Instructor: Imola-Ágnes Farkas

farkas_imola_agnes@yahoo.com
Office hours: Tuesday 9-10 a.m., M16

Introduction to Generative Grammar

Seminar: Ditransitives, double transitives, subclauses and interrogatives

Outline

VP-shells: core VP: projected by V which assigns the object theta-roles (Theme/Patient, Beneficiary/
Goal/Source)
first merger (sister of V) lowest argument
last merger (spec-VP) higher argument

shell vP: projected by a morphemic causative feature ø (light verb) which assigns the agentive
theta- role (Agent/Cause/
Experiencer)
first merger (sister of v) with core VP
last merger (spec-vP) with highest argument

Ditransitive and doubletrasitive structures

1. John gave the book to Mary.

2. The book was given to Mary by John.
3. *Mary was given the book to by John.
4. John gave Mary the book.
5. *The book was given to Mary by John.
6. Mary was given the book by John.

Page 1
 Fill in the syntactic diagram of the sentence John gave the book to Mary with the missing nodes.

Hierarchy of grammatical relations

two objects (DO,IO) -- hierarchical ordering criteria
1. Type of phrase:
DP higher than PP

Seminar 4 Page 2
 Fill in the tree diagram of the sentence John gave the book to Mary yesterday with the missing nodes.

Seminar 4 Page 3
 Fill in the tree diagram of the sentence The book was given to Mary by John with the missing nodes.

Hierarchy of grammatical relations

two objects (DO,IO) -- hierarchical ordering criteria
1. Type of phrase:
DP higher than PP

Seminar 4 Page 4
 Fill in the tree diagram of the sentence John gave Mary the book with the missing nodes.

Hierarchy of grammatical relations

two objects (DO,IO) -- hierarchical ordering criteria

2. their referents (when both DP/NP):

higher vs. lower on the animacy scale

Seminar 4 Page 5
 Fill in the tree diagram of the sentence Mary was given the book by John with the missing nodes.

Hierarchy of grammatical relations

two objects (DO,IO) -- hierarchical ordering criteria

2. their referents (when both DP/NP):

higher vs. lower on the animacy scale

Seminar 4 Page 6
 Fill in the tree diagram of the sentence Jane knows that John gave Mary the book yesterday with the missing
nodes.

Seminar 4 Page 7
 Fill in the tree diagram of the sentence Why did Mary come here? with the missing nodes.

Seminar 4 Page 8
 Fill in the tree diagram of the sentence Mary came here why? with the missing nodes.

Seminar 4 Page 9
 Fill in the tree diagram of the sentence For what did Mary come here? with the missing nodes.

Seminar 4 Page 10
 Fill in the tree diagram of the sentence What did Mary come here for? with the missing nodes.

Seminar 4 Page 11
 Further practice

Draw the tree diagram of the following sentences:

1. George sent Maria flowers.

2. George sent flowers to Maria
3. Maria was sent flowers by George.
4. The flowers were sent to Maria by George.
5. Maria wonders if the flowers were sent by George.

6. When will the train arrive in Cluj?

7. The train will arrive in Cluj when?

8. To whom will George send the flowers?

9. Whom will George send the flowers to?

Seminar 4 Page 12