This book analyzes the form and function of the English passive from a verb-based point of view. It takes the position that the various surface forms of the passive (with or without thematic subject, with or without object, with or without by-phrase, with or without auxiliary) have a common source and are determined by the interplay of the syntactic properties of the verb and general syntactic principles. Each structural element of the passive construction is examined separately, and the participle is considered the only defining component of the passive.

Special emphasis...

This volume explores the interplay of syntactic variation and genre. How do genres emerge and what is the role of syntax in constituting them? Why do certain constructions appear in certain types of text? The book takes the concept of genre as a reference-point for the description and analysis of morpho-syntactic variation and change. It includes both overviews of theoretical approaches to the concept of genre and text type in linguistics and studies of specific syntactic phenomena in English, German, and selected Romance languages. Contributions to the volume make use of insights from...

The syntactic behaviour of verbs is largely determined by their meaning. A problem for this theory is that verbs behave in a syntactically variable way, for example all intransitive verbs also occur with an object ('nod one's approval', 'smile a happy smile', etc.). This study of English takes its bearings from generative grammar and classifies verbs in lexical and syntactic terms. On this basis, theories of argument linking are then discussed. The study elaborates a model centering on Optimality Theory and implemented for the analysis of argument alternations (resultative construction,...