the passive middle sentences

8/9/2019 The Passive Middle Sentences

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The Passive

Middle Sentences


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Definition

Passivization is a type of NP movement triggered by (1)

the suppression of the eternal argument of the verb and

(!) the presence of passive morphology on the verb"

#hich leads to the disappearance of the accusative casefeature on the verb (passive morphology$ be en)%

Prediction$ verbs that have an eternal argument #ill beopen to passivization" be they transitive or intransitive

verbs%


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The domain of passivization

Transitive verbs (including double ob&ect verbs) andintransitive verbs #ith prepositional ob&ects passivize%

1% a% The old lady tric'ed the thief%

The thief #as tric'ed by the old lady%b% The minister told the secret to the president% The secret #as told to the president%

!% Somebody slept in Napoleons bed%

Napoleons bed #as slept in%


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There are some restrictions on the passiviztion of

transitive verbs%

irst" transitive verbs that denote states do not passivize"

i%e% have, possess, resemble, hold (in the sense of

contain)% This is so because their direct ob&ect is not a

real Theme" i%e% an affected constituent%


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*% a% +Seven cars #ere had by prime minister%

b% +, lot of 'no#ledge #as possessed by the

ne# Pope%c% +-ohn #as resembled by his t#in sister%

d% +, lof of #ater is held by that container%

e% +.onfidence #as lac'ed (by) -ohn%


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Transitive verbs that ta'e an epletive direct ob&ect donot passivize either%

/% a% -ohn got it last time 0 tried to eplain things tohim+0t #as got (by -ohn)%

b% 2e ble# it" 0m afraid+0t #as blo#n (by him)%

This restriction falls in line #ith a remar' that 0 havepreviously made" namely that Theme arguments thatdenote affected entities are available for passivization%


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inally" it is also important that the referent of the ,gent

argument be 34 ,nimate5 for a passive sentence to be

#ell6formed%

7% a% My car needs a #ash%

+, #ash is needed by my car%

b% The train left the station%

+The station #as left by the train


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There are also restrictions on the passivization of

intransitive verbs%

irst" the sub&ect in the active correspondent has to be

an ,gent (cf% 8rimsha# 199:)%

Second" the prepositional ob&ect must denote an affected

entity%

,ll the eamples in (;) contain affected prepositionalob&ects%


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;% a% 2e didnt account for the loss of money%

The loss of money #as not accounted for%

b% The blac'mailer alluded to the crime%

The crime #as alluded to%

c% They tal'ed about the plane crash%

The plane crash #as tal'ed about%

d% 2e put up #ith their annoying interruptions%

Their annoying interruptions #ere put up #ith%


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.ompare the grammatical eamples above #ith the

those in (


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The by6phrase

The by6phrase in passives corresponds to the eternal

argument that has been suppressed as a result of the

presence of passive morphology%

This means that the by6phrase turns from an argumentinto an optional constituent" i%e% an ad&unct% =ne can

dispense #ith ad&uncts%

>% ,n intruder placed the ladder here%The ladder #as placed here%


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The by6phrase

,gents may be omitted because

(i) they are implicit in passive sentences

(ii) they are un'no#n

(iii) they are irrelevant to the piece of discourse in

#hich the passive sentence is integrated


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The by6phrase

2o#ever" there are cases in #hich the omission of the

by6phrase ma'es a passive sentence ungrammatical" as

in (9)" (a) and (b) ?uoted from ,vram 1999%

9% a% +This house #as built%

b% +The bridge #as designed%

c% +The film #as produced%

d% +The tur'ey #as coo'ed%


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The by6phrase

@$ Ahat do all the passivized verbs in (9) have in

commonB

,$ Semantically" they are verbs that denote creation% Ae

can conclude that #hen such verbs are passivized" the

by6phrase must be mentioned%


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8et6passives

0n addition to be6passives" Cnglish also features another

type of passive construction" the get6passive" #hich is

eemplified belo#$

1:% a% -ohn #as 'illed in yesterdays accident%

b% -ohn got 'illed in yesterdays accident%

11% a% The #indo# #as bro'en by my younger son%

b% 0 'no# ho# the #indo# got bro'en%1!% a% The cat #as run over by a bus%

b% The cat got run over by a bus%


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8et6passives

There are differences be#teen the t#o types of passives"

#hich concern

(i) the status of be versusget"

(ii) semantic interpretation and compatibility #ith

certain verb classes%


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8et6passives

Be in passive sentences behaves li'e an auiliary verb(it inverts #ith the sub&ect in interrogative sentences" itis negated by not" it is used in tag ?uestions)% Get" onthe other hand" sho#s different behavior% .onsider the

pairs of sentences belo#%

1*% a% Aas -ohn robbed yesterdayB+8ot -ohn robbedyesterdayB

b% She #as not paid at all+She got not paid at all%c% The child #as 'idnapped" #asnt heB+The

child got 'idnapped" gotnt heB


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8et6passives

Get passives are interpreted as eventive #hereas bepassives focus on the result of the event denoted by theverb%

The connection bet#een eventive interpretation and getpassives eplains #hy this 'ind of passive isungrammatical if the verb has a stative interpretation%This basically means that psychological verbs as #ell as

verbs that denote mental perception #ill beungrammatical in get passives (though not in bepassives)%


