-a răzgândit pentru că a aflat că a stat la răcoare.

C. Pay attention to the use of the reflexive and of the causative verbs:

1. Nu are niciodată nici un moment pentru sine deoarece trebuie să aibe grijă de copii. 2. S-au recunoscut înfrânţi.3. Se exprimă cu o mare uşurinţă. 4. Omul se poate auto-guverna. 5. Trebuie să stabilească o relaţie cu o lume total nouă şi necunoscută. 6. Trebuie să te întăreşti sufleteşte înainte de a te duce la dentist. 7. S-a străduit din răsputeri să ia examenul 8. Nu-ţi mai rămâne nimic altceva de făcut decât să te aduni, căci toată familia ta depinde de tine.9. M-am făcut util în timpul pregătirii reuniunii pentru că an vrut să mă pub bine cu şeful. 10. Ştia cu siguranţă ce se petrecea în sinea lui, dar nu voia să recunoască. 11.Pacientul a leşinat din cauza sângerării. 12. Mizeria a transformat-o într-o persoană cinică şi egoistă. 13. Vrăjitorul l-a transformat pe prinţ într-un pitic dizgraţios. 14. Vîntul a sfărâmat corabia în bucăţi.15. Ploaia a transformat praful într-un strat gors de noroi. 16. Revoluţia a dat naştere unei noi atitudini de viaţă.17. Accidentul său de maşină a fost cauzat de o explozie. 18. Cearta cu mama sa i-a provocat un infact. 19. Am pus-o pe servitoare să ne aducă ceva de mâncare.20. Părinţii o vor obliga pe Jane să se căsătorească cu un bărbat pe care nu-l iubeşte.21. M-au convins să plac cu ei. 22. În cele din urmă. neglijenţa le-a ruinat afacerea. 23. Au tăiat nişte copaci în pădure.24. Trebuie să-ţi faci viaţa mai bună cu orice preţ. 25. Conchistadorii i-au obligat pe băştinaşii din America Latină să treacă la catolicism.26. Drumul acela prin uraşul întunecat şi pustiu mi-a adâncit şi mai mult teama. 27. Atitudinea asta de totală lipsă de interes mă va innebuni cu siguranţă. 28. Când s-a suit pe tron noul rege şi-a decapitat duşmanii. 29. Isus Christos i-a imputernicit pe apostoli să-l reprezinte pe pamânt-. 30. Cred că această schimbare de înfăţişare te înfrumuseţeayă. 31. Să nu idealizezi niciodată pe numeni.32. Lipsa de perspectivă l-a demoralizat complet. 33. Noua sa nuvelă i-a adus un renume extraordinar. 34. In fiecare zi îşi plimbă câinele în parcul din faţa casei. 35. L-a grăbit pe pacient să iasă din cabinet pentru că era deja în întârziere. 36. Am intrat în casă şi am aşezat umbrela în picioare lângă perete. 37. Cred că nu este bine să aşezi scaunul în mijlocul camerei, se poate împiedica cineva de el. 38. Şeful îşi pune oamenii să muncească fără nici o încetare. 39. Priveliştea masacrului le-a făcut să li se înceţoşeze privirea. 40. Stătea cu coatele pe marginea mesei.

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

ENGLISH SYNTAX – THE DOUBLE OBJECT CONSTRUCTION

Ditransitives – verbs which take an external argument and two internal arguments, the first one functioning as a direct object and the second one as an indirect object, which has the role of Goal or Beneficiary.

The two objects are obligatory arguments. Both of them receive case. They are assigned the same theta role both in the prepositional variant and the double object construction.

We shall see that there is a difference of interpretation between the prepositional variant and the double object construction.

The Dative Alternation is allowed with verbs involving the causation of a change of possession

The Dative Alternation involves movement of the Goal (Beneficiary) argument in front of the Theme argument and also the deletion of the preposition TO or FOR

(1 a) interpreted as ‘CAUSE X TO BE OF Y’ - the Theme argument (the direct object) which is adjacent to the verb is affected by the event described by the verb

(1b) interpreted as ‘CAUSE Y TO HAVE X’ – the Goal argument (the indirect 0bject) which becomes adjacent to the verb after performing the Dative Alternation is directly affected by the event described by the verb

He gave the book to Mary. (Goal-Possessor) /- interpretation CAUSE x to BE of y He gave Mary (Goal-Theme) the book . / - interpretation CAUSE y to HAVE x

Eg. (1) (a) The teacher gave bad marks to the students. (Goal) (b) The teacher gave the students bad marks. (2) She made a shirt for her niece. (Beneficiary) She made her niece a skirt.

The Dative Alternation

Classes of verbs denoting causation of change of possession which enter the Dative Alternation

A) give verbs – give, pass, sell, pay, loan, serve, feed, lease, lend, refund, rent, repay, trade

Eg. I rented the house to Tom. I rented Tom the house.

