Basic English Grammar with Exercises

Theoretical Aspects of Movement

The verb smile is intransitive and therefore does not have a -role to assign to an
object. If we provide this verb with an object, we therefore have an argument that
receives no -role, which as we see from (76) is ungrammatical. Moreover, an
argument cannot receive more than one -role. So if a predicate must assign more than
one -role, it cannot assign them both to the same argument:

(77) a Fred fancies himself

b *Fred fancies

If it were possible for one argument to bear both -roles of a predicate, (77b) would
mean the same thing as (77a) which has a reflexive pronoun in one argument position
taking its reference from the other argument. The unacceptability of (77b) can
therefore not be a semantic fact.
It is also not possible for an argument to bear two -roles assigned from different
predicates. Consider the following:

(78) Knut knows Dennis danced

This sentence is grammatical, but only with the interpretation that what Knut knows is
that Dennis danced. In other words, the arguments of know are Knut, a DP, and Dennis
danced, a sentence in which Dennis is the argument of danced:

(79) Knut knows [Dennis danced]

What is not possible is to interpret Dennis as being the one who is known and the one
who dances:

(80) *Knut knows [Dennis] danced

Again this would involve one argument bearing more than one -role, which
appears to be impossible.
In addition to (75) therefore, we might propose the following restriction:

(81) an argument must bear one and only one -role

Together the conditions in (75) and (81) are called the Theta Criterion:

(82) The Theta Criterion
a -role must be assigned to one and only one argument
an argument must bear one and only one -role

We have now reviewed three simple and basic principles which regulate the assign-
ment of -roles within a structure: the Locality Condition on Theta-role Assignment,
the UTAH and the Theta Criterion. All of these apply to D-structures, restricting the
distribution of arguments at this level of representation. Collectively, the principles
which govern -role assignment are often referred to as Theta Theory and this can be
considered as a part of the grammar, similar to the principles of X-bar theory which
regulate the general formation of structures. A final important contributor to the well-