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1 results

  • Taking time with the tough-construction

  • JOHN GLUCKMAN
  • Journal:
    Journal of Linguistics / Volume 58 / Issue 2 / April 2022
    Published online by Cambridge University Press:
    04 June 2021, pp. 233-268
    Print publication:
    April 2022

  • I provide a syntactic analysis of the take-time construction (It took an hour to complete the test). The investigation provides insight into well-known issues concerning the related tough-construction. Using a battery of standard syntactic diagnostics, I conclude that the take-time construction and the tough-construction require a predication analysis of the antecedent-gap chain, not a movement analysis. I also conclude that the nonfinite clause is in a modificational relationship with the main clause predicate, not a selectional relationship. Broadly, this study expands the class of tough-constructions, illustrating crucial variation among predicates, and pointing the way to a unified analysis. The investigation also reveals undiscussed aspects of English syntax, including the fact that English has a high applicative position.