B) verbs of future having - offer, promise, leave, forward, allocate, assign, advance, grant,

award, allot, concede, issue, leave, owe, vote.

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

C) verbs of throwing - bash, bat, flick, fling, hurl, hit, kick, pass, pitch, shoot, slam, slap, sling, throw, tip, toss

Eg. He passed the ball to John. He passed John the ball.

D) verbs of sending; verbs of instruments of communication – cable, send, mail, signal, e-mail, Ship, fax, wire, telephone, radio, telex,

Eg, She e-mailed the news to me. She e-mailed me the news.E) verbs of communication – ask, tell, show, teach, write, pose, read, quote, cite, preach

Eg. He preached the Gospel to the natives. He preached the natives the Gospel.F) bring, take - He brought flowers to Mary. / He brought Mary flowers.

BUT – verbs of Latinate origin cannot occur in the double object construction, even if they denote change of possession

Eg, donate, contribute, convey, distribute, transport, transfer, address, propel, release, explain, describe, portray, narrate, demonstrate, dictate, recite, etc.

He donated his fortune to his best friend.*He donated his best friend his fortune.

BUT – verbs of future having and verbs of communication occur in the double object construction even if they are of Latin origin

Eg. refer, recommend, guarantee, permit, radio, telegraph, telephone, etc

Eg. She recommended the movie to me. She recommended me the movie.

Other verbs which are compatible with the change of possession concept, but do not allow the double object construction

1) manner of speaking verbs – babble, bark, bellow, chant, call, murmur, roar, whisper, yell, stammer, grumble, etc

Eg. She whispered the news to her mother. *She whispered her mother the news.

2) verbs of communication subcategorizing for a complement clause – admit, allege, announce, articulate, say, assert, communicate, question, claim, report, declare, confess, mention, state, repeat, recount

Eg. (a)She communicated the news to John. (b) She communicated to John [that she would go there by all means]CP functioning as Direct Object

clause. *She communicated John the news.

3) miscellaneous – entrust, present, provide, supply, credit, furnish, carry, pull, push, lift, lower, raise

Eg. They presented the prize to her. *They presented her the prize.

The [+animate] constraint

Eg. She brought disaster to the village. / *She brought the village disaster. She brought a book to Mary. / She brought Mary a book. The PrepNP [+animate] - needs to be recognized as a potential possessor.

Idioms – the double object construction is allowed irrespective of the [+animate] constraint. In fact, it is the only possible form.

Eg. give the house a coat of paint, give the door a kick, give the problem one’s full attention, give somebody the 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 Benefective Alternation

Eg. She carved a toy for the baby (Benefective) She carved the baby a toy.

Verbs of creation – in a general sense enter the Benefactive alternation; the DO – an effected object

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

sculpt, compilePrepare verbs – mix, blend, cook, bake, boil, brew, fix, toast, toss, grind, light, clear, fry, iron, poach, pour, prepare, roast, scamble, washGet verbs – book, buy, cash, catch, fetch, find, gather, hire, lease, leave, order, phone, pick, pluck, procure, pull, reach, rent, reserve, save, secure, slaughter, sreal, vote

Create verbs – design, dig, mintVerbs of performance – dance, play, sing, spin, whistle,

Syntax

(Larson)

(a)John gave a book to his wife.

VP

Spec V’

V VP [e]

NP V’ Theme

V PP give P NP

Goal

(b) John gave his wife a book.

VP

Spec V’

V VP [e]

NP V’ Goali V’ NP Theme

V NP Give ti

The VP shell analysis

Eg. They got the teacher a present. He passed me the salt. I showed her my letter.

The lexical verb originates as the head of the lexical VP, while the DP the teacher occupies the [Spec, VP] position and the DP a present the complement position, as if it were a representation of The teacher got a present. The lexical verb then raises to adjoint to the light causative verb that heads νp. The subject they originates in [Spec, νp] and is assigned the role Agent by the causative light verb.

IP

DP I’

I0 νp

T DP ν’

They ν0 VP

+cause DP V’ The Teacher V0 DP

Get a present

The VP-shell Small Clause analysis of the prepositional variant

They got a present to the teacher.

IP

Spec I’

Io √P

DP √’ they √o VP

[+cause] V’

V0 SC/PP

Get DP P’ A present P0 DP to the teacher

Pesetsky’s analysis

He proposes that a double object construction contains a null element (a preposition) G which case-marks the second NP.

Eg. John offered Mary G flowers.

Pesetsky describes this preposition as null and affixal, and its role is to introduce the Theme argument in the double object construction.This null preposition is the one which assigns case to the the Theme argument the way the overt preposition to assigns case in the prepositional variant. Because G is an affix it needs a host, that is it must be adjoined to a non-affixal category, so G moves and adjoins to the governing verb.

