2ND YEAR MINOR SYNTAX 1

COURSE INSTRUCTOR: ROXANA-CRISTINA PETCU, PhD

TRANSITIVE PREDICATES
We shall focus on the properties of a different class of predicates, namely transitive predicates.
Eg.(1) Mary built a house.
* Mary built.
*Mary built last year a house.
(2)Mary offered a gift to her sister.
*Mary offered a gift.
*Mary offered to her sister.

They have an external argument, the subject

An internal argument, the syntactic function of which is that of direct object.
It is not possible to omit the direct object (as a result of the application of the Projection Principle)
The verb assigns Accusative case to its internal argument if the argument is adjacent to the verb (in other
words nothing can intervene between the verb and its argument)
The internal argument (direct object) can be either an affected object (denoting an entity affected by the
action the predicate refers to) or an effected object (denoting an entity that is the result of the event
described by the verb).
Eg. Affected objects cut the bread, eat a cake, chop a tree, carve the steak
Effected objects build a house, bake a cake, compose a song, write a book
The same verb may take either an affected object or an effected object
Eg. Cut the bread/ cut a road in the jungle; paint a house/paint a portrait; carve the steak/carve a statue;
press the juice/press the button
The internal argument may be a Theme or a Patient
We call such verbs monotranstive verbs
There are transitive verbs that take two internal arguments- two NP complements (the examples under 2).
The first NP functions as a direct object, while the second NP functions as an indirect object or an
adverbial modifier of place. We call such verbs ditransitive verbs.
Eg. He offered flowers to his wife. (Agent, Theme, Goal)
Grandma made a cake for her grandsons. (Agent, Theme, Beneficiary)
John put the books on the table. (Agent, Theme, Location)
With the first category of ditransitives it is possible to reverse the order of the two NP complements.This
reversal is accompanied by the deletion of the preposition to/for. Such a construction is called the double
object construction.
With some ditransitive verbs it is possible to delete one of the two objects
Eg. The president assigned the task to the secretary.
The president assigned the secretary the task.
The president assigned the task.
The president assigned the secretary.

The syntactic structure of a transitive verb

Transitive verbs are complex, causative VP structures, made up of two VP shells. The higher VP is
interpreted as an abstract causative light verb, , namely a null verb with a causative interpretation similar
to a verb like make. The causative light verb is affixal in nature, or it can be null. The external argument of
the transitive verb is projected in [Spec, p] so as to express the causative/agentive role of the external
argument. The internal argument of a monotransitive verb is projected as sister to V o..

Eg. We built a house. (We made the house to come to be built)

IP
DP

I
Io
T

p
Spec
DP
We

o
VP
[+cause]
V
V0
Build

DP
a house

The structure of ditransitives that subcategorize for Location

Eg. Mary put the glasses on the shelf.
The shepherd got the horses into the stable.
The sentences above contain two prepositional phrases headed by the prepositions on and into.
Prepositions are prototypically relational as they specify a spatial, temporal or other type of relation
between two entities. Prepositions project structure containing both a complement and a specifier. In the
sentences above we can consider that the DPs that function as surface objects of the verbs are projected in
the [Spec, PP] position while the DPs functioning as objects of the prepositions are projected as sisters of
P0.The DPs functioning as direct objects of the verb are c-commanded and governed by the verb, they will
be assigned structural Accusative by the verb.
From a semantic point of view such verbs (put, get, fit, pound, paint, etc) specify a change brought about
by an agent, so the verbs are causative.
IP
DP

I
I0
T

p
DP
Mary

o
[+cause]

VP
V

V0
put

PP
DP
the books

P
P0

DP

on

the shelf

The Location/Locatum alternation

a) bag, bottle, box, cage, can, corral, garage, jail, shelve
b) bandage, bar, bell, blindfold, clothe, curtain, fund, saddle
Eg. I put the glasses on the shelf. / I shelved the glasses.
He fitted the saddle on the horse. / He saddled the horse.
The second sentences in the pairs above are syntactic counterparts of the analytic sentences containing put or fit.
The difference between the sentences in these pairs is that the preposition is not overt and the upper verbal head
which is occupied by put or fit in the first alternants in the examples above is also empty.
IP
DP

I
I0

DP
I

0
[+cause]

VP
V

V0

PP
DP
the glasses

P
P0

DP
shelf

The empty P head takes a complement (shelf) and it projects a specifier (the glasses).Because it is empty it
conflates with its complement, that is it fuses with its complement. The upper verb is also empty so it must
conflate with its complement, namely the P, so the verbal head acquires phonological substance, becoming
shelve. This is possible because there is a relation of strict complementation, as the V governs the
complement P, just like the P governs the DP. It is a strict head-head relation and condition, otherwise the
sentences would be ill-formed.
Eg. John corralled the cows. (put the cows in the corral)
*John cowed the corral.
The ill-formedess is motivated by the fact that the element undergoing conflation is projected in the
Specifier position of the PP, not in the head of the projection. Therefore conflation of a specifier is
impossible.
VP

V
V0

PP
DP

The cows

P0

DP
Corral

This is the reason why examples such as the ones below are ungrammatical.
Eg. *He booked on the shelf. (He shelved the books)
*We appled the box. (We boxed the apples)
*They housed with a roof. (They roofed a house. They fitted the house with a roof)
The Ergative alternation (causative/inchoative alternation)
Eg. The enemy sank the ship. / The ship sank.
They stopped the machine. / The machine stopped.
Derived unaccusatives
The DO of the transitive sentence is the Su of the intransitive sentence
One argument verbs, namely the internal one, a Theme which is projected in the object position at Dstructure and moves to [Spec,IP] at S-structure to be assigned case, as the intransitive counterpart is
unaccusative, it lacks an external argument, therefore cannot case-mark the internal argument.
The transitive variant is causative.
Alternating predicates involve a change of state and involve a CAUSE predicate
They describe eventualities that are under the control of some external cause
When used transitively, the external cause, is the subject of the sentence
They do not allow there-insertion (*There sank a ship.)
IP
DP

I
I0

VP

-ed

V0
Sink

DP
the ship

One can prove that such verbs are unaccusatives, namely that they lack an agent role since we cannot insert an
instrument role which is licensed only if an agent is present overtly or implicitly.
Eg. *The ship sank with a cannonball.
*The machine stopped with a stick.
Unaccusatives cannot control PRO. Generally, PRO can be controlled if the original role exists, which is not the
case of unaccusatives.

Eg. He wants PRO to do that.

