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Problem 1: Phrases and Heads (5 points)
For each of the following constituents, indicate:
a. what type of phrase it is (i.e., NP, VP, etc.)
b. circle the head.
a. very sensible
b. that the little pig knows who is knocking on the door
c. sang quietly
d. with all my might
e. that girl with a pearl earing
Problem 2: Constituency tests (10 points)
Show that the underlined strings in the following sentences are syntactic phrases (constituents), by using the tests for constituency discussed in class. In each case, you should give the name of the test you are applying (e.g., “movement test”), and apply the test to the underlined phrase. For each phrase, you should give at least two different types of tests, and you should make sure to include at least one example of each of the five types of tests in your answer overall (so don’t apply the same two tests to each phrase!).
a. This writer’s new novel attracted critical acclaim.
Test 1:
Test 2:
b. I think I dropped my wallet at the bus stop.
Test 1:
Test 2:
c. A new fine for not wearing a mask in public has been proposed today.
Test 1:
Test 2:
d. Mary asked to remind you that you need to practice your piano.
Test 1:
Test 2:
e. This little caterpillar is very hungry.
Test 1:
Test 2:
Problem 4: Phrase structure trees (24 points)
For this question, assume the set of phrase structure rules that were given on the slides:
S NP (Aux) VP
NP (Det) (AP) N (PP)
NP Pro
NP PN
PP P NP
VP V (NP) (PP) (AP)
VP V CP
AP (deg) A (PP)
CP Comp S
XP XP conj XP (where X represents any lexical category)
Draw phrase structure trees for the following sentences, assuming the most plausible interpretation of the sentence. Draw the trees on a separate sheet of paper attached to your assignment.
a. This determined student can practice persistently for a very long time.
b. Two cats are sleeping on the sofa of their owner.
c. Everyone knows that Sam really likes cold coke in summer and warm cocoa in winter.
Problem 4: Construct a sentence (6 points)
Substitute the labels in each of the branches in red with lexical or functional words in order to create a grammatical and meaningful English sentence. Provide only one answer per line. Assume the same phrase structure rules as in Problem 3. You can create recursive phrases, as long as they follow the phrase structure rules.
Det Adj N PP ___________________
V1
Adj N
Aux
V2
N PP
Adv
Sentence:
Problem 5: Semantic relations (10 points)
For each of the pairs below, decide which of the following relations holds between sentence (a) and sentence (b). Briefly explain your answer in terms of the definitions given in class.
A. (a) entails (b) (but (b) doesn’t entail (a), and (b) is not a presupposition of (a)).
B. (b) entails (a) (but (a) doesn’t entail (b), and (a) is not a presupposition of (b)).
C. (a) and (b) are equivalent.
D. (a) and (b) contradict each other.
E. (b) is an implicature of (a).
F. (b) is a presupposition of (a).
(1) a. Some people don’t go out.
b. Not all people go out.
Circle one: A B C D E F
Explanation: ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
(2) a. Today Mary managed to catch the bus on time.
b. Today Mary succeed in catching the bus on time.
Circle one: A B C D E F
Explanation: ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
(3) a. This term, Charlie earned four straight As.
b. This term, Charlie earned five straight As.
Circle one: A B C D E F
Explanation: ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
(4) a. There were no linguistics students at the party.
b. There were no students at the party.
Circle one: A B C D E F
Explanation: ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
(5) a. The book I wrote is a bestseller.
b. I wrote a book.
Circle one: A B C D E F
Explanation: ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
Problem 6: Structural ambiguity (12 points)
The following sentence is structurally ambiguous and has several different interpretations (i.e., more than two!) depending on the syntactic structure.
Your dogs chased people on bikes from Seattle.
a. Assuming the same phrase structure rules as in Problem 3, try to figure out what the logically possible syntactic structures for this sentence are and what the corresponding interpretations would be. Draw four possible trees (each of which has to be in accordance with the phrase structure rules from Problem 3!), and for each tree give a paraphrase of the interpretation that goes with that tree. (Make sure the paraphrase is not itself ambiguous!)
Tree 1:
Paraphrase 1:
Tree 2:
Paraphrase 2:
Tree 3:
Paraphrase 3:
Tree 4:
Paraphrase 4:
Sample Solution
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