Friday 6 October 2017

Polar Interrogatives & Implicit Modality

Halliday & Matthiessen (2014: 182n):
Yes/no interrogatives with mood Adjuncts are more restricted than yes/no interrogatives with modal Finites. For example, has he perhaps left? is fine, but has he probably left? and has he surely left? seem less likely; and interrogatives with thematic Adjuncts seem unlikely (e.g. perhaps has he left?).