User:RockRockOn/A Minimalist Theory of Syntax/Object control

A /VP-shell construction:

persuaded (him t {to PRO eat the squid) )

Key Tests

Optionality of 2nd "Complement"

If the second "complement" - to eat the squid in the example above - is not optional, then we will analyze the entire construction as a plain transitive.

For example:

The committee required him to make revisions

It might seem that we would want to analyze it as

*The committee required ( him t {to PRO make revisions} )

However, we can't remove 'to make revisions' without a shift in meaning occurring:

*The committee required him

Semantic Role Count?

If there is not extra role assigned by a verb in the second "complement", then we probably aren't dealing with an object control situation:

I persuaded (him t {in the wee hours of the morning} )