Syntax 1 Wiki: Week 9

Raising

• There is a special verb class called subject raising verbs.
• These verbs are easy to identify by applying the following tests.
• If the verb passes theses tests, then it is a subject raising verbs.
• Usually, if the verb passes one of these tests, then it passes all of them.

Subject raising verb Test Nr. 1

If the verb V takes a non-finite VP-complement headed by the verb rain, then V must take the idiomatic word it as its subject.

Illustration:

(1)
a. It_idiom rained.
b. It_idiom will rain.

(2)
a. * The student rained.
b. * The student will rain.

Subject raising verb Test Nr. 2

If the verb V takes a non-finite VP-complement headed by a verb that selects an idiomatic NP as its subject, then V must take this idiomatic NP as V’s subject.

Illustration:

(1)
a. All hell_idiom broke_idiom loose.
b. All hell_idiom will break_idiom loose.

(2)
a. * An accident_idiom broke_idiom loose.
b. * An accident_idiom will break_idiom loose.

Subject raising verb Test Nr. 3

If the verb V takes a non-finite VP-complement headed by a verb that imposes semantic requirements on its subject, then V must impose those same semantic requirements on V’s subject. Illustration:

The verb kill only requires of its subject that it express some kind of force that kills the referent of the direct object. That force can be alive or not:

(3)
a. The student willV kill the politician.
b. The accident willV kill the politician.

In contrast, the verb assassinate requires its subject to express a person. Forces cannot assassinate anyone!

(4)
a. The student willV assassinate the politician.
b. * The accident willV assassinate the politician.

The same case can be made with the verbs like (which requires a living being as its subject) or happen (which requires an event as its subject).

Subject raising verb Test Nr. 4

If the verb V takes a non-finite VP-complement headed by a verb that selects a subject of a particular syntactic category, then V must select a subject of the same syntactic category.

Illustration:

The verb like requires its subject to be an NP:

(5)
a. [_NP The student] willV like the politician.
b. * [_S That the student smokes] willV like the politician.

In contrast, the verb annoy allows its subject to be an NP or an S:

(6)
a. [_NP The student] willV annoy the politician.
b. [_S That the student smokes] willV annoy the politician.

The student