Basic Sentence Transformations

1
Basic Sentence Transformations

• Chapter 8 and More

2
Reason for Transformations

• Canonical vs. non-canonical
• Arbitrariness vs. Iconicity
• Proximity
• First things first
• More important before less important
• Conceptually close things - e.g. noun phrase

3
Passives

• Functions
• To demote the Agent
• To promote the Patient
• To make the Verb less active and more stative
• Agentless Passives (He was fired.)
• Get Passives (He got fired by the boss.)
• Resultative Adjectives (He is/got drunk.)

4
Passives and Style

• Student writers are often discouraged from using
  passives. (if youll pardon my passive)
• They can create confusion or be difficult to
  process (p. 248)
• They can make the sentence more wordy
• Sometimes, they are useful (p. 249)

5
Indirect Object Transformation

• Moving the indirect object (to/for NP) before
  the direct object and eliminate the preposition.
• He gave him the present. (lt He gave the present
  to him.)
• He baked me a cake. (lt He baked a cake for me.)
• Function to promote the indirect object
• Doesnt work if the indirect object is a place
  adverbial. (He drove Chicago the car.)
• Indirect object is the recipient or benefactor of
  the direct object

6
Object Complements

• Object complements refer to the direct object
• I consider him a fool. I want him arrested.
• If an object complement is an NP, then the
  sentence has two NPs after the verb
• Pages 239-240 Edwin considers/bought Eleanor a
  jewel.

7
Question Transformations

• Wh-Question
• Invert the subject and the first auxiliary
• Move the Wh-Word to the front
• Whom will he choose?
• Yes-No Question
• Invert the subject and the first auxiliary
• Will he choose me?
• Tag Question
• At the end of the sentence, put the first
  auxiliary followed by not if the sentence is
  positive and then a pronominal form of the
  subject
• Hell choose me, wont he?/He wont choose me,
  will he?

8
Hierarchy of Certainty in Questions
Answer Unknown
Answer Known
9
Diagramming Wh-Questions
we
will eat
What
S
VP
NP
NP
MVP
Pronoun
AUX
MV
Pronoun
we will eat
what
10
Examples of Wh-Questions

• Subject (Who is here? What bit me?)
• Direct Object (Whom did you call? What will we
  eat?)
• Indirect Object (To whom did you give the present
  to? For whom did you bake the cake?)
• Object of a preposition (In whom shall we place
  our trust? Onto what did you put the book.)
• Possessor (Whose book is this? In which/what box
  will we find the candy?)

11
Other Transformations

• Imperative
• Understood second person subject (sg. or pl.)
• Open the door.
• Negative
• Put not after the first auxiliary
• Tom doesnt like me.
• Left Dislocation (Tom, he likes me.)
• Y-Movement (Tom he likes.)

12
Four uses of the Verb, Be

• As a linking verb (e.g., They are nice.)
• As an auxiliary with the present participle form
  of the main verb to form the progressive (They
  are dancing.)
• As an auxiliary with the past participle form of
  the main verb to form the passive (They were
  surprised by the answer.)
• As an existential (There is a Santa Claus.)
• Exercise 8.9, p. 253

13
Rules involving the first auxiliary

• Wh-Question, Yes/No-Question, Tag Question,
  Negative
• If a sentence does not have a first auxiliary,
  then insert do as the first auxiliary.
• If the main verb is Be, do not insert do.