On Intervention Effects in TOUGH Constructions in English

Abstract

This paper investigates intervention effects in T(OUGH)- constructions in English. Hartman (2011) reports that the intervening attitude holder or judge PP prohibits the association of the matrix subject DP with the gap in the embedded infinitive clause of T-constructions. Hartman (ibid.) argues that intervention effects in these constructions make a strong case for the long-movement analysis for the matrix subject DP. In this paper we explore the different line of analysis, proposing à la Chomsky (1981) that the matrix TOUGH adjective is an individual-level (IL) predicate and converts the ensuing embedded infinitive form of verb into the same type of IL predicate. Consequently the two adjective and verb are combined into one complex IL adjective, mediated by raising of the functional category ⓘ-Pred that makes the embedded infinitive verb enter into IL predication. However, when the embedded infinitive clause is extraposed after the attitude holder or typical adjunct PP, ⓘ-Pred raising is disallowed, thereby failing proper predication in the matrix clause; this in turn accounts for intervention effects in T-constructions.