PRO is controlled by the subject of the verb in the matrix clause, in the sense that we can identify the empty
category PRO, the subject of the non-finite infinitive with the help of the overt subject of the verb want, the two
being identical.
With unaccusatives it is not possible.
Eg. *Babies often roll/turn after PRO putting them to bed.
This sentence cannot possible be interpreted as meaning that those who put the babies in bed as also the ones that
roll/turn them, therefore control is not possible.
These two tests prove that such verbs do not have a causative structure, so they do not contain a light p.
Not all transitives have an ergative counterpart. There are transitive verbs that only select an agent as their
external theta role, but there are other transitives that select other roles as external arguments.
Eg.(a) The baby ate the soup. /*The spoon ate the soup. /*Hunger ate the soup
The barber shaved father. / *The razor shaved father.
(b) Mike[AGENT] opened the door. / The key[INSTRUMENT] opened the door. / The wind[CAUSE] opened the door.
Verbs that have similar selectional properties roll, redden, break, drown, enlarge
Where do these differences come from?
Causality plays an important role in deciding thematic structures. There is an overlap between Cause and Agent in
the sense that if an argument is the agent of a change of state it is also the cause of that change. The main
difference between agency and causality may be stated as the fact that agentivity involves properties of volition
and intention where as causality does not. If the verb is specified for both causality and agency (volition, intention)
(like eat, shave) it can only select an Agent. If a verb is specified only for causality (like open, break) it can select
both and agent and an instrument (cause) as external argument. In other words, only those transitives that are
specified only for causality, but not for volition, intention enter the ergative alternation.
De-adjectival ergative verbs
Eg. Thin, narrow, cool, thicken, harden, soften, widen, lengthen, shorten, broaden, loosen, tighten, darken,
redden, deepen, lower, enlarge
Eg. His eyes narrowed. / He narrowed his eyes and grinned.
The screen cleared when I bumped the keyboard./ I cleared the screen when I bumped the keyboard.
De-adjectival verbs also have analytical counterparts which can be either transitive or intransitive.
Eg. The leaves turned red./ The cold turned the leaves red.
The liquid froze solid. / We froze the liquid solid.
The safe blew open. / The charge blew the safe open.
The first sentence may be interpreted as a sentence containing a copula-like verb which subcategorizes for a small
clause, that is in fact a resultative phrase. Such sentences may be interpreted as describing a change resulting in a
state. (The cold does something such that the leaves come to be red.)
The leaves turned red.

IP
DP

I
I0
T

VP
DP

-ed

V
V0

SC/AP

turn

DP

the leaves

A0
red

The cold turned the leaves red.

IP
DP

I
I0
T
-ed

p
DP

the
cold

0
[+cause]

VP
V

V0
turn

SC/AP
DP
A
the leaves

A0
red

What about de-adjectival verbs?

The sky reddened. / The clouds reddened the sky.
IP
DP

I
I0
T
-ed

VP
DP
The sky

V
V0

-en

red

The adjective red moves and adjoins to the verbal affix en. It is an instance of Head Movement. When moving the
adjective leaves a trace behind, so a chain is formed. The adjective is incorporated under V0. We may support
the idea that zero-morphology de-adjectival verbs behave in the same way and incorporation also takes place with
such verbs.
The transitive counterparts of such verbs involve the appearance of the causative light verb.
IP
DP
I
I0
p
T
DP

0
-ed the
VP
Clouds [+cause] DP V
The
Sky
V0 A
-en
Induced Action Alternation

red

Eg. The rider jumped the horse over the fence./ The horse jumped over the fence.
I walked the dog. / The dog walked.
More restrictive only intransitive agentive verbs of manner of motion (in the presence of a directional
phrase) are allowed to be used transitively
Eg. Drive, fly, gallop, leap, march, race, run, swim, walk, etc
The causee is generally an animate entity induced to act by the causer
Eg. She hurried him to the door.
He was running the horse down the hill.
Other instances of causative alternation
Other basically intransitive verbs which denote internally controlled actions can, in certain cases be used
transitively, when externally controlled.
Eg. Bang, buzz, ring, clang, beam, flash, bleed
Fly, dangle, hang, stand, swing, sit
Lodge, burp
Eg. The visitors rang the bell./ The bell rang.
They stood the statue on the pedestal. / The statue stood on the pedestal.
The soldiers lodge in the schoolhouse. / The army lodged the soldiers in the schoolhouse.
The nurse burped the baby. / The baby burped.
Intransitives recategorized as causative transitives
Eg. He walked the horses up and down.
They generally graze their sheep on the neighbouring meadows.
The general worked his men ruthlessly.
You may sit down ten people with ease.
All the verbs in the sentences above are inherently intransitive verbs recategorized as transitive causative
verbs.

 Two main subcategories :

A) transitives with a DO and an optional Adv of Place
B) transitives with a DO and an obligatory Adv of Place
A.1. motion verbs amble, dance, float, gallop, hurry, jump. march, quiver, retire, roll, run, tumble, walk
Eg. He was ambling his horses along the river.
She hurried the guest to the door.
The king marched the army into the Capital city.
Dont run him on a tight rope!
They all marched to London
A.2. positional verbs sit down , stand
Eg. I sat the old man down in a chair.
The mother stood the baby upon the floor.
Most recategorized verbs in the sentences above may undergo passivization
Eg. They were all marched to London by their commanders.
B.1. [-animate], [-abstract]DO and an obligatory Adv of Place. The DO usually has an instrumental meaning.
Eg. She leant her elbows on the table (she caused her elbows to lean on the table)
She stayed her arms on her knees.
She struck her hand against a stone.
She dabbed a powder-puff across her forehead.
Phrasal transitives
Eg. Bob put his coat on.
Bob put on his coat.
Phrasal verbs verb + particle (or verb+preposition / verb+particle+preposition/ verb+adverb)
But such a verb can be interpreted as a verb phrase containing a verb and a particle inside which a direct
object can intrevene between the verb and the particle without any change in the grammaticality or
semantics of the phrase.
The verb and the particle form a semantic unit and can be paraphrased by a lexical verb
Eg. Give up=renounce
Put off=postpone
Build up=develop
This analysis is supported by the idiomatic character of many phrasal verbs, in which the particle deviates
from its literal meaning
Eg. Turn down, blow up, figure out
If the particle preserves its literal meaning, it is more likely that the predicate will allow Particle movement
Eg. He put on his hat. / He put his hat on
If the complex phrasal verb is idiomatic Particle Movement is blocked.
Eg. The terrorists blew up the building. / *The terrorists blew the building up.
No adverbial , not even right or straight can intervene in the V Prt NP structure
Eg. He put on his hat. / *He put right on his hat.
If the NP is heavy (for instance a very long NP, or an NP modified by a relative clause), a modifier can
intervene between the partcle and the verb
Eg. He looked up the answer I had given him. / He looked right up the asnwer I had given him.

 If the verb is deleted, it is deleted together with the particle

Eg. He put on his hat and [_] his coat.
If the complement is a pronoun Particle movement is obligatory
Eg. *He took off it. / He took it off.
Ditransitive phrasal verbs
Eg. He gave back the book to John.
*He have back John the book. (double object construction is ungrammatical)
He gave the book back to John. (Particle Movement possible across the direct object in
the prepositional variant of the sentence)
*He gave the book to John back. (Particle Movement is blocked across both objects)
If the object is very heavy it cannot intervene between the verb and the particle
Eg. He turned off the light.
*He turned the light which I had forgotten on off.
If the direct object is clausal it cannot intervene between the verb and the particle
Eg. He gave away all the books.
*He gave what he had been able to gather throughout his life away.
The Syntax of phrasal transitives
There have been a number of proposals for the syntax of such verbs. We shall adopt the small clause analysis.
Eg. Jane looked [sc the phone number up].
Small clauses have a number or properties.
They do appear as derived nominals.
Eg. Mary considers [John intelligent]. / *Marys consideration of John intelligent
The sequence above that we have considered a small clause [NP Prt] is also excluded from this type of
nominalizations.
Eg. *The looking of the phone number up
Small clauses do not allow extraction of a part of the post-verbal NP
Eg. This makes the back of the car out last searching place. / *Heres the car that makes the back of our last
searching place.
Phrasal transitives behave in a similar way.
Eg. The pressure has worn Marys brother out. /*Who has the pressure worn the brother of out?
A small clause is interpreted as expressing a result
Eg. She filled [my plate up].
They threw [him out].
Therefore, we can say that the verb subcategorizes for a small clause, a particle phrase where the NP occupies the
subject position, namely the Spec position. The problem that appears is case assignment, because the maximal
projection can be considered as a barrier to government. Kayne considers the Particle projection is not a barrier,
so the verb governs the NP inside the small clause and assigns Acc case to that NP. But there are problems related
to the sentences which like
She filled up my plate.
They threw out the boy.

