extraposition from "it" in object position

[Arnold Zwicky]

On Feb 18, 2009, at 7:12 PM, Herb Stahlke wrote:

> In a post today, Tom Zurinskas wrote the following:
>
> I would hope it that reasonable minds would work toward a common
> English so that there is minimal misinterpretation.
>
> This is the first instance I've encountered of extraposition from "it"
> in object position with the verb "hope" (to go back to Rosenbaum's
> analysis).  A lot of people don't like sentences like this at all,
> whatever the verb, but I find myself doing it with "like," "hate,"
> "expect," "doubt," and a few other verbs, but not with "hope."

TZ has since said that the "it" was a typo, but this topic can be
connected to the earlier thread on "like for".  this "it" is possible
(for some people and for certain verbs) with "that"-clause objects,
and it is also possible (again, for some people and for certain verbs)
with "for"-marked infinitival-clause objects, as in:
   I'd like it for you to be held responsible.
alongside:
   I'd like for you to be held responsible.
   I'd like you to be held responsible.

this is a topic where it's dangerous to collect judgments, because
they are so sensitive to small details of the examples ("I like"
doesn't necessarily work the same as "I would like", for example) --
and because reflecting on your own usage is difficult to start with.

i don't know of any systematic studies of actual usage.

arnold

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