Raising

A further type of structure which involves movement of an argument expression out of one clause to become the subject of another clause is illustrated by the (b) examples in (75)–(78) below:

In (75), the italicized expression some hope of peace is the thematic complement of the unaccusative predicate remain; it remains in situ in the expletive structure (75a), but raises to become the subject of the seem-clause in (75b). In (76), the italicized expression remarkably little progress on disarmament is the thematic complement of the passive verb made; it remains in situ in the expletive structure (76a) but raises to become the subject of the appear-clause in (76b). In (77), the italicized expression Senator Slyme is the thematic subject of the verb lying: if the complement clause is a finite clause as in (77a), it surfaces as the subject of the complement clause; but if the complement clause is infinitival as in (77b), it surfaces as the subject of the seem clause. Likewise, in (78), the italicized pronoun they is the thematic subject of the verb underestimate: if the complement clause is finite as in (78a), it surfaces as the subject of the complement clause; if the complement clause is infinitival as in (78b), it surfaces as the subject of the appear clause.

Examples like (75)–(78) suggest that verbs like seem and appear resemble passive predicates in that they allow an expression which is a theta-marked argument of a predicate in a lower clause to raise to become the subject of the seem/appear clause. Given this assumption, a sentence such as (75b) will have the following simplified derivation. At the point where the QP some hope of ø peace has been formed (the noun peace having been merged with a null quantifier), it will be merged with (and θ-marked by) the verb remain to form the VP remain some hope of ø peace. This VP is then merged with the infinitival tense particle to to form the TP to remain some hope of ø peace. The resulting infinitival TP is subsequently merged with the verb seem to form the VP seem to remain some hope of ø peace. This in turn is merged with the finite tense auxiliary DO to form the T-bar does seem to remain some hope of ø peace. A finite T has an [EPP] feature requiring it to have a subject; one way of satisfying this requirement is to merge expletive there with the resulting T-bar, to form the TP shown in simplified form in (79) below:

An alternative way of satisfying the [EPP] feature of [T does] is to move the closest nominal c-commanded by does (= the QP some hope of ø peace) from being the thematic complement of remain to becoming the structural subject of does, as shown in simplified form in (80) below:

The type of movement operation arrowed in (80) is traditionally known as raising (because it raises an argument out of a lower clause to become the subject of a higher clause) but in reality it turns out to be yet another instance of the more general A-movement operation by which T attracts the closest nominal which it c-commands to move to spec-TP. Words like seem/appear (when used with an infinitival complement) have the property that the subject of the seem/appear clause is created by being raised out of a complement clause, and so (for this reason) are known as raising predicates. The parallels between raising in structures like (80) and long-distance passivisation in structures like (70) should be obvious. (A minor detail to be tidied up is that the TPs in (79) and (80) are subsequently merged with a null complementizer marking the sentence as declarative in force.)