For which Kayne suggests movement of the NP, which is in fact movement to the right, when we know that
movement always occurs to the left.
A solution to this problem would be to accept the small clause analysis but the status of this small clause is that of
a Particle Phrase with a resultative meaning. As Particles are not case assigners they can intervene between the
verb and the NP without being a barrier to government and case assignment. The verb is transitive therefore it will
assign Accusative. No movement is stipulated for the structures above. Movement will occur with structures in
which the NP intervenes between the verb and the Prt. The NP moves to [Spec, Prt]. Movement occurs when the
NP has topic-like features, that is when its reference is quite determined.
She filled my plate up.
IP
DP

I
I0
-ed

p
DP
She

0
VP
[+cause]
V
V0
PrtP

Spec
Prt
DP
My plate i Prt0
DP
Up
ti
2ND YEAR MINOR SYNTAX 1
COURSE INSTRUCTOR: ROXANA-CRISTINA PETCU, PhD
ENGLISH SYNTAX SEMINAR -TRANSITIVE PREDICATION

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I. Analyze the predicates in the sentences below:1. I shall have the boy rewrite the exercise.2. You make me laugh. 3.
Get the children ready, will you? 4. Well have to get this car repaired by the next week. 5. We convinced him to come.
6. Remind me to call you on the phone next week, will you? 7. War ruined her life. 8. The sun blinded him as soon as he
went out of the house. 8. They freed all the political prisoners at the end of the war. 9. The press belittled the
significance of the by-elections. 10. The disease disables thousands every year. 11. The architect enlarged the original
windows. 12. Heat will surely activate the electrons. 13. You are Americanizing the department in every possible way.14.
The clouds blackened the sky. 15. The strain of looking after her has considerably aged him. 16. That story horrified
everybody. 17.Your rudeness has lost you all your friends. 18. She galloped the horse showing no pity at all. 19. Walk the
dog before lunch, will you? 20. The room will sit about 20 people. 21. The river floats a lot of ships. 22. Luckily she
married Tom in her youth. 23. Fortunately, they caught the burglars on the premises.24. This gallery contains 19 th c
prints. 25. They ate the food with zest. 26. Your hat should match your bag. 27. You resemble your father. 28. She had
already dressed the child. 29. Our success exceeded our expectations. 30. They may simplify/ popularize the procedure.
31. In the end, he will surely tighten the rope. 32.Seven days constitute a week. 33. The ranger will fell those trees. 34.
His arrogance may enrage her. 35. The students have stopped the campaign. 36. The chairman opened the debate
during yesterdays meeting. 37. They will disarm the group when they meet them. 38. Mother thickened the sauce by
adding some flour. 39. Oil and grease will rot the rubber of your tires. 40. They
washed/dressed/bathed/hid/surrendered themselves. 41. His shabby appearance creates a bad impression on the
audience. 42. Well make a teacher of him yet. 43. The industry in this area causes a lot of pollution.
II. Are the predicates in the sentences below inherently transitive?
1. The nurse was jumping the baby on her knees. 2. The Prince retired the cavalry from Poland.3. The teacher stood the pupils
in a row. 4. She stood a case against a wall. 5. We shall dine the Japanese in our living room. 6. The captain rested his
soldiers and horses. 7.The waves floated the boat away. 8. The sight curdled the blood in her veins. 9. The scorching
heat withered the leaves. 10. He pointed the weapon at the wolf. 11. He galloped the horse. 12. The teacher worked us
hard. 13. I can walk the baby while you are cooking dinner.14. Hes run me off my feet. 15. Youve cried your eyes out.
16. Barely three weeks later the terrorists bombs rained terror down on their city. 17. She tried to stare the other out.
18. Hell cheat the trousers off your feet. 19. Hes shot his way into the leadership of the cult. 20. He barked out his
answer.
III. What type of alternations do the sentences below illustrate?
1.They dropped the stone to the bottom of the lake./ The stone dropped to the bottom of the lake. 2. The juice reddened the
water. / The water reddened. 3. The wind cleared the sky. / The sky cleared. 4. The waiter cleared the table. /*The table
cleared. 5. They killed their enemy. /*Their enemy killed. 6. Society widened the gap between the rich and the poor./
The gap between the rich and the poor widened. 7. She hurried Tom to the door./ Tom hurried to the door. 8. He was
running the horse down the hill./ The horse was running down the hill. 9. The patient was bleeding. / The doctor bled
the patient. 10. The patrol flashed a flashlight along the road. / The flashlight flashed along the road.11.I put the glasses
on the shelf. / I shelved the glasses. 12. Mary put the cows in the corral./ Mary corralled the cows./*Mary cowed the
corral. 13.The leaves turned red. / The cold turned the leaves red. 14. His eyes narrowed./ He narrowed hid eyes. 15. He
fitted the saddle on the horse. / He saddled the horse.
IV. Derive the sentences below:
1. The student wrote a paper. 2. The shop assistant put the goods on the counter. 3. The librarian shelved the books. 4. The
kidnappers blindfolded the hostages. 5. We opened the window. / The window opened.6. I cooled the soup. / The soup
cooled.7. She looked up the phone number./ She looked the phone number up.
V. Supply subcategorization frames for the following verbs:
ALLOW, ASK, ANSWER, BET. GRUDGE, COST, DENY. CHANGE, ENVY, FORGIVE, REFUSE, TEACH.
VI. Decide whether the sentences below containing phrasal verbs are grammatical or not. If they are
ungrammatical explain why.