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8et6passives

1/% a% Sue #as admiredhatedfeared by her brother%

b% +Sue got admiredhatedfeared by her brother%

17% a% The dean #as considered a fool%

b% +The dean got considered a fool%


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,d&ectival Passives

There is a set of properties that differentiate verbal

passives (#hich #e have already discussed) and

ad&ectival passives (presentation and eamples based on

Cmonds !::7)%i)erbal passives may denote an ongoing activity (1;)%

,d&ectival passives refer to completed activities (1


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,d&ectival passives

This is #hy the copulative verbs that are not compatible

#ith the Ecompleted sense cannot occur in ad&ectival

passives$

(1>) a% +Many polluted cities remain avoided during

the summer%

b% +Ne# For' seems left in the touristseason%


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,d&ectival passives

ii) Selection by different copulative verb classes$ all

verbs that select an ,P can form an ad&ectival

passives% 2ere is a short list of such verbs in Cnglish$

act, appear, be, become, look, remain, seem,smell, sound%

erbal passives are grammatical #ith verbs such as

beandget(#hich may also select an ,P)


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,d&ectival passives

iii) Degree #ords can modify ad&ectival passives" but

not verbal passives%

(19) The garden seemed toooverplanted%

The region does not seem veryinhabited%

Howspotted #ith food did these clothes loo'B

(!:) +Ne# For' is moreavoided by tourists than other

cities%+That prison is not veryescaped these days%


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,d&ectival passives

iv) The ad&ectival prefi un-modifies only ad&ectival

passives%

(!1) The #or' seemed un'no#nunre#arded%

These boo's should remain unsoldunfinished%

(!!) +That #or' #as unfollo#ed by others%

+These boo's should get unhanded to customers%


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,d&ectival passives

v) =nly verbal passives have eternal arguments%

(!*) The meeting #as started on time by Susan (to

please the host)%

=ur #or'ers are better paid (intentionallyby the ne# boss)%

(!/) Most of our furniture is still unmoved (+by the

company)%=ur #or'ers remain better paid

(+intentionally)%


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Middles

.onsider the pairs of sentences belo#$

(!7) a% , maid irons his shirts%

b% 2is shirts iron easily%

(!;) a% The ta payer bribed the bureaucrats%

b% Gureaucrats bribe easily%

The eamples in (!7b) and (!;b) are 'no#n as middle

sentences%


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Middles

Schoorlemmer H ,c'ema (!::7) propose that the

follo#ing set of properties characterize middle

sentences$

(i)The eternal argument in the non6middle counterpartis not an argument in the middle sentenceI

(ii)The sub&ect of the middle sentences carries the

semantic role of the direct ob&ect in the non6middle

counterpartI

(iii) Middle sentences are generic%


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Middles

The follo#ing presentation and eamples" based on

Schoorlemmer H ,c'ema" focuses on properties of

middle sentences as #ell as on restrictions on middle

formation%Middle predicates are stative%

Middle sentences rely on stative (non6eventive)

predicates%

(!) +Gureaucrats are bribing easily no#adays%


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Middles

Middle sentences have a modal reading that can be

paraphrased as anyone could erb !dverb"%

(!9) This boo' reads easily" so 0 can read it too%

This egg peels easily" so 0 can peel it too%

Middle sentences contain an adverbial modi#ier%

(*:) These toys assemble rapidly%

+These toys assemble%


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Middles

2o#ever" it is possible under certain circumstances for

middles to do #ithout adverbial modification%

(i)#hen the sentence contains a modal verb

(*1) This meat may cut" but you never 'no#%

(ii)#hen #e #ant to say that anyone can do the action

that the verb refers to(*!) This dress buttons%


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Middles

Middle sentencesare not compatible with by-phrases$

Middle

(**) Such tets do not translate easily (+by

professional translators)%

Passive

(*/) Such tets are usually translated by a professionaltranslator%


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Middles

agan (199!) proposes that middle formation is sub&ect

to an aspectual constraint$ (transitive) activities and

accomplishment predicates represent the input to middle

sentences%(*7) This pipe smo'es nicely%

, Stein#ay piano plays easily%

Gob6Joss style pictures paint easily%Sturdy clear plastic boes assemble in

seconds%


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Middles

(*;) +, red6#inged blac'bird recognizes easily%

+Such high summits do not reach easily%

(*


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Middles

0t has also been proposed that the grammatical sub&ect

in middle sentences must be also sub&ect to the!#ectedness %onstraint& the grammatical sub&ect in a

middle sentence must be affected by the action denoted

by the middle verb%


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Middles

.onsider the contrast belo#$

(*9) Defenseless countries invade easily (said by one

aggressor to another)%

Defenseless cities destroy easily (said byone bomber to another)%

(/:) +Simple ans#ers 'no# easily (said by one

student to another)%+Security stuff recognizes easily (said by

one thief to another)%


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Middles

Note" again" that the !#ectedness %onstraint may

sometimes brea' do#n%

(/1) 8ree' translates easily%

=ne last constraint that applies to middle formation

concerns the sub&ect in middle sentences"'he !gentivity%ondition$ the logical sub&ect in a middle sentence must

be an ,gent%


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Middles

(/!) Gureaucrats bribe easily%

That boo' reads #ell%

8ree' does not translate easily%

(/*) +The Ciffel to#er sees easily%

+The ans#er 'no#s easily%

+Spies dont recognize easily%


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Middles

@$ 2o# do #e 'no# that the logical sub&ect is an

,gentB

,$ There are tests for agentivity%

(i),gents are compatible #ith agentive adverbials suchas intentionally" on purposeI

(ii),gents are compatible #ith paraphrases li'e E#hat K

did to y%


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Middles

(//) The mafia boss intentionally bribed the

bureaucrats%

Ahat Mary did #as read a good boo'%

Ahat 2arry did #as translate a 8ree' test%

(/7) LThe tourist intentionally sa# the Ciffel to#er%

LAhat most students did #as 'no# the ans#er%

L-ames Gond intentionally recognized the otherspy%

the passive middle sentences

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