Missing-object Constructions: Lexical and Constructional Variation

Cross-linguistically, missing object constructions are sometimes analyzed as involving long-distance dependencies, similar to the dependencies found in whquestion or relative clause constructions. Other missing object constructions have been analyzed as involving complex predicate formation. We propose that both classes of missing object constructions are found in English, exemplified by the canonical long-distance tough predicate and the short-distance need predicate. This difference in the syntactic structure of the two types of missing object constructions explains their very different syntactic behavior. This paper is organized as follows. First we discuss need-type missing object constructions, arguing that they are complex predicates. We then contrast these