Control into infinitival relatives

Abstract

This paper focuses on a novel English construction involving control and infinitival relatives. Examples such as this is John’s book to read have a head noun (book) modified by an infinitival relative clause (to read) and a prenominal possessor (John’s). I argue that there is a control relation between the prenominal possessor and the PRO subject of the infinitival relative. I show that this control relation bears the structural hallmarks of obligatory control whilst at the same time permitting PRO to be interpreted as arbitrary. I discuss these empirical facts in the context of a syntactic, Agree-based theory of control.