Syntax I Final Exam
Due Wednesday Dec 7
(3 PM, 264 Stevenson)

As is the case with all assignments in this course, you may
collaborate on figuring out the answers; as always, write up your
response individually.

I.  Figuring out some verbs (and adjectives)

We now have four kinds of infinitival constructions:

        (a) Subject-Subject Control (want, expect, like, hate ...)

        (b) Subject-to-Subject Raising (seem, appear, tend, ...)

        (c) Subject-to-Object Raising (want, expect, believe, ...)

        (d) Object-Subject Control (persuade, tell, force, ...)

The verbs and adjectives below all fit into one or more of the above
constructions:

        intend:         We intend this restriction to apply to all applicants.
        be going:       The pig is going to get dirty.
        be sure:        You are sure to get lost if you go in those woods.
        refuse:         My cat refuses to eat canned tuna.
        need:           There needs to be another screw in the base of it.
        assume:         There are assumed to be 187 kinds of spiders.
        find:           The truths in question were found to be self-evident.
        advise:         Applicants were advised to submit complete dossiers.

For each verb or adjective, figure out (by appropriate testing) whether its
construction (DS and Derivation) is of type (a), (b), (c), or (d).  Give
evidence, and show a sample derivation.


II.  Tough

There is a category of adjectives called "tough-type" adjectives:

     tough
     hard
     easy
     difficult

To these we can add a few special nominal expressions that function like
adjectival predicates:

     a bitch
     a cinch

(1)   It may be hard for you to find the answer to this question.
(2)   To find the answer to this question may be hard.
(3)   The answer to this question may be hard for you to find.
(4)   The answer to this question may be hard to find.
(5)  *You are going to find.
(6)   It is going to be hard to keep tabs on Murphy.
(7)   Murphy is going to be hard to keep tabs on.
(8)   Tabs are going to be hard to keep on Murphy.
(9)  *Tabs are going to be hard to be kept on Murphy.
(10) *There is going to be a bitch to be enough beer.

Investigate sentences with "tough-type" adjectives and develop an analysis.
Be sure to make your assumptions about deep structures and transformational
rules clear.  Show how the grammatical examples in (1)-(10) are derived,
and explain why (5), (9) and (10) are not generated.


III.  READY

Adjectives like 'hard' and 'ready' occur in some of the same
environments as ordinary adjectives like 'long':

(1)     The exam was hard.
(2)     The exam was ready.
(3)     The exam was long.

But they can also appear in structures where ordinary adjectives can't:

(4)     The exam was hard to put under the door.
(5)     The exam was ready to put under the door.
(6)    *The exam was long to put under the door.

There are grammatical sentences which are like (6) except that they
involve 'too':

(7)     The exam was too thick to put under the door.

Ignore sentences containing the word 'too'; we will
not be dealing with them here.

'Hard' and 'ready' can occur in some of the same structures, but not
all. Note the difference in interpretation of those structures in which
they can both occur:

(8)     It was hard to make the decision.
(9)     It was ready to make the decision.

Note that (9) is grammatical if the decision is about to be made by a
very large gorilla of unknown gender.

(10)    The socks were hard to put on.
(11)    It was hard to put on the socks.
(12)    The socks were ready to put on.
(13)    It was ready to put on the socks.

The gorilla again.

(14)    The socks were ready for the gorilla to put on.
(15)    The socks were ready to put on the gorilla.

(16)    The socks were hard for the gorilla to put on.
(17)    The socks were hard to put on the gorilla.

Also note the ambiguity in (18) but lack of ambiguity in (19):

(18)    The turkey is ready to eat.
(19)    The turkey is hard to eat.

Finally, notice that in sentences which involve the verbs 'spit',
'drop', and 'put', the adjectives 'ready' and 'hard' give rise to
different combinations of meaning and ambiguity:

(20) a.	The muskrat was ready to spit into the hole.
     b.	The muskrat was ready to drop into the hole.
     c.	The muskrat was ready to put into the hole.

(21) a.	The muskrat was hard to spit into the hole.
     b.	The muskrat was hard to drop into the hole.
     c.	The muskrat was hard to put into the hole.

The problem is to propose an analysis for 'ready' which accounts for how
it differs from 'hard'.  Hint: you will find they behave differently with
idiom chunks.


IV.  One Last Question

Can you say anything intelligent about (1)?

(1)     The kids stopped being hard to get ready to send to school
        when they learned to tie their own shoes.