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1. She stood up and switched straight on the lamp. 2. I can drop Daisy off on my way home. 3. The French and the British
wanted to hold Chinese textile competition on the free market off as long as possible.4. Dont out off it till tomorrow. 5.
She handed the book back to Peter. 6.She handed Peter the book back. 7. They singled out Peter. 8. They rent that nice
house which they parents built for them out. 9.We had to work until midnight to finish them of. 10. Who has the cold
weather gotten the sister of down? 11. You seem to fit in an enormous amount of work every day. 12. A national strike
would bring the government down / A national strike would bring down the government. / A national strike would
bring what we know as the authorities down. 13.Epidemics wiped right out the local population. 14. Visitors wear out us
more than the children do. 15. Inspector Standish was trying to clear a complicated problem up. / Inspector Standish
was trying to clear up a complicated problem. / Inspector Standish was trying to clear what seemed to be a very
complicated problem up.
VI. Fill in the blanks in the sentences below using MAKE or DO:
1. He a lot of money last year. 2. They .. peace last year. 3. I always . my best. 4. That glass of wine has . Me
good. 5. Will you .. me a favour? 6. Are you trying to .out a liar? 7. You must up for the lost time.
8.Will this for you? I think I can . it ... 9. Youve only half an hour left, so youd better . the most
of it. 10.I could . With a few more people like you to up for the time Ive lost with the others.
VII. Translate into English:
A. Make use of the verb MAKE:1. Am aranjat s plecm mpreun la munte n luna februarie. 2. Populaia a fcut attea
sacrificii nct nu mai este dispus s cedeze promisiunilor guvernului. 3. Trebuie neaprat s-mi promii ceva. 4. Te
rog s nu mai faci treaba de mntuial cum i este obiceiul. 5.A ncercat s pun mna pe putere, dar adversarii si
politici au fost mai abili i l-au nvins. 6. Houl a luat-o la sntoasa cnd a auzit ca mai incerca cineva ua de la intrare.
7. Dei nu ar fi vrut-o, s-a vzut nevoit s mrturiseasc totul pentru ca ceilali aveau deja prea multe dovezi mpotriva
lui. 8. Dup o absen de cinci ani, cnd nimeni nu mai credea c este posibil, actria a revenit din nou pe scen i a
avut un succes deplin n noul rol. 9. Comportarea ta va avea clar un impact asupra acestei situaii dac vei continua s
te pori tot aa.10. Fiica lui urma s se cstoreasc, aa c a trebuit s se scobeasc n buzunar i s plteasc toate
cheltuielile, orict de ru i-ar fi prut dup bani.
B. Make use of the verb DO:1. i-a luat licena n drept. 2. Nu-mi vine s cred, a jefuit o banc n tineree, de aceea este
att de bogat. 3. Restaurantul acesta servete numai prnzul i cina, nu i micul dejun.4. Ieri primul ministru a inut un
discurs n care a acordat toat atenia cuvenit contribuiei partidelor de opoziie la invitaia pentru aderarea la NATO.
5. A fcut pe dracu n patru i a reuit s-i conving s mearg cu el n acea cltorie foarte periculoas. 6. tiu c m-a
minit de la obraz dar atept s-i vin mintea la cap i s-mi spun singur adevrul. 7. Nu trebuie s te grbeti, poi s
faci treaba asta cnd socoteti tu de cuviin, dar te rog s nu fie mai trziu de sfritul lunii. 8. Mine dau o petrecere
aa c am apelat la un specialist s-mi fac aranjamentele florale. 9. Cnd ai de gnd s faci curat n camer? 10.
Directorul fabricii a vrut s-l angajeze dar s-a rzgndit pentru c a aflat c a stat la rcoare.
C. Pay attention to the use of the reflexive and of the causative verbs:

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1. Nu are niciodat nici un moment pentru sine deoarece trebuie s aibe grij de copii. 2. S-au recunoscut nfrni.3. Se
exprim cu o mare uurin. 4. Omul se poate auto-guverna. 5. Trebuie s stabileasc o relaie cu o lume total nou i
necunoscut. 6. Trebuie s te ntreti sufletete nainte de a te duce la dentist. 7. S-a strduit din rsputeri s ia
examenul 8. Nu-i mai rmne nimic altceva de fcut dect s te aduni, cci toat familia ta depinde de tine.9. M-am
fcut util n timpul pregtirii reuniunii pentru c an vrut s m pub bine cu eful. 10. tia cu siguran ce se petrecea n
sinea lui, dar nu voia s recunoasc. 11.Pacientul a leinat din cauza sngerrii. 12. Mizeria a transformat-o ntr-o
persoan cinic i egoist. 13. Vrjitorul l-a transformat pe prin ntr-un pitic dizgraios. 14. Vntul a sfrmat corabia
n buci.15. Ploaia a transformat praful ntr-un strat gors de noroi. 16. Revoluia a dat natere unei noi atitudini de
via.17. Accidentul su de main a fost cauzat de o explozie. 18. Cearta cu mama sa i-a provocat un infact. 19. Am puso pe servitoare s ne aduc ceva de mncare.20. Prinii o vor obliga pe Jane s se cstoreasc cu un brbat pe care
nu-l iubete.21. M-au convins s plac cu ei. 22. n cele din urm. neglijena le-a ruinat afacerea. 23. Au tiat nite copaci
n pdure.24. Trebuie s-i faci viaa mai bun cu orice pre. 25. Conchistadorii i-au obligat pe btinaii din America
Latin s treac la catolicism.26. Drumul acela prin uraul ntunecat i pustiu mi-a adncit i mai mult teama. 27.
Atitudinea asta de total lips de interes m va innebuni cu siguran. 28. Cnd s-a suit pe tron noul rege i-a decapitat
dumanii. 29. Isus Christos i-a imputernicit pe apostoli s-l reprezinte pe pamnt-. 30. Cred c aceast schimbare de
nfiare te nfrumuseeay. 31. S nu idealizezi niciodat pe numeni.32. Lipsa de perspectiv l-a demoralizat complet.
33. Noua sa nuvel i-a adus un renume extraordinar. 34. In fiecare zi i plimb cinele n parcul din faa casei. 35. L-a
grbit pe pacient s ias din cabinet pentru c era deja n ntrziere. 36. Am intrat n cas i am aezat umbrela n
picioare lng perete. 37. Cred c nu este bine s aezi scaunul n mijlocul camerei, se poate mpiedica cineva de el. 38.
eful i pune oamenii s munceasc fr nici o ncetare. 39. Privelitea masacrului le-a fcut s li se nceoeze
privirea. 40. Sttea cu coatele pe marginea mesei.

2ND YEAR MINOR SYNTAX 1

COURSE INSTRUCTOR:
ROXANA-CRISTINA PETCU, PhD
ENGLISH SYNTAX THE DOUBLE OBJECT CONSTRUCTION
Ditransitives verbs which take an external argument and two internal arguments, the first one
functioning as a direct object and the second one as an indirect object, which has the role of Goal or
Beneficiary.
The two objects are obligatory arguments. Both of them receive case. They are assigned the same theta role
both in the prepositional variant and the double object construction.
We shall see that there is a difference of interpretation between the prepositional variant and the double
object construction.
The Dative Alternation is allowed with verbs involving the causation of a change of possession
The Dative Alternation involves movement of the Goal (Beneficiary) argument in front of the Theme
argument and also the deletion of the preposition TO or FOR
(1 a) interpreted as CAUSE X TO BE OF Y - the Theme argument (the direct object) which is adjacent to
the verb is affected by the event described by the verb
(1b) interpreted as CAUSE Y TO HAVE X the Goal argument (the indirect 0bject) which becomes
adjacent to the verb after performing the Dative Alternation is directly affected by the event described by
the verb
He gave the book to Mary. (Goal-Possessor) /- interpretation CAUSE x to BE of y
He gave Mary (Goal-Theme) the book . / - interpretation CAUSE y to HAVE x
Eg. (1) (a) The teacher gave bad marks to the students. (Goal)

13

(b) The teacher gave the students bad marks.