IP

DP I’

I0 νp

T DP ν’

-ed John ν0 VP

+cause V’

V’ PP

V0 NP P’

Offer Mary P0 NP Ø flowers

Differences between To and G

Nominalizations based on the double object constructions are ungrammatical whereas those rebased on the to-variant are grammatical, because, as Pesetsky says affixation of G to the verb prevents further derivation.

Eg. *John’s offer of Mary (of) flowers *Mark’s rental of Julie (of) a flat

John’s offer of flowers to Mary Mark’s rental of a flat to Julie

To selects a Goal and G selects a Theme.2ND YEAR MINOR – SYNTAX 1COURSE INSTRUCTOR: ROXANA-CRISTINA PETCU, PhD

ENGLISH SYNTAX SEMINAR . THE DOUBLE OBJECT CONSTRUCTION

I. Exemplify the classes of verbs which enter the Dative Alternation.II. Which are the classes of verbs which enter the Benefective Alternation?III. Explain the difference in meaning between the pairs of sentences below:1. a) They gave flowers to Mary. / They gave Mary flowers.2. a) The principal handed the prize to Victor./ The principal handed Victor the prize.IV.Derive the sentences below:1. The teacher explained the lesson to the students. 2. The manager offered her a job.

V.Apply Dative Movement in the sentences below; if it is not possible explain why.1. They brought some flowers to Mary. / They brought some flowers to the table. 2. The sun baked these cookies for John. / Grandmother baked these cookies for John. 3. He wrote a letter to his sister. / He wrote a letter for his sister. 4. They donated the books to Tom / to the library. 5. The storm brought disaster to the city-dwellers. 6. He will teach Mary’s students for her. 7. She made a new dress for her daughter. 8. Professor Jones thanked the Rector for his students. 9. They promised a reward to the finder. 10. He owes a great sum of money to me.VI. If necessary, correct the sentences below:1. She admitted me the mistake.2.I had to deny his request to him. 3. Bill decided not to mention his sore throat to the doctor.4.They explained me the procedure. 5. The suspect confessed the police his crime.6. We all envied his lifestyle to him.7. She announced her decision the delegates.8. That adventure cost him his life. 9. My grand parents gave a coat of paint to the house.10.The scientists demonstrated the new method to their colleagues.11.They built us a new house.12. Her new coat cost a fortune to her.13. I reported my boss the theft.14.Because of her present financial difficulties, I’m afraid we must refuse you a pay rise.15. I pointed out the danger to the mechanic.16. Ann didn’t have the time to take her library books back, so I took them to her.17.I made him a cup of coffee.18.Can you describe the attacker to me?19.Could I introduce you John?20.The university awarded a $10,000 grant Dr.Henderson, allowing him to continue his research. VII. In the sentences below pronominalize the two objects, apply Dative Movement(if possible), apply Object Deletion (if possible):1. He will hand in the paper to the teacher tomorrow. 2. She hasn’t written a letter to us for ages. 3. Susan read a story to little Tom. 4. The war ruined our future for us. 5. I offered the book to John. 6. Mary bought some flowers for herself. 7. Has he paid the money to you? 8. The earthquake brought disaster to Iran. 9. He explained that incredible story to me. 10. The lecturer distributed the hand-outs to the students.VIII. Consider the dative strings below in terms of: 1) possible pronominalization; 2) possible non-prepositional Double Object occurrence:1. John has handed his room key to the receptionist. 2. Robert has taught English to all the youth of Ceylon and India. 3. I lent my typewriter to a friend for the week-end. 4. The Express magazine offers $ 1000 to any reader who could relate some details on the murder. 5. Rose bought a piece of cheese for her sister. 6. The last earthquake brought disaster to Japan. 7. She gave a kiss to her son.IX. The following Vs may occur with either a Goal or a Beneficiary role materialized as Indirect Object: BRING, LEAVE, WRITE, SING. Compare and point out the semantic difference : 1. Karen wrote a letter to her boyfriend. 2. Karen wrote a letter for her boyfriend.X. Analyze the objects in the sentences below:1.He explained to me why he had been late.2.Mary had a bath before falling asleep.3.She was not sure of the news.4.She was living a dreadful life, among strangers.5.Joan married Ken in no time.6.He fought with his neighbour because they were cross with each other.7.He broke his leg when he least expected it.8.I acquainted myself with the surroundings.9.Don’ tell me this nonsense, I don’t believe you.10. They knew they were fighting a losing battle. 11.He burst in on me one morning. 12. They appealed to her for mercy. 13. You will never live up to my expectations. 14. We argued with the authorities about the building permit. 15. He explained to me why he had been late.