Introducing English Linguistics

Abortion
should be illegal. 
(MICASE STP545JU091)
This morning, 
were two workmen half-heartedly screwing new bulbs 
into the sockets? 
English syntax
137

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→ Should abortion be illegal?
Both firms
have taken a 45 per cent stake in each other’s truck business. 
(BNC A6W 172)
→ Have both firms taken a 45 per cent stake ...?
Some people
are lucky 
(SBCSAE)
→ Are some people lucky?
There is one additional operator that is used in questions containing a lexi-
cal verb other than be and no auxiliaries. The two examples below contain
the lexical verbs left and listens. When the examples are made yes/no ques-
tions, the lexical verbs and subjects do not change positions (*leave she ...?).
Instead, the operator do appears before the subject, carrying the tense of the
lexical verb (past tense in the first example, present tense in the second):
She 
left it on the seashore. 
(ICE-GB S1A-018 069)
→ Did she leave it on the seashore?