(2) She made a shirt for her niece. (Beneficiary)
She made her niece a skirt.
The Dative Alternation
Classes of verbs denoting causation of change of possession which enter the Dative Alternation
A) give verbs give, pass, sell, pay, loan, serve, feed, lease, lend, refund, rent, repay, trade
Eg. I rented the house to Tom.
I rented Tom the house.
B) verbs of future having - offer, promise, leave, forward, allocate, assign, advance, grant, award, allot,
concede, issue, leave, owe, vote.
Eg. We granted the money to him.
We granted him the money.
C) verbs of throwing - bash, bat, flick, fling, hurl, hit, kick, pass, pitch, shoot, slam, slap, sling, throw, tip,
toss
Eg. He passed the ball to John.
He passed John the ball.
D) verbs of sending; verbs of instruments of communication cable, send, mail, signal, e-mail,
Ship, fax, wire, telephone, radio, telex,
Eg, She e-mailed the news to me.
She e-mailed me the news.
E) verbs of communication ask, tell, show, teach, write, pose, read, quote, cite, preach
Eg. He preached the Gospel to the natives.
He preached the natives the Gospel.
F) bring, take - He brought flowers to Mary. / He brought Mary flowers.
BUT verbs of Latinate origin cannot occur in the double object construction, even if they denote change
of possession
Eg, donate, contribute, convey, distribute, transport, transfer, address, propel, release, explain, describe,
portray, narrate, demonstrate, dictate, recite, etc.
He donated his fortune to his best friend.
*He donated his best friend his fortune.
BUT verbs of future having and verbs of communication occur in the double object construction even if
they are of Latin origin
Eg. refer, recommend, guarantee, permit, radio, telegraph, telephone, etc
Eg. She recommended the movie to me.
She recommended me the movie.

14

 Other verbs which are compatible with the change of possession concept, but do not allow
the double object construction
1) manner of speaking verbs babble, bark, bellow, chant, call, murmur, roar, whisper, yell, stammer,
grumble, etc
Eg. She whispered the news to her mother.
*She whispered her mother the news.
2) verbs of communication subcategorizing for a complement clause admit, allege, announce,
articulate, say, assert, communicate, question, claim, report, declare, confess, mention, state, repeat,
recount
Eg. (a)She communicated the news to John.
(b) She communicated to John [that she would go there by all means]CP functioning as Direct Object clause.
*She communicated John the news.
3) miscellaneous entrust, present, provide, supply, credit, furnish, carry, pull, push, lift, lower, raise
Eg. They presented the prize to her.
*They presented her the prize.
The [+animate] constraint
Eg. She brought disaster to the village. / *She brought the village disaster.
She brought a book to Mary. / She brought Mary a book.
The PrepNP [+animate] - needs to be recognized as a potential possessor.
Idioms the double object construction is allowed irrespective of the [+animate] constraint. In fact, it is
the only possible form.
Eg. give the house a coat of paint, give the door a kick, give the problem ones full attention, give somebody
the creeps, give something his all, etc

He gave the house anew coat of paint./ *He gave a new coat of paint to the house.
The Benefective Alternation
Eg. She carved a toy for the baby (Benefective)
She carved the baby a toy.
Verbs of creation in a general sense enter the Benefactive alternation; the DO an effected object
Build verbs arrange, assemble, blow, build, carve, knit, embroider, forge(metal), hammer,roll,
sculpt, compile
Prepare verbs mix, blend, cook, bake, boil, brew, fix, toast, toss, grind, light, clear, fry, iron, poach,
pour, prepare, roast, scamble, wash
Get verbs book, buy, cash, catch, fetch, find, gather, hire, lease, leave, order, phone, pick, pluck,
procure, pull, reach, rent, reserve, save, secure, slaughter, sreal, vote
Create verbs design, dig, mint
Verbs of performance dance, play, sing, spin, whistle,
Syntax
(Larson)

15

(a)John gave a book to his wife.

VP
Spec

V
V
[e]

VP
NP
Theme

V
V
give

PP
P

NP
Goal

(b) John gave his wife a book.

VP
Spec

V
V
[e]

VP
NP
Goali

V
V
V
Give

NP
Theme
NP
ti

The VP shell analysis

Eg. They got the teacher a present.
He passed me the salt.
I showed her my letter.
The lexical verb originates as the head of the lexical VP, while the DP the teacher occupies the [Spec, VP]
position and the DP a present the complement position, as if it were a representation of The teacher got a
present. The lexical verb then raises to adjoint to the light causative verb that heads p. The subject they
originates in [Spec, p] and is assigned the role Agent by the causative light verb.

IP

16

DP

I
I0
T

p
DP
They

0
+cause

VP
DP
The
Teacher

V
V0

DP

Get

a present

The VP-shell Small Clause analysis of the prepositional variant

They got a present to the teacher.
IP
Spec

I
Io

P
DP
they

VP

[+cause]

V
V0
Get

SC/PP
DP
A present

P
P0
to

DP
the teacher

Pesetskys analysis
He proposes that a double object construction contains a null element (a preposition) G which case-marks
the second NP.
Eg. John offered Mary G flowers.
Pesetsky describes this preposition as null and affixal, and its role is to introduce the Theme argument in
the double object construction.This null preposition is the one which assigns case to the the Theme
argument the way the overt preposition to assigns case in the prepositional variant. Because G is an affix it
needs a host, that is it must be adjoined to a non-affixal category, so G moves and adjoins to the governing
verb.

17

IP
DP

I
I0
T
-ed

p
DP
John

VP

+cause

V
V

PP

V0

NP

Offer

Mary

P
P0

NP
flowers

Differences between To and G

Nominalizations based on the double object constructions are ungrammatical whereas those rebased on
the to-variant are grammatical, because, as Pesetsky says affixation of G to the verb prevents further
derivation.
Eg. *Johns offer of Mary (of) flowers
*Marks rental of Julie (of) a flat
Johns offer of flowers to Mary
Marks rental of a flat to Julie
To selects a Goal and G selects a Theme.

2ND YEAR MINOR SYNTAX 1

COURSE INSTRUCTOR: ROXANA-CRISTINA PETCU, PhD
ENGLISH SYNTAX SEMINAR . THE DOUBLE OBJECT CONSTRUCTION
I. Exemplify the classes of verbs which enter the Dative Alternation.
II. Which are the classes of verbs which enter the Benefective Alternation?
III. Explain the difference in meaning between the pairs of sentences below:
1. a) They gave flowers to Mary. / They gave Mary flowers.
2. a) The principal handed the prize to Victor./ The principal handed Victor the prize.
IV.Derive the sentences below:
1. The teacher explained the lesson to the students. 2. The manager offered her a job.

18

V.Apply Dative Movement in the sentences below; if it is not possible explain why.
1. They brought some flowers to Mary. / They brought some flowers to the table. 2. The sun baked these cookies
for John. / Grandmother baked these cookies for John. 3. He wrote a letter to his sister. / He wrote a letter for his
sister. 4. They donated the books to Tom / to the library. 5. The storm brought disaster to the city-dwellers. 6. He
will teach Marys students for her. 7. She made a new dress for her daughter. 8. Professor Jones thanked the
Rector for his students. 9. They promised a reward to the finder. 10. He owes a great sum of money to me.
VI. If necessary, correct the sentences below:
1. She admitted me the mistake.2.I had to deny his request to him. 3. Bill decided not to mention his sore throat to
the doctor.4.They explained me the procedure. 5. The suspect confessed the police his crime.6. We all envied his
lifestyle to him.7. She announced her decision the delegates.8. That adventure cost him his life. 9. My grand
parents gave a coat of paint to the house.10.The scientists demonstrated the new method to their
colleagues.11.They built us a new house.12. Her new coat cost a fortune to her.13. I reported my boss the
theft.14.Because of her present financial difficulties, Im afraid we must refuse you a pay rise.15. I pointed out the
danger to the mechanic.16. Ann didnt have the time to take her library books back, so I took them to her.17.I
made him a cup of coffee.18.Can you describe the attacker to me?19.Could I introduce you John?20.The university
awarded a $10,000 grant Dr.Henderson, allowing him to continue his research.
VII. In the sentences below pronominalize the two objects, apply Dative Movement(if possible),
apply Object Deletion (if possible):
1. He will hand in the paper to the teacher tomorrow. 2. She hasnt written a letter to us for ages. 3. Susan read a
story to little Tom. 4. The war ruined our future for us. 5. I offered the book to John. 6. Mary bought some flowers
for herself. 7. Has he paid the money to you? 8. The earthquake brought disaster to Iran. 9. He explained that
incredible story to me. 10. The lecturer distributed the hand-outs to the students.
VIII. Consider the dative strings below in terms of: 1) possible pronominalization; 2) possible nonprepositional Double Object occurrence:
1. John has handed his room key to the receptionist. 2. Robert has taught English to all the youth of Ceylon and
India. 3. I lent my typewriter to a friend for the week-end. 4. The Express magazine offers $ 1000 to any reader
who could relate some details on the murder. 5. Rose bought a piece of cheese for her sister. 6. The last earthquake
brought disaster to Japan. 7. She gave a kiss to her son.
IX. The following Vs may occur with either a Goal or a Beneficiary role materialized as Indirect
Object: BRING, LEAVE, WRITE, SING. Compare and point out the semantic difference : 1. Karen wrote a letter
to her boyfriend. 2. Karen wrote a letter for her boyfriend.
X. Analyze the objects in the sentences below:
1.He explained to me why he had been late.2.Mary had a bath before falling asleep.3.She was not sure of the
news.4.She was living a dreadful life, among strangers.5.Joan married Ken in no time.6.He fought with his
neighbour because they were cross with each other.7.He broke his leg when he least expected it.8.I acquainted
myself with the surroundings.9.Don tell me this nonsense, I dont believe you.10. They knew they were fighting a
losing battle. 11.He burst in on me one morning. 12. They appealed to her for mercy. 13. You will never live up to
my expectations. 14. We argued with the authorities about the building permit. 15. He explained to me why he had
been late.

2ND YEAR MINOR SYNTAX 1

COURSE INSTRUCTOR: ROXANA-CRISTINA PETCU, PhD
THE PASSIVE
Complex linguistic phenomenon, which manifests itself at three levels of linguistic analysis:
a) the morphological level the auxiliaries be and get and the past participle of the verb
b) the syntactic level a change in position and status of the active Subject and Object
19

c)the semantic level a change in the relation between the underlying role-structure of the sentence
and its organization. The agent(subject) no longer appears in the subject position in the sentence, while
the patient (the object) appears in subject position.
Stylistically speaking, the Passive makes the discourse more objective, what is important is not the
agent anymore, but the event denoted by the verb itself.
The Passive Morphology be + the past participle. Passive verbs behave like unaccusative
verbs. The external theta role of the verb that undergoes passivization is absorbed by the passive
morphology, namely the past participle of the verb. The verb is generated from the Lexicon as
passive, and it behaves as an unaccusative that only has an internal argument which has to move
to [Spec,IP] in order to be assigned case and also to satisfy the Extended Projection Principle
which says that all finite sentences must have a subject. As it behaves as an unaccusative verb it
does not theta-mark an external argument so it cannot assign Accusative case. The internal
argument moves to [Spec,IP] and leaves behind a trace that forms a chain with the moved
constituent <DPi , ti > The external argument of the original active verb can be recovered in the
passive sentence as a prepositional phrase headed by the preposition BY which assigns it the theta
role Agent as well as case or it can be implicit. In other words, the external role of the passive verb
is active both semantically and syntactically. A verbal passive is always related to a syntactically
present NP that acts as its logical subject, either a by-phrase or a covert NP.
Properties of verbal passives accounted for in terms of the presence of the external
argument, either overtly or covertly:
1. the logical subject controls the PRO subject of an infinitival purpose clause (the PRO subject of
the infinitive can be identified as the logical subject of the passive verb). In example a) the logical
subject is overt, while in example b) it is covert; we can assume it is the NP the peasants which is
not overtly expressed in the sentence, yet it controls the PRO subject of the infinitive
eg. a) The meeting was started on time by Susani PROi to please the host.
b) This corn has been grown (by the peasants i) PROi to stave off famine.
2. a syntactically present animate subject (an agent) needs to be present so as to allow the
occurrence of subject-oriented volitional adverbs
eg. a) Our workers are better paid intentionally by the new boss.
b) *Our workers are better paid intentionally.
c) *Most of our furniture is still unmoved on purpose by the company.
In sentence a) the logical subject, the NP by the new boss is animate, agentive and overt, therefore it
licenses a volitional adverb. In sentence b), the logical subject is covert, so it cannot license a
volitional adverb, while in sentence c) the logical subject, the NP by the company is not animate, so it
cannot license the adverbial on purpose, which is subject-oreinted.

The Syntax of the Passive

The professor was invited.

IP
20

DP

I
I0

VP

V0

VP

-ed

BE

V
V0
Invited

PP
(by the students)
DP
the professor

The DP the professor (the internal argument of the verb) moves to [Spec, IP] in order to be assigned
structural Nominative by Io, it leaves behind a trace which will be coindexed with the moved DP; the
Auxiliary verb BE rises to Io to check the Tense feature. The PP by the students recovers the Agent and it
may be overt or covert. The NP inside the PP is assigned theta-role and case by the preposition by.
Conditions on the Passive the adjancency constraint(the double object construction; the dative
verbs) (even with non-arguments of the verb)
Eg. (1) She gave a book to me. / A book was given to me. / *I was given a book to.
She gave me a book. / I was given a book. / *A book was given me.
(1)She wore her pullover thin.
Her pullover was worn thin.
(2)He shouted us into silence.
We were shouted into silence
- no reflexives and reciprocals (He watched himself. / *Himself was watched by him)
- no idiomatic IT ( This argument eats it. / *IT is eaten by this argument.)

