Syntax II						Spring 2012
Assignment 12						Due Friday May 25

WH Clefts

PART 0

Say clearly how (1-4) are analyzed according to our current assumptions.

(1)	What she bought is ugly.
(2)	What she did was bad.
(3)	What she bought is chasing her around the room.
(4)	I like what she bought. 

Now, say clearly how (5) and (6) are analyzed.

(5)	What she bought is unclear to me.
(6)	I wonder what she bought. 

PART 1

The sentences illustrated in (7-13) are called `pseudo-clefts' or `WH-clefts'.

(7)	What she did was buy a zebra.
(8)	What she told us was that she wanted to buy a zebra.
(9)	What she is is mad as hell.
(10)	Where the kids went was to the library.
(11)	What I couldn't understand was her irrational desire to have a zebra.
(12)	What he put in his pocket was a little snake.
(13)	What scared us was the little snake he had in his pocket.

It is usually assumed that this construction cannot
be given the same analysis as (1-4) OR (5-6).  Say what the basis
for this assumption might be.

PART 2

Propose an analysis of WH-clefts, taking into account the following:

(14)	What he likes to do is kiss monkeys.
(15)	What they want is to have control over the assignments.
(16)	All she did was wash herself.
(17)	What they wanted was to play tricks on each other.
(18)	What we weren't able to do was make any progress.

How many analyses does (19) have?

(19)	What she bought was a zebra.






PART 3

Explicate the following.

(20)	What all the children did is a mystery.
(21)	What the children all did is a mystery.
(22)	*What the children did is all a mystery.
(23)	What all the children did scared me.
(24)	What the children all did scared me.
(25)	*What the children did all scared me.
(26)	What all the children did was get in the tub at the same time.
(27)	What the children all did was get in the tub at the same time.
(28)	What the children did was all get in the tub at the same time.



PART 4

Now explicate the following.

(29)	What he is is important to him.
(30)	What he is is important to himself.
(31)	What they are doing is amusing them.
(32)	What they are doing is amusing themselves.
(33)	What Sally is is worth being.
(34)	What Sally is is proud.
(35)	What she was doing was washing her.
(36)	What she was doing was washing herself.

PART 5

Explain:

(37)	What John wants the company to do is fire him(*self).
(38)	What the company wants John to do is fire him(self).

PART 6

What does the following reveal?

(39)	What he is appears to be important to him.
(40)	What he appears to be is important to himself.
(41)	*What he is appears to be important to himself.
(42)	What he appears to be is important to him.
(43)	What they are doing appears to be amusing them.
(44)	*What they are doing appears to be amusing themselves.
(45)	What she is appears to be worth being.
(46)	*What she is appears to be proud.
(47)	*What she never wants to hear again appears to be any more cleft
		sentences.

PART 7

Investigate the usual questions about unbounded dependencies.