Check Questionsoccur in embedded context. In addition, a further property finite clauses they do not
share with non-finite clauses is their ability to contain modals – modals are excluded
from non-finite clauses. Lastly, the subject of a finite clause is in nominative Case while
the subject of a non-finite clause is in accusative, or phonologically empty.
Q2 It is proposed as a preliminary assumption that the Inflection head contains the
bound morphemes 3sg -s, past tense -ed, modals and infinitival to. As a result,
different clauses distribute differently depending on the inflectional element they
contain. Secondly, it seems that the inflection behaves like a head in that it restricts its
complement to vP or VP. Thirdly, it also behaves like a head in that it influences the
Case form of its subject: nominative in finite and accusative in non-finite clauses. In
addition, similarly to the other functional head D, the I head also displays agreement
with its specifier, the subject.
Q3 There are theoretically two alternatives: either it is the morphemes -s and -ed,
- ing and -en that move (lower onto the verb) or the verb moves up. It is assumed that
English verbal stems cannot host more than one bound morpheme, hence in a clause
that contains aspectuals (which head their own vP), the thematic V moves and picks up
the lower bound morpheme but as it is unable to host more, an aspectual (be or have or
even both if need be) are inserted to pick up the aspectual morphemes.
Q4 The I head takes a vP or VP complement. When there is negation present in a
structure but no other verb apart from the lexical verb, it seems that the presence of the
negative particle not blocks movement of the verb to pick up the bound morpheme,
hence a dummy auxiliary is inserted. That the presence of the negative particle seems
to block movement is supported by the fact that when there are more than one
auxiliaries in a structure it is always the modal (or the leftmost) that moves to form a
question. This observation is formulated as the Head Movement Constraint: a head
cannot skip an intervening head position when it moves. In negation the negative
element intervenes between the bound morpheme to be picked up and the verb, hence
do is inserted. In languages other than English where a verb is not restricted to hosting
only one bound morpheme, we find paradigms where a bound inflectional morpheme
does actually occur attached to the head. For this reason it is also proposed that the
negative is in fact a variety on light verb constructions and is best be analysed as one.
Q5 Aspect markers are analysed as morphemes heading their own vP, while
aspectual auxiliaries are inserted in the I head position.
Q6 At the beginning of the chapter the implicit assumption about what the
Inflection head hosts was that it manifests Tense and Agreement. There is evidence
that it only contains agreement. Tense and infinitival to are separate from it. One piece
of evidence that Tense can be seen as a separate entity is provided by the observation
that modals, which are truly Inflectional elements, can inflect for tense in English.
Tense is proposed to head its own vP taking another vP as a complement. When there
is -ed present, there is a phonologically null agreement morpheme in I. In present tense
the form of the tense morpheme is realised as -s when the agreement is third person
singular and as a zero morpheme when the agreement is something else.Thus, what is
left for the I head is agreement manifested either as a modal or as -s or as a
phonologically empty morpheme.