Syntax III
Assignment 9:  Comparatives
Due Tuesday February 19

Here are some examples of the comparative construction:

(1)  She made more pancakes than the kids could eat.

(2)  More matrices than we could diagonalize in a year were on that
     two-hour exam.

(3)  Harvey bought more books than would fit in his backpack.

(4)  Sue is smarter than she thinks she is.

(5)  Sue bought a bigger backpack than Harvey bought.

Using these examples to start with, investigate this construction.  If there
are any gaps, figure out what kind they are and propose an explicit
analysis.

Please try to steer clear of the various ellipses that can happen in these
constructions.  Ellipsis is always optional, so you can distinguish it from
anything that is obligatory.

Are there gaps?

If there are, I assume some kind of movement or deletion is implicated;
let's call it rule X.

Is rule X bounded?

Does it obey island constraints?

Does it license parasitic gaps?

Are comparative clauses islands?

Does your analysis account for (6)?

(6) *Sue bought a big backpack than Harvey bought.

Discuss everything thoroughly.