The Domain of the Passive

Transitive verbs eg. The newcomer solved the puzzle.
The puzzle was solved by a new comer.
- the position of the Adverbials of manner
eg. He wrote the letter rapidly.
The letter was rapidly written.
NO Passive:
reciprocal verbs resemble, marry
eg. Music resembles poetry.
*Poetry is resembles by music
state verbs (verbs of possession) have, possess, own
eg. He owns a house.
*The house is owned by him.
Stative verbs (verbs of feelings) love, hate, loathe, abhor
Eg. He loves Mary.
*Mary is loved by him.
Reflexives
21

Eg. Mary admired herself in the mirror.

*Herself was admired by Mary in the mirror.
Ditransitive verbs ( change of possession, the Indirect Object is a beneficiary; both objects may
undergo Passivization )
Eg. He gave the flowers to Mary
The flowers were given to Mary.
Mary was given the flowers.
NO Passive
Ditransitives (no change of possession, the Indirect Object is not a beneficiary, but an
Experiencer)
Eg. He gave me a push,
*I was given a push.
*A push was given to me.
Unergatives with a prepositional object
Eg. He insisted upon the invitation. / The invitation was insisted upon.
They talked about the movie./ The movie was talked about.
NO Passive
Intranstitives with quantifier phrases cost , weigh, stretch, last
Eg. The two tickets cost $100.
*$100 are cost by the tickets.
Relational intransitives belong to, pertain to,
Eg. The book belongs to me.
*I am belonged to by the book
Intransitives with Locative and directional Adverbial Phrases
Eg. The house stands by the hill.
*The hill is stood by by the house
Inherently reflexive intransitive
Eg. He availed himself of the opportunity.
*Himself was availed of the opportunity.
Intransitive with particle and preposition
Eg. They did away with that law.
That law was done away with.
Intransitives with two prepositional objects
Eg, talk to smb about smth; lecture; speak; apologize; appeal
They never spoke to her about her late husband.
*She was never spoken to about her late husband.
*Her late husband was never spoken about (in her presence).
The passive is possible only if the verb occurs with only one prepositional object. In this case the
verb + preposition is interpreted as one single lexical unit, so the adjacency constraint is not
violated. The preposition is retained in the passive sentence.
22

Eg. They never spoke to her.

She was never spoken to.
Idiomatic phrases
Eg. Take strong exception to smth; make an example of smth; foist all ones problems on smth; pin
ones faith on smth; make too much of smth; keep close tabs on smth; take advantage of smth,; etc
Eg. They made an example of his behaviour.
His behaviuour was made an example of.
Some Prepositional Phrases showing location
They have sat on the chair.
That chair has been sat on.
NO Passives
Content phrases (with)
Eg. Teem with, swarm with, be crawling with, buzz with, drip with, ooze with, dace with
Eg. The town was dancing with light and shadow.
*Light and shadow were being danced with.
Fill a freezer with, load a truck with,
Eg. The filled the freezer with fish / The freezer was filled with fish..
*Fish were filled the freezer with by them,

The Get Passive

. more dynamic, may have a detrimental meaning, may imply that the Agent has some responsibility
for a detrimental action
eg. His leg got broken.
How did the window get open?
- focuses on the event and on its effects on the Theme/Patient
- the implied agent has full control over the action denoted by the verb
(*He got killed with great care./ He got shot he did something because he wanted to get
shot)
- it involves the speakers attitude, his emotional involvement
Eg. He got caught, the silly fool!
- it is associated with more punctual events.
Eg. He got arrested.

Middles
Eg. The poem reads easily./ Tennis balls sell best in summer./ The play reads better than it acts../ This fabric
washes easily./ Cotton shirts iron well./ These figures add easily.
Properties of the English Middles

23

 they are one argument verb, the agent is not overt in the sentence.It may be understood as one or people
in general, although it may be specific at times.
Eg. The car handles smoothly when John drives it.
Unaccusatives do not have an external argument, not even an implicit one, so they can co-occur with all by
itself, in the sense that something happens without external aid, agentlessly, unlike middles, ahich cannot
co-occur with all by itself, which indicates the fact there in the semantic structure of the Middles there is
an Agent
Eg. The boat sank all by itself.
*The play acts well all by itself.
The meaning contribution of the subject of a middle sentence is different from the meaning contribution of
the subject in a passive sentence, as the theta roles assigned to the subjects of a middle sentence are very
different.
Eg. The book reads easily. [Theme]
Children scare easily. [Experiencer]
The truck loads easily. [Location]
Eg. The book reads easily. (It can be paraphrased as the book has the necessary properties that allow
it to read easily. Somehow the subject is responsible for the action
denoted by the verb.)
The book was easily read.
In an unaccusative sentence the subject cannot be interpreted as responsible because it refers to a concrete entity.
Eg. The door opens with difficulty.
So, the subject of a middle sentence is an entity, a non-Agent which is responsible for the action denoted by the
verb, in the sense that it has the necessary properties which make the situation denoted by the verb possible.
Middles are generic sentences that do not describe particular events in time. They are seen as stative, atelic
predicates, like individual level predicates. They are compatible with always and incompatible with the
progressive. When they occur in the progressive they denote a change between successive stages. They do
not occur in the imperative.
Eg. This book always reads easily.
The manuscript is reading better and better.
*Handle smoothly, car!
Middle generally occur with obligatory modifications. It can be a Manner Adverbial, a Locative Adverbial, a
clausal modifier (non-purpose), a negative operator or an overt modal verb. The role of the modifier is to
stativize the predicate. At the same time it indicates the presence of an Agent in the semantic structure of
Middle verbs.
Eg. This book translates easily. (Manner)
Make sure the sddress reads through window. (Place)
Officials bribe before reaching high office. (Adverbial clause of time)
This text does not translate. (Negation)
This text will not translate.(overt modal and negation)
Agent oriented adverbs are not allowed in middle sentences.

24

Eg. *Officials bribe evidently.

Middles have an Agent which is syntactically inactive, but semantically active.
Middle Formation
Only transitive verbs that have an affected argument enter Middle Formation. Effected objects cannot
occur in a middle sentence
Eg. *A dress makes easily.
Only activities and accomplishments occur in middle sentences, stative verbs, achievements and semelfactives do not allow middle formation.
Eg. The car drives well.
The book reads easily.
*The answer knows easily.
*Such mistakes notice fast.
*The door kiks easily.
Only causatives that have an Instrument/Manner component enter middle formation

Only transitive causative verbs that allow an Agent, an Instrument or a Cause in the subject
position

