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Covering linguistic research on empty categories over more than three decades, this monograph presents the result of an in-depth syntactic and focus-theoretical investigation of ellipsis in generative grammar. The phenomenon of ellipsis most generally refers to the omission of linguistic material, structure and sound. The central aim of this book is to explain on the basis of linguistic theorizing of how it is possible that we understand more than we actually hear. The answer developed throughout this book is that ellipsis is an interface phenomenon which can only be explained on the basis of the complex interaction between syntax, semantics and information structure. Scholars of grammar and cognitive scientists will profit from reading this book.

Grammar --- Focus (Linguistics) --- Generative grammar --- Grammar, Comparative and general --- Ellipsis --- Generative grammar. --- Ellipsis. --- Ellipsis (Language). --- Generative Linguistics.

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This comparative syntactic study claims that agreement is the most central functional category responsible for licensing predication in finite, non-finite and small clauses alike. Intriguing syntactic phenomena like Icelandic infinitival predicates taking non-nominative (quirky) subjects; psych-impersonal and modal predicates in Italian, Hungarian and Russian; meteorological predicates, existential clauses, post-verbal and null subjects in the so-called null-subject VSO languages can all be better analyzed through a concept of predication that is closely related to AGRP, manifesting subject-verb agreement. The overt agreement marking in Hungarian and Portuguese infinitival clauses further strengthens this view. Obviation and control subjunctive clauses in the Balkan languages, Welsh finite and non-finite infinitival clauses as well as case-marked secondary predicates in Icelandic, Slovak, Hungarian, Russian and Finnish also lend support to an analysis where the [+pred] feature is checked in AGRP.

Grammar, Comparative and general --- Agreement. --- Syntax. --- Topic and comment. --- Verb phrase. --- Predicate (Grammar) --- Verb phrase --- Functional sentence perspective (Grammar) --- Predicate and subject (Grammar) --- Subject and predicate (Grammar) --- Theme and rheme --- Topic and comment (Grammar) --- Focus (Linguistics) --- Language and languages --- Syntax --- Agreement (Grammar) --- Concord (Grammar) --- Agreement --- Topic and comment --- Phrasal verb --- Predicate --- Verbals --- Subject and predicate --- Concord --- Case --- Gender --- Number --- Person --- Linguistics --- Philology --- Grammar, Comparative and general Syntax