Syntax B   Winter 2009
Assignment 1:  Tough Movement
Due Tuesday January 13


I.  An EASY Problem

(1)  For Bob to persuade Max to eat frogs will be   { easy      } .
                                                    { hard      }
                                                    { difficult }
                                                    { tough     }
                                                    { a bitch   }
                                                    { a cinch   }
                                                    { a snap    }

(2)  It will be  { easy      }  for Bob to persuade Max to eat frogs.
                 { hard      }
                 { difficult }
                 { tough     }
                 { a bitch   }
                 { a cinch   }
                 { a snap    }

(3)  To persuade Max to eat frogs will be   { easy      }  for Bob.
                                            { hard      }
                                            { difficult }
                                            { tough     }
                                            { a bitch   }
                                            { a cinch   }
                                            { a snap    }

(4)  It will be  { easy      }  to persuade Max to eat frogs.
                 { hard      }
                 { difficult }
                 { tough     }
                 { a bitch   }
                 { a cinch   }
                 { a snap    }

Provide reasonable analyses for a sample of these sentences.  Discuss
as thoroughly as necessary.



II.  A TOUGH PROBLEM


The adjectives 'hard' and 'easy' and 'ready' are interesting.  They can appear
in some of the same structures as ordinary adjectives, like 'rectangular':

    (5)   The brick was hard.
    (6)   The test was easy.
    (7)   The brick was ready.
    (8)   The brick was rectangular.

But they can also appear in structures where ordinary adjectives cannot:

    (9)   Louise inserted the brick into the hole.
   (10)  *Louise inserted into the hole.

   (11)   The brick was hard to insert into the hole.
   (12)   The brick was easy to insert into the hole.
   (13)   The brick was ready to insert into the hole.
   (14)  *The brick was rectangular to insert into the hole.

There must be something special about these adjectives.  Let's investigate them:

   (15)  The socks were hard to put on.
   (16)  The socks were easy to put on.
   (17)  The socks were ready to put on.
   (18)  The stone was hard to lift.
   (19)  The stone was easy to lift.
   (20)  The pie was ready to eat.
   (21)  The stone was hard for Louise to lift.
   (22)  The stone was easy for Louise to lift.
   (23)  The socks were ready for Louise to put on.
   (24)  Betty was easy for Fred to talk to.
   (25)  It will not be easy for the gerbils to get out of the cage.
   (26)  The cage will not be easy for the gerbils to get out of.


Before you decide on an analysis for 'hard' and 'easy' and 'ready', notice
that they don't behave exactly alike:

   (27)  To put the socks on the gorilla was hard.
   (28)  To put the socks on the gorilla was easy.
   (29) *To put the socks on the gorilla was ready.
   (30)  It was hard to put the socks on the gorilla.
   (31)  It was easy to put the socks on the gorilla.
   (32) *It was ready to put the socks on the gorilla.

Actually, (32) is grammatical, but only on an interpretation where
it refers to some being, say my pet monkey.  Note that that
interpretation is impossible in (30) and (31).  These are among the facts
to be accounted for.

   (33)  The turkey was ready to come out of the oven.
                       *hard
                       *easy
   (34)  The turkey was ready to take out of the oven.
                        hard
                        easy
   (35)  The turkey was ready to be taken out of the oven.
                       *hard
                       *easy
   (36)  Louise was ready to insert the brick into the hole.
                   *hard
                   *easy
                   *rectangular

   (37)  Louise was ready to spit into the hole.
                             drop
                             insert

   (38)  Louise was hard  to spit into the hole.
                    easy     drop
                             insert

   (39)  It was hard to spit Louise into the hole.
   (40)  It was easy to spit Louise into the hole.
   (41)  It was ready to spit Louise into the hole.

   (42)  Tabs will be hard to keep on Betty.
   (43)  Tabs will be easy to keep on Betty.
   (44) *Tabs will be ready to keep on Betty.

In the above examples, be careful to note the meaning differences.

Now the problem, of course, is to propose an analysis (assumed
deep structures and derivations, including the precise characterization
of any movements involved) to generate the grammatical
sentences and account for all the differences in grammaticality and
interpretation.
 

III.  Is there anything interesting to say about the following?

(45)  The students were tough to persuade to paint themselves blue.
(46)  The students were tough to persuade to paint them blue.
(47)  That nut is going to be a bitch to get off.
(48)  Max is going to be tough for Bob to persuade to eat frogs.


IV.   What about these?

(40)  That violin is easy to play sonatas on.
(50)  Sonatas are easy to play on that violin.


V.    What about these?

(51)  Max is going to be tough for us to persuade Betty to accept as a mentor.
(52)  That sentence is going to be a bitch to explain to Betty how to derive.