1. The woman[+agent] opened the door.

2. The wind[+cause} opened the door.
3. The key[+instrument] opened the door.
Middle
The door opens easily.

25

2ND YEAR MINOR SYNTAX 1

COURSE INSTRUCTOR: ROXANA-CRISTINA PETCU, PhD
THE PASSIVE ; MIDDLE FORMATION
I. Mention the most important properties of the English Middles and provide examples.
II. Explain why the sentences below are ungrammatical:
1. *Such deeds do not admit easily.2.*Such stories do not tell fast.3.Politicians praise a lot on TV. 4.*Exams forget
easily. 5.*This kind of bread buys easily. 6. *Innocent victims murder easily.7.*Clever people like instantly.8.*This
aim achieves with difficulty. 9.*Fish cooks obviously.
III. Can the following verbs occur in middle sentences?
FLOAT, ROLL, BLOW, KICK, PULL, PUSH, BOMBARD, SHOWER, STONE, WATER, BREAK.
IV. Translate into English using middles wherever possible:
1. Aparatura de uz caznic se vinde foarte bine de srbtori.2. Se cumpr case n draci primvara i toamna.3.Am
dat peste un text absolut oribil.Pur i simplu nu se traduce orice ai face. 4.Am s-mi cumpr materialul
acesta.Vnztoarea spune c se spal i se calc foarte bine.5.M-am uitat la anunurile din ziar dup un
apartament mai mic de nchiriat, cci, dup cum se tie apartamentele mici se nchiriaz mai repede deci sunt mai
greu de gsit. 6.D-mi nite lipici, te rog. Timbrele acestea nu se lipesc de loc pe plic i trebuie s dau scrisoarea
curierului care ateapt pe hol.7. Vilele sunt mai spaioase dect casele obinuite dar se vnd mai greu deoarece
preurile sunt foarte mari. 8.Chiar i pentru mine care sunt o gospodin fr experien albuul i glbenuul se
pot separa uor.9. Brnza se rade uor aa c nu ai de ce s te plngi.Poi s pui ct de mult la spaghete fr mare
efort.10. Problema se poate rezolve uor, nu te mai complica att.
VI. Mention the constraints on the Passive and provide examples.
VII. Explain the differences between the BE passive and the GET passive (Refer to sentences such as
Mary got fired, the fool! / Mary was fired alst week)
VIII. Passivize the sentences below (if possible. If there is no passive counterpart explain why):
1.The newcomer solved the puzzle.2 He wrote the letter rapidly.3. Music resembles poetry.4. He owns a house.
5.He loves Mary. 6. Mary admired herself in the mirror.7. He gave the flowers to Mary. 8.He gave me a push,9. He
insisted upon the invitation.10.They talked about the movie.11. The two tickets cost $100.12. The book belongs to
me.13. The house stands by the hill.14. He availed himself of the opportunity. 15.They did away with that law.16.
They made an example of his behaviuor. 17.The minister took strong exception to the position put forth by the
opposition. 18. The teacher made too much of your attitude during the exam. 19. The secret police kept close tabs
on the members of that terrorist organisation. 20. Somebody has sat on the chair. 21. The manager heard her
talking to the stockbroker. 22. We saw him cross the street.23. The town was dancing with light and
shadow.24.The filled the freezer with fish. 25. They have decided on this chair. 26. It stormed up a flood last night.
27. I took a picture of Mary. 28. Your presence there surprised me. 29. The force of the blizzard took us by
surprise. 30. My family possess this flat. 31.His grandfather left him about $100,000.32.The hooligans set upon
the old man and beat him up.33.She doesnt like it if people critize her.34.They have done away with trams in
England.35.I dont think the police are doing anything about it.36.They were giving a concer in the hall when a
large piece of plaster fell down from the ceiling.It injured about fifty people seriously enough for the ambulance
men to take them to hospital.37.I have him a cheque for the amount required.38.The magistrate let him off with a
severe reprimand.39.They had evacuated the Cathedral before the spire collapsed, so it did not hurt
anyone.40.They look after you very well in that hotel.41.The police eventally gave up the search for the missing

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men.42.Some girls love it if men pay them compliments.43.Someone gave me this pen for Christmas.44.Everyone
was listening to the news bulletin with avid interest.45.They told him curtly to go away.46.They are now building a
new cinema there.47.I assure you that the authorities are investigating your complaint.48.Some people object if
others make them work hard.49.I hate it when people make fun of me, though I dont mind it if they tease
me.50.My sisters fianc is cooking dinner tonight.It smells all right anyway.51.He left without anyone noticing
him.52.He is tired of other people sponging him on.53.People believe the authorities accused them of planning
amn armed revolt. 54.They swamped the ordinary voters with information about the candidates.55.Provided we
do not press the terms to far, we can identify the Republicans as the American conservatives and the Democrats as
the liberals.56.The law fixes the dates of the American presidential elections and there is no margin for
discretion.57.The voters mandate each member of the electoral college in advance. 58. They expect the Congress
will appoint him leader of the party.59.Somebody broke the vase during the party.60.Some crazy kids destroyed
my neighbours car last night.
IX.Translate into English:
1.Nu se pstreaz nici o dovad referitoare la vizita pe care spune c a fcut-o la Paris n 1978.2.Cum ni expirase
viza mi s-a interzis s mai intru n ar.3.Va fi ateptat la aeroport?4.Directorului I s-a trimis o invitaie din partea
consilului administrativ s se prezinte pe data de 20 ale lunii i s justifice propunerile ce fuseser fcute privind
modificarea organigramei ntreprinderii.5.Mare parte din ce s-a spus la ntrunire a fost notat n procesul
verbal.6.Operaia la care a fost supus a durat 6 ore.7.S-a auzit un strigt la cellat capt al coridorului i s-a vzut o
umbr neagr prelingndu-se pe perete.8.Hotrrea ei de a nu se cstori cu acel domn a fost aprobat de ntreaga
familie.9.Foarte multe obiecte de art deosebit de valoroase s-au distrus n timpul cutremurului.10. Se tie c
nimeni nu putea s-l sufere cnd era preedintele acelei fundaii.11.S-a acceptat n general idea c cele mai multe
IMM-uri din domeniul transporturilor sunt localizate n zonele de sud, centru i sud vest.12.n ultimul an s-a
nregistrat o scdere accentuat a realizrilor economice ale zonei.13.Dup un timp am pierdut vaporul din
vedere.14.Nu-mi vine s cred c aceste obiecte de mbrcminte au fost purtate de Regina Maria.15.Cum treceam
pe lng tejghea mi s-a dat un platou i am fost rugat s-l aduc la mas.16.Situaia a fost prezentat n faa
membrilor adunrii generale crora li s-a cerut s ia o hotrre urgent pentru ca lucrurile s poat fi remediate
ct mai curnd cu putin.17.Se pare c s-a descoperit un nou medicament pentru a lupta contra cazurilor de astm
la copii.18.Este posibil ca n urmtoarele cteva zile s fie eliberat un nou grup de prizonieri politici.19.Aproape
ntreg programul conferinei a fost alocat unui raport despre situaia din Irak.20.Nu tiu cum , dar n cele din
urm am fost convins s-mi cumpr o motociclet.21.S-a czut de accord s se amne ntrunirea.22.Toat lumea
se atepta ca daunele s fie deosebit de mari.23.Se vede clar c preurile au crescut vertiginos n luna
septembrie.24.S-a luat hotrrea s se construiasc un nou drum comunal.25.Ni s-a comunicat c minsitrul de
finane i-a dat demisia.26.nc nu s-a admis official c situaia dramatic a nvmntului superior romnesc
este cauzat n mare parte se subfinanarea cronic.27.Actualmente exist opinia c informaiile sunt transmise la
creier de ctre diverse substane chimice.28.Se crede c mai exist nc multe obstacole n calea procesului de pace
din Orientul Apropiat.29.n 1981 se cunotea doar existena a doi specialiti n acea boal extrem de rar n toat
lumea.30.S-a formulat acuzaia c prtul ar fi fost implicat ntr-un jaf armat.

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