VOSI CONSTRUCTION IN THE FUNCTION OF THE COMPLEMENT OF MONOTRANSATIVE VERBS IN EARLY NEW ENGLISH

Abstract

The article outlines VOSI construction in Early New English and establishes its structural and functional peculiarities. VOSI construction, which means all infi nitive complement constructions with a Noun Phrase in preposition, that is used after eleven categories of verbs, is investigated in the article. The emergence of the subject in the structure of VOSI construction is analyzed. The term ‘accusativus cum infi nitivo’, which in traditional literature denotes any construction that contains: Main Predicate – Accusative Noun Phrase – Infi nitive or any construction which contains these three elements, but Accusative and Infi nitive are regarded a unity, dependent on the main predicate, is mentioned in the article. The research investigates the distribution of the main verb of the fi nite / nonfi nite clause according to the transitivity / intransitivity of its stem. It is established that most of the verbs are transitive and are divided into monotransitive, ditransative and complex transitive. The research has allowed analyzing VOSI construction in Early New English in the function of the complement of monotransitive verbs from the position of X-Bar Theory. In Early New English VOSI construction is used in the function of the complement of monotransitive verbs with a controlling subject of an action. Key