A- versus A'-Movement (Class Exercise)

Grammatical Analysis II Spring 2021

Week 8: A versus A’-Movement

(1)

a. John was seen. passive

b. John was written about. pseudo-passive

c. John fell.                 unaccusatives

d. John will laugh. vP internal subject

e John seems to be nice. raising to subject

f. I believe John to be happy. raising to object

g. the city’s destruction raising to Spec DP

h. This book reads easily. middle construction

i. I gave the book to Mary.         dative alternation

(2)

a. Who did you see?         wh-questions

b. Now that, I like. topicalization

c. the man (who) I saw relativization

d. a great book for Bill to read infinitival relative

e. whatever you buy         free relative

f. Bill, who I like appositive relative

g. It is John who I saw. clefting

h. What I saw is a car.         pseudo-clefting

i. I bought it to read.         purpose clause

j. I ran faster than John ran. comparatives

k. What a great car you have! exclamative

l. handsome though Bill is though-construction

m. Go to the store, he will. VP-fronting

n. John is easy to please. tough-movement

o. John is too stubborn to talk to. complex adjectival

Class Exercise: List similarities and differences between A- and A’-movement.