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Introducing Transformational Grammar
Chapter Four: Transformations I: Phrasal Categories
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Exercises
Exercise 4.1
Outline a derivation for each of the sentences in (i-v). Make sure you provide a separate
representation for every step in the derivation, and explain whether and how each step
satisfies the conditions on the application of the relevant transformational rule:
i)
John wonders which match Bill saw.
ii)
iii)
iv)
What did Mary buy?
John knows the book which Bill bought.
The play Bill wrote disappointed John.
v)
Who did you think (that) Mary criticized?
Ans.:
i)
John wonders [S’ [NP which match]i
[Bill saw [NP t]i ]]
(The movement satisfies Wh-movement because wht wh-XP is moved to Comp provided
Comp is:
a. [+Q]
b. not included in a wh-island
c. not included in a complex NP
d. the nearest to the wh-phrase. )
ii)
[S’ [NP What]i did [S Mary buy[NP t]i]]?
(The movement also satisfies Wh-movement.)
iii)
John knows the book [S’ [NP which]i [Bill bough t]i ].
(The movement satisfies Wh-movement.
iv)
[NP The play]
In addition, which co-indexes with the book.)
[S’ [S Bill wrote [NP Null Op]i ]disappointed John.
(The movement satisfies the relatives with a null wh-phrase in Wh-movement.)
v)
[S’ [NPWho] do you think [S’ (that) S[Mary criticized [NP t]i]]]?
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(The movement satisfies Wh-movement, Aux –raising, and do-support.)
Exercise 4.2
Explain how the sentences in (i-iv) are excluded in the system discussed in this chapter.
Make sure you identify clearly the conditions violated with respect to the relevant
transformation for each sentence:
i)
ii)
*Mary thinks which English city Bill visited.
*Why does Mary know John did it?
(with why modifying the embedded verb)
iii)
*How does Bill regret the claim that John treated him?
(with how modifying the embedded verb)
*In which direction does John know the people who went?
(with how modifying the embedded verb)
iii)
Ans.:
i)
It violates [+Q ]-Comp Condition. (think: [－S’: [-Q] ])
ii)
Before answering this question, we know the sentence (What do you know that John
bought) is grammatical. Therefore, the difference between *Why does Mary know
John did it? and What do you know that John bought? is the type of why and what.
Why is adjunct and what is argument. Hence, we can only move argument, not
adjunct.
How about the sentence “How did you fix the car?” In the sentence we moved the
adjunct.
iii)
It violates [+Q ]-Comp Condition because why modifies the embedded verb.
That is, Mary knows John did it why. (SS: know: [－S’: [-Q] ])
iv)
It violates Complex Noun Phrase Condition.
Exercise 4.3
Outline a derivation for each of the sentences in (i-iv). Make sure you identify the
transformational rules involved in the derivation of each sentence and explain whether and
how the conditions on each rule are or are not satisfied:
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i)
Bill seems to have lost the match.
ii)
iii)
iv)
Bill appears to have been excluded.
The book was criticized strongly.
Which author does Mary think has been praised?
Ans.:
i)
Bill seems to have lost the match. (Subject raising)
DS: [S[NP e] seems [S [NP Mary] to have solved the match]]
SS: [S[NP Mary]i seems [S [NP t] to have solved the match]]
Seem: raising verb
ii)
Bill appears to have been excluded .
DS: [S [NP e] appears [S [NP e] to have been excluded [NP Bill]]
SS: [S [NP Bill]i appears [S [NP t]i to have been excluded [NP t]]
Movement: Passivisation and raising.
Appear: raising verb
iii)
The book was criticized strongly. (Short passives)
Passivisation
iv)
Which author does Mary think has been praised?
Passivisation (short passives)
Wh-movement
Exercise 4.4
Explain why and how the sentences in (i-iv) are excluded in the system outlined in this
chapter:
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
*Bill is believed John to have criticized.
*Mary seems (that) has left suddenly.
*This is the book which that Mary wrote.
*John appears it is likely to resign.
Ans.:
i)
*Bill is believed John to have criticized.
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It violates Specified Subject Condition.
That prevents separating bfrom the targeted
position by a specified subject.
The sentence should be revised as: It is believed that John has criticized Bill.
ii)
*Mary seems (that) has left suddenly.
It violates Tensed S condition. It prevents NP-movement from moving an NP out of a
tensed clause.
