Assignment 16: CP Extraposition


1.  We have seen that there are Complementizer Phrases (CPs) that consist of a
Complementizer (C) and an S and occur in subject and direct object position in
larger sentences, and also as complements to Nouns and Adjectives.  Our grammar
now generates the following sentences.  (If it doesn't, fix it so that it does.)
Show their derivations.

(1)  That the farmer knew that the pig was sick explains his eagerness for it
     to be sold to his neighbor.

(2)  That there were computers stolen by the employees has not been proved by
     the investigators.

(3)  For there to be a pig found in the yard would annoy Louise.


2.  The examples below illustrate a new construction.

(4)   That pigs can fly is not obvious.
(5)   It is not obvious that pigs can fly.
(6)   That there might be life on other planets scares me.
(7)   It scares me that there might be life on other planets.
(8)   That the more conservative candidate would win became clear.
(9)   It became clear that the more conservative candidate would win.
(10)  For there to be a pig found in the yard would annoy Louise.
(11)  It would annoy Louise for there to be a pig found in the yard.

Notice that the 'it' in these sentences is not the referential pronoun (it0);
It is also not the "Weather it" (it1), which will be encountered later in this
problem.  Let us call it 'it2'.

At first glance it looks as if these sentences are produced directly by the
Phrase Structure rules, without any modification.  Let us call this Hypothesis
A.  Show how one or two of the odd-numbered sentences would be generated
under this hypothesis.

3.  An alternative hypothesis would be that the odd-numbered sentences are
derived from the even-numbered ones by a transformation, called "CP
Extraposition".  Formulate a provisional statement of this transformation.
We will call this Hypothesis B.

Make sure the new grammar does not generate ungrammatical things like:

(12) *It scares me the pig.
(13) *It is not obvious the aerial ability of pigs.


4.  The following provide an argument against Hypothesis A:

(14)  *Harvey is not obvious that pigs can fly.
(15)  *That there might be life on other planets scares me that there
      might be life on other planets.
(16)  *The embarrassment would annoy Louise for there to be a pig found in the
      yard.

First, figure out how the grammar can account for the badness of (14-16).
HINT: It has something to do with Theta-roles.

Then explain why these examples provide an argument against Hypothesis A.

Examples like the following provide another argument against Hypothesis A:

(17)  That it snows at the north pole is known by everybody.
(18)  It is known by everybody that it snows at the north pole.

What is that argument?

A third argument against Hypothesis A has been lurking in the data that we have
already seen:

(19)  Trucks are heavy.
(20) *It are heavy trucks.
(21) *It is heavy trucks.

(22) *It scares me the pig.
(22) *It is not obvious the aerial ability of pigs.

What is that argument?

5.  The facts below show something about how the transformation developed under
Hypothesis B should be formulated:

(24)  It shouldn't scare me that there might be life on other planets,
      but it does.

What does that show you?


6.  Now show derivations for the following, which should be generated by the
grammar as you have revised it:

(25)  Isn't it obvious that pigs can't fly?
(26)  That it can be shown that one pig flew does not prove that every pig
      can fly.

Is Extraposition clause-bounded?