Argument Structure in Flux

The Development of Impersonal Constructions in Middle and Early Modern English, with Special Reference to Verbs of Desire

af Noelia Castro-Chao

Verbs of Desire underwent important changes in the course of their histories. In earlier English they could be used impersonally in constructions lacking a nominative subject. When impersonal uses are lost, they are gradually replaced by personal patterns, in particular a pattern where the verb governs a prepositional complement.