The sentence should be revised as: It seems that Mary has left suddently.
iii)
*This is the book which that Mary wrote.
It violates Doubly Filled Comp Filter since which and that co-occur here.
The sentence should be revised as: This is the book which Mary wrote. or this is the book that
Mary wrote.
iv)
*John appears it is likely to resign.
It violates Specified Subject Condition and Tensed S Condition.
The sentence should be revised as John appears to be likely to resign.
Exercise 4.5
Identify the transformational rules involved in the derivation of the sentences in (i-iv):
i)
I found a book in the library which I had not seen before.
ii)
Mary donated to the library all the money she had inherited.
iii)
These accusations, I resent very much.
iv)
Who saw Bill?
Ans.:
i)
I found a book in the library which I had not seen before.
Transformation 1: Relatives Wh-movement (It restricts the reference of the head N it
modifies. Hence, we get ‘I found a book which I had not seen before in
the library.’)
Transformation 2: The definition of extraposition is: ‘move XP and attach it as the rightmost
constituent of VP.’ Therefore, by applying extraposition, we get the
sentence as (i).
ii)
Mary donated to the library all the money she had inherited.
Transformation 1: Passivisation
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Transformation 2: Heavy NP Shift
iii)
These accusations, I resent very much
Transformation: Topicalisation (It will be added to the leftmost of a sentence.)
iv)
Who saw Bill?
Transformaiton: Wh-movement
Who [ NP t]i saw Bill?
Exercise 4.6
It has been claimed that the Wh-island Condition and the Complex NP Condition both reduce
to the Cyclicity Condiiton and therefore may not be needed. Evaluate this claim in relation
to the sentences in (i-iv):
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
How do you know that John fixed the car?
*How do you wonder whether John fixed the car?
*How do you reject the rumour that John fixed the car?
*How do you know the car that John fixed?
Ans.:
In order to solve the questions above, we have to know the domain of wh-movement first.
In wh-movement, we move wh-words to CP specifier. Hence, its domain is CP. And due
to subjacency, it can’t across IP or NP.
i)
How do you know that John fixed the car?
The verb know can be followed by [+Q] or [-Q]. In addition, the comp after know is that,
that is to say, know here is followed by [-Q]. So the presentation is as followings:
Do you know that John fixed the car how?
×
ii)
*How do you wonder whether John fixed the car?
The sentence violates the Wh-island constraint. Hence, the Cyclicity Condition here is
ungrammatical.
iii)
*How do you reject the rumour that John fixed the car?
The sentence violates Complex NP Condition. Hence, the Cyclicity Condition here is
ungrammatical.
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iv)
*How do you know the car that John fixed?
DS: *[+Q e] do [IP you know the car] that [IP John fixed how]?
SS: *[+Q How] do [IP you know the car] that [IP John fixed e]?
Exercise 4.7
Explain whether in your view the pairs of sentences in (ia&b) and (iia&b) should be related
by a transformational rule, that is, whether they both derived from the same DS or form
different DS representations. If you believe they should be, give an idea about what form
the transformational rule should take. Make sure that your answer takes into consideration
the pairs in (iiia&b) and (iva&b):
i)a. Bill sent a message to John.
i)b. Bill sent John a message.
ii)a. John gave money to the charity.
ii)b. John gave the charity money.
iii)a. Bill transmitted a message to John.
iii)b. Bill transmitted John a message.
iv)a. John donated money to the charity.
iv)b. Bill donated the charity money.
Ans.:
The pairs of sentences in (ia&b) and (iia&b) should be derived from the same DS
representation. That is because Dative Transformation is more economic than PS rules. In
other words, because of dative transformation, we can get SS. In addition, dative
transformation fits to dative verbs only. As we can see in (ia&b), the DS for them is (ib)
Bill sent John a message. After we move a message before a John, we also need to add a
preposition before John.
However, in (iiia&b) because transmit is not a dative verb because (iib) Bill transmitted
John a letter is ungrammatical. Hence, it would be also ungrammatical if we apply dative
transformation for (ib).
By the same token, in (iia&b) because gave is a dative verb, (iib) is grammatical after
applying dative transformation. And also because donate in (ivb) is not a dative verb, (ivb)
is ungrammatical.
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So, you mean among the ditransitive verbs, we should again subcategorize the “dative” and
“non-dative” verbs?
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