The syntactic structure and derivation of sentences with object-oriented adverbials
Yang Yong-zhon · Xiandai wai-yu · 2014
Through a critical review of the available analyses of sentences with object-oriented adverbials(SOOAs), this paper posits that SOOAs are composed of two verbs. The first verb serves as the predicate denoting an action, and the second functions as a complement clause encoding the result of the action. Taken together, the two verbs denote a complete event. The complement clause contains state adjectives and an object which are connected by a null predicate. It is contended that the state adjectives in Chinese SOOAs can move freely whereas those in English and German SOOAs are subject to strict syntactic constraints. This contention can provide a reasonable solution to many long-standing puzzles related to SOOAs.