GG5

GG5 DiA Preposing i passives
Passives:
In an active we have the subject being the agent and

the object being the patient(affected).
In a passive we have the subject being the patient
(affected) and the agent (by-phrase) being an adjunct
(that appears optionally).
The passive alternation: aligning semantic roles

with syntactic functions
• Cannonical english order→ SVO
• The subject is usually the syntactic function associated with the agent semantic role
• The object is usually the syntactic function associated with the patient semantic role.
But…
– How can you place the patient in sentence initial position?
– How can you place the agent in sentence final position? → TODAS W THE PASSIVE
– How do you get the event or a circumstance in final position?
Effect of the passive:

• The patient/affected entity is “promoted” to subject position. It appears at the beginning of the sentence.
• The agent is “demoted”: it disappears. OR It is placed at the end of the clause by means of an adjunct by-
phrase.
The passive alternation: information packaging effects
1. Speakers can place patient NPs with familiar referents before agent NPs with novel referents (remember:
in English there is a tendency to prefer placement of familiar referents before the placement of novel
referents).
• The house was broken into by a local burglar
2. The speaker may choose to present the patient/affected entity as a link/topic at the beginning of the clause.
The link is part of the theme (the question under discussion) and establishes a particular relation with an
element in the previous discourse; it is understood as what the sentence is about
2. This is analogous to what goes on with nonfocal preposing (topicalisation). → AKA

topicalisation i passives hacen que la vaina sea un link:
• She was doing an experiment with two groups of mice and she was feeding them different things. The first
group of mice she fed corn. (topicalisation)
• She was doing an experiment with two groups of mice and she was feeding them different things. The first
group of mice were fed corn. (passive)
3. Speakers can omit the agent role entirely. The agent may be generic or irrelevant; omission of agents
allows speakers/writers to sound more objective or even preserve anonymity → AKA se puede omitir el
agent (by clause)
Lexico-syntactic restrictions on passivisation

The passive is possible with: ?
Obligatory Arguments:
• Direct Object
(1) a. Henry Dunant founded the Red Cross.
b. The Red Cross was founded by H.D.
But note: (3) *The moon was jumped over by the cow. [over the moon is not a Prep Obj in the active
alternate]
• The NP of a Prepositional Object
(2) a. Somebody broke into our house last night.
b. Our house was broken into last night.
But note: (3) *The moon was jumped over by the cow. [over the moon is not a Prep Obj in the active
alternate] Bc ober the moon is not a prepositional object asiq no se puede
• “Indirect” Object: only if is a true object (“dative shift” allowed)

(4) a. He gave a book to Susan.
b. A book was given to Susan.
(5) a. He gave Susan a book.
b. Susan was given a book.
- No “dative shift”  no “I.O.” passivisation, because the entity with the goal/recipient or beneficiary role is
not a real I.O. (it’s an adjunt).
(6) a. He suggested some hotels to the tourists.

a’. Some hotels were suggested to the tourists.
(7) a. *He suggested to the tourists some hotels. (suggest does not take 2 object)
b’. *The tourists were suggested some hotels
(no es un indirect es unadjunct)→ the tourist
[admit, demonstrate, explain, announce, introduce, mention, point out, prove, report, say, repeat]
• “Direct” Object: Not a true patient  no D.O. passivisation

(8) a. He wished me a happy birthday.
b. I was wished a happy birthday.
(9) a. *He wished a happy birthday to me.
b. *A happy birthday was wished to me. → happy b is an object of wish but is not a patient (para
passivizar necesitas un patient)
[allow, cost, deny, forgive, wish]
→ Cosis que son DO pero no son patients
Preposing Review and examples:

Basic info de Preposing/ fronting:
• A complement whose canonical position is internal to the VP occurs in front position.
• The preposed element is thematic (given info) i la info nueva o que ayuda es rhematic and appears at
the end of the clause
• The referent this preposed element expresses is related to an antecedent previously (synonym,
hyponym, hyperonym, etc) and acts as a link to the preceding discourse (topic). It often also
contrasts with the antecedent or an element related to the antecedent.
Complement Preposing: PPs

(2) The lead → The most important sentence in any article is the first one. If it doesn’t induce the reader to
proceed to the second sentence, your article is dead. And if the second sentence doesn’t induce him to
continue to the third sentence, it’s equally dead. Of such a progression of sentences,(fronted) each tugging
the reader forward until he is safely hooked, a writer constructs that fateful unit: “the lead.” [William Zinsser,
On Writing Well, p.65]
Preposing: AdjPs
• Contrast between two or more properties that are explicitly evoked in the previous discourse or in the
speaker’s own utterance.
• Focus on the copulative verb: the rheme / new information is the denial of the previous statement.
B: I wouldn’t really say he is stupid.
B: Stupid I wouldn’t really say he is
Complement Preposing: VPs
A: They said he must eat his spinach … but he wouldn’t eat it.
A: They said he must eat his spinach… but eat his spinach, he wouldn’t.
Focus preposing or fronting

Complement preposing (entonación al final de la frase)
• The complement supplies rhematic (“new”) information (implicitly) missing from previous discourse.
• It is highly restricted in standard English
– The rheme specifies the type of a previously introduced referent.
– The rheme specifies an implied quantity of a previously introduced referent.
– Other attributes: specifying implied names
Dialectally restricted:
A: Haven’t seen you family for so long… So, how’s your son?
B. Oh, don’t ask…! A SPORTS CAR he wants now.
→ Esto no se hace mucho pero en algunos dialectos si…
Exercices preposing
5. Are these examples of topicalization or focalization?
1. But keep in mind that no matter which type of equipment you choose, a weight-training regimen isn’t
likely to provide a cardiovascular workout as well. For that, you’ll have to look elsewhere. →Non-focal
2. Interrogative do should be classed as a popular idiom. Popular it may indeed have been, but I doubt the
different origin→ Non-focal (es como el ejemplo de stupid
3. Can I get a bagel? b. No, sorry. We’re out of bagels. A bran muffin I can give you. Focal
6. Transform the sentence so that it shows a VP-Preposing

(9) I’ve promised to help them and I will help them.→ I’ve promised to help them and help them I will.
(10) It’s odd that Diane should have said that, if she said it.→ It’s odd that Diane should have said that, if did
she say it. (hay que poner al auxiliary)
(11) He said he wouldn’t tell them, but he has told them→ He said he wouldn’t tell them, but told them he
has.

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GG5 DiA Preposing i passives

In an active we have the subject being the agent and

The passive alternation: aligning semantic roles

Effect of the passive:

The passive alternation: information packaging effects

2. This is analogous to what goes on with nonfocal preposing (topicalisation). → AKA

Lexico-syntactic restrictions on passivisation

• “Indirect” Object: only if is a true object (“dative shift” allowed)

(6) a. He suggested some hotels to the tourists.

• “Direct” Object: Not a true patient  no D.O. passivisation

Preposing Review and examples:

Complement Preposing: PPs

Focus preposing or fronting

6. Transform the sentence so that it shows a VP-Preposing

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