SEMINAR 7

Passive/Middle Formation

I. Derive the following sentences and discuss their active alternatives as well:
1. They were given a lot of food at the party.
2. The paintings have been shown to all visitors.
II. Turn into the passive and give two passive constructions where possible:
a. They will grant us a leave in July if there is no urgent work to be done.
b. Her friends never forgave her disloyalty.
c. The manager charged him with a difficult mission.
d. The lecturer showed the students the new equipment.
e. The company had shipped the cargo to the town before the agent arrived.
f. Why do people laugh at him?
g. Nobody took notice of our late arrival.
h. The family must send the sick man to hospital. The doctors will look after him
much better in hospital than at home.
III. Give the passive alternative to the following sentences, where possible. Make further
comments on the subcategorization frame of the verbs.
1. Peter resembles his elder brother.
2. That dress fits her wonderfully.
3. The shop-assistant weighed five pounds of apples.
IV. Comment on the stylistic effect of passive usage in the following headlines. Elaborate
on the predictability of the by-Agent in those expressions where it is not overt:
a. Rider is killed in road chase after runaway horse
b. Paralysed by a knock-out blow
c. A rumble of despair in the town hit by Tornado
d. New luxurious cottages recently built in East-End
e. The lock of the bank case was smashed open last night
f. Found dead in her bedroom (a criminal case)
V. What is the semantic (and pragmatic) difference between the following passive
constructions:
a. He was arrested last night.//He got arrested last night.
b. They were paid off for their work.//they got paid off for their work.
c. He is quite famous; he is invited to different parties.//He gets invited to different
very fashionable parties.
VI. a. Comment on the implied Agent and its control power in the two passive variants:
BE/GET: He was killed with great care.//*He got killed with great care.
b. Also comment on the use/non-use of the instrumental prepositional phrase in:
1. He was killed with a gun.//
2. *He got killed with a gun.
Comment on the ambiguity of interpretation on account of control of the subject over the
event in: He got shot on purpose (i.e. he must have done something for him to be killed
by someone, he wanted to be killed); He was killed on purpose (i.e. someone has done
something on purpose, for killing him. Explain the well-formed imperatives: Get
married! Get nominated! vs. Be married!/Be nominated!

Seminar 8
Middle Formation and Middles

I. What are the most important semantic properties of the English middle verbs? (Rely on
the lexical approach). Give at least three examples in sentences of your own, showing
that these properties are in contrast to those of their transitive counterparts.
II. What is the Affectedness constraint and how does it apply in Middle alternation?
III. What is the syntactic approach and what is the significance of this analysis?
IV. What are the similarities and dissimilarities between unaccusatives, passive
predicates (be taken, be eaten, be killed, etc.), ergatives (break) and middles in terms of
their argument structure? Identify the theta-roles and their syntactic position in each case.
Discuss the following examples in these terms:
a. The guests arrived.
b. He was taken to hospital (by his wife).
c. The boy broke the window/The window broke.
d. This shirt washes and irons equally well.
V. Derive the following sentence:
Bureaucrats bribe easily enough these days.
Discuss this derivation in terms of Stroik’s analysis, where the Agent is interpreted as
PRO occurring in an adjunct position.
VI. Explain why the following sentences are ungrammatical:
1. *Such deeds do not admit easily.
2. *Such stories do not tell fast.
3. *Politicians dictate a lot on TV.
4. *Exams forget easily.
5. *This kind of cake buys very well.
6. *Clever people like instantly.
7. *This aim achieves with difficulty.
8. *Bread cuts obviously. (as in Avram:330)
VII. Identify the presence of an implicit Agent (external argument, +/-volitional) in the
following predications and relate this property to the acceptability of a middle expression:
1. Eggs mix well with sugar.
2. Cities destroy easily.
3. Whole wheat bread cuts easily.
4. Our new tap unscrews easily.
5. These labels tape well.
6. That cheese grates well.
7. The rail holds easily.
8. Marble carves with difficulty.
VIII. Explain why verbs listing in the split class (as in Levin, 1993) are candidates for
MF, while those from the pelt class cannot be candidates for MF.
e.g. a. This kind of wood saws easily. This cloth rips fast. This carpet
rolls easily. Glass decorations break easily.
b. * Squirrels pelt easily with acorns. *This city bombards easily.