Introduction to English Sentence Structure Book

Preface viii

1 Grammar 1

1.1 Overview 1

1.2 Traditional grammar: Categories and functions 1

1.3 Universal Grammar 11

1.4 The Language Faculty 15

1.5 Principles of Universal Grammar 19

1.6 Parameters 22

1.7 Parameter-setting 26

1.8 Summary 30

1.9 Bibliographical background 32

Workbook section 33

2 Structure 39

2.1 Overview 39

2.2 Phrases 39

2.3 Clauses 44

2.4 Clauses containing complementisers 49

2.5 Testing structure 51

2.6 Structural relations and the syntax of polarity items 58

2.7 The c-command condition on binding 62

2.8 Bare phrase structure 64

2.9 Summary 66

2.10 Bibliographical background 69

Workbook section 70

3 Null constituents 81

3.1 Overview 81

3.2 Null subjects 81

3.3 Null auxiliaries 86

3.4 Null T in finite clauses 89

3.5 Null T in infinitive clauses 94

3.6 Null C in finite clauses 96

3.7 Null C in infinitive clauses 101

3.8 Defective clauses 105

3.9 Null determiners and quantifiers 108

3.10 Summary 111

3.11 Bibliographical background 113

Workbook section 114

4 Head movement 120

4.1 Overview 120

4.2 T-to-C movement 120

4.3 Movement as copying and deletion 123

4.4 V-to-T movement 128

4.5 Head movement 132

4.6 Auxiliary Raising 134

4.7 Another look at negation 137

4.8 DO-support 140

4.9 Summary 144

4.10 Bibliographical background 146

Workbook section 147

5 Wh-movement 152

5.1 Overview 152

5.2 Wh-questions 152

5.3 Wh-movement as copying and deletion 155

5.4 Driving wh-movement and auxiliary inversion 161

5.5 Pied-piping of material in the domain of a wh-word 165

5.6 Pied-piping of a superordinate preposition 171

5.7 Long-distance wh-movement 174

5.8 Multiplewh-questions 182

5.9 Summary 185

5.10 Bibliographical background 188

Workbook section 189

6 A-movement 196

6.1 Overview 196

6.2 Subjects in Belfast English 196

6.3 Idioms 199

6.4 Argument structure and theta-roles 201

6.5 Unaccusative predicates 205

6.6 Passive predicates 211

6.7 Long-distance passivisation 215

6.8 Raising 219

6.9 Comparing raising and control predicates 221

6.10 Summary 227

6.11 Bibliographical background 229

Workbook section 230

7 Agreement, case and A-movement 237

7.1 Overview 237

7.2 Agreement 237

7.3 Feature Valuation 240

7.4 Uninterpretable features and Feature Deletion 242

7.5 Expletive it subjects 246

7.6 Expletive there subjects 251

7.7 Agreement and A-movement 258

7.8 EPP and agreement in control infinitives 261

7.9 EPP and person agreement in defective clauses 262

7.10 Defective clauses with expletive subjects 267

7.11 Summary 272

7.12 Bibliographical background 274

Workbook section 275

8 Split projections 279

8.1 Overview 279

8.2 Split CP: Force, Topic and Focus projections 279

8.3 Split TP: Aspect and Mood projections 287

8.4 Split VP: Transitive ergative structures 292

8.5 Split VP: Other transitive structures 298

8.6 Split VP: Unaccusative structures 304

8.7 Split VP: Passive and raising structures 310

8.8 Summary 313

8.9 Bibliographical background 316

Workbook section 317

9 Phases 323

9.1 Overview 323

9.2 Phases 323

9.3 Intransitive and defective clauses 327

9.4 Phases and A-bar movement 330

9.5 A-bar movement in transitive clauses 334

9.6 Uninterpretable features and feature inheritance 340

9.7 Independent probes 346

9.8 Subject questions 355

9.9 More on subextraction 359

9.10 Summary 362

9.11 Bibliographical background 363

Workbook section 364

Glossary and list of abbreviations 370

References 410

Index 435