Suggested Answers for Check Questions

Government is a structural configuratin under which e.g. case is assigned. A head governs its sister and everything within its sister unless a barrier intervenes. The notion ’barrier’ is introduced to prevent certain elements to be governed from outside by a governor (i.e. to allow certain elements to remain ungoverned). VPs are not barriers as the case-assigning light verb can govern into them. Non-finite IPs are not barriers, as the prepositional complementizer for can govern into them and case-mark the subject of an infinitival clause. CPs are barriers though, they block government by a governor from outside.