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The Pustejovsky & Bouillon (1995) aspectual and qualia-derived
restrictions on the control interpretation of begin correctly
rule out a large number of metonymic sentences, but the sentences in
beg74 would (incorrectly) not be ruled out (overgeneration), since
the telic events (in italics in the example) are transitions. In
contrast, sentences beg82, conveying activities, would be ruled
out although they are felicitous (undergeneration). More than a
simple aspectual restriction is necessary to explain the data.
*John began the film. (watching)
*John began the door. (opening, walking
through)
*John began the nails. (hammering in)
John began daycare at his mom's work. (attending)
John began acupuncture in April and homeopathy in
August. (undergoing)
John began the violin when he was five. (playing)
The two women began the serious business of the day,
gossiping. (doing)
The two older girls had already begun boarding
school. (attending).