The structure of IPInflections also impose restrictions on their subjects. Again these restrictions are not
thematic in nature but similar to those imposed by determiners on their specifiers.
Recall that only a certain kind of determiner allows a specifier: the possessive
determiners. The possessive position is restricted to genitive elements, as shown below:
(11) a [DP his ∆ [NP car]]
b [DP he ∆ [NP car]]
c [DP him ∆ [NP car]]
Inflections similarly impose Case restrictions on their subjects. For example, when
there is a finite inflection, the subject is always nominative though this is not so with
non-finite clauses:
(12) a ... that he will hew the rock – ... that him will hew the rock
b ... that he hewed the rock – ... that him hewed the rock
c ... for him to hew the rock – ... for he to hew the rock
d ... him hewing the rock – ... he hewing the rock
e ... him hewn – *... he hewn
As we can see in (12) the subject of the non-finite clause appears in the accusative.
There is a further possibility with non-finite clauses which is not available with finite
clauses and that is to have a missing subject:
(13) a Peter prefers [- to be dressed]
b Lucy likes [- being dressed]
c the artist painted the model [- dressed]
d they think that [- dressed the model]
e they hope that [- will dress the model]
We will discuss the nature of these restrictions in a later section. For now the
important observation is that the inflection imposes these restrictions and hence is
demonstrated to have head-like properties.
A final head-like property of the inflection can be seen in the following:
(14) a Larry dislikes citrus fruits
b we like∆∆∆∆ them
The form of the inflection in (14) depends on properties of the subject. This
phenomenon is known as agreement (see chapter 1). In English, agreement is very
restricted, visible only in the case of the present tense morpheme and the present and
past tense forms of be. We saw in chapter 4 that the possessive determiner also shows
a similar pattern, having one form for pronominal possessors and another for non-
pronominal possessors:
(15) a [DP Carl ’s [NP car]]
b [DP his ∆ [NP car]]
For inflections what determines the agreement form of the inflection is the person
and number properties of the subject. With a third person and singular subject the
inflection is realised as (e)s and with any other subject it has a null realisation: