Assignment 21

Consider the verb 'choose':

(1)   Betty chose a pink dress.
(2)   Harvey chose a piglet.

Based on this, what do you suppose is the extended subcategorization
(i.e. including Theta-role assignment) of 'choose'?

Now we'll look at some more complex cases:

(3)   Betty chose a pink dress to wear.
(4)   Harvey chose to keep a piglet.

At this point, what would be your analysis of (4)?  Be sure to justify
your answer.

Now we'll think about examples like (3) and (5):

(5)   Harvey chose a piglet to keep.

Before you attempt to analyze this one, pay attention to the following
kinds of facts:

(6)   Harvey chose to describe himself.
(7)   Harvey chose himself to describe.
(8)   Harvey chose Betty to describe herself.
(9)  *Harvey chose Betty to describe himself.
(10)  Harvey chose Betty to describe.
(11)  Harvey chose Betty to dance with him.
(12) *Harvey chose Betty to dance with himself.
(13) *Harvey chose there to be onions in the stew.
(14) *Harvey chose tabs to be kept on Betty.
(15)  Harvey chose Betty to tell a story about Mike.

Now work out and present an analysis that accounts for (3)-(15).
Be sure to be very clear about the subcategorization(s) of 'choose'
and any transformational operations that are necessary.

Once that is done, explain how the following are derived:

(16)  There were three photographs chosen to put on the wall.

(17)  A blind student appears to have been chosen to present herself
      as an example of overcoming adversity.

(18)  Harvey was chosen to be sacrificed to the rain god.