13. Clauses‎ > ‎13.2. Subordinate clauses‎ > ‎^13.2.12 Cleft constructions (CP-CLF)‎ > ‎13.2.12.8 Special features‎ > ‎

13.2.12.8.1 Null 'ser'

In sixteenth and seventennth century texts, the verb BE (ser) of basic pseudoclefts is often null. In such cases, a generic empty category (SR *) is added to the annotation:
( (IP-MAT (NP-SBJ-1 *exp*)
	  (CP-CLF (WNP-2 (D O) (WPRO que))
		  (IP-SUB (NP-ACC *T*-2)
			  (NP-SBJ (D este) (N portador))
			  (VB-P dá)))
	  (SR *)
	  (NP-1 (D-UM um)
		(N juramento)
		(PP (P em)
		    (CP-THT (C como)
			    (IP-SUB (NP-SBJ-4 *exp*)
				    (SR-P é)
				    (NP-4 (N verdade))
				    (PP (P de@)
					(NP (D-P @estes) (N-P livros) (VB-AN-P escondidos)))))))
	  (. .))
  (POST SCRIPTUM; ID CARDS0189,.5))

( (IP-MAT (NP-SBJ-1 *exp*)
	  (CP-CLF (WNP-2 (D O) (WPRO que))
		  (IP-SUB (NP-ACC *T*-2)
			  (NP-SBJ *pro*)
			  (VB-P pede)
			  (PP (P a)
			      (NP (NPR VM)))))
	  (SR *)
	  (CP-THT-1 (C que)
		    (IP-SUB (NP-SBJ *pro*)
			    (NEG não)
			    (VB-SP faça)
			    (ADVP (ADV mal))
			    (PP (P a)
				(NP (PRO$-F sua) (N tia)))
[...]
 (POST SCRIPTUM; ID CARDS4014,.4))
This solution is extended to other cases of null BE in cleft constructions (ambiguous between clefts and 'é que' inverted pseudoclefts). By convention, in such cases the empty (SR *) immediately precedes CP-CLF:
( (IP-MAT (NP-SBJ *exp*)
	  (PP (P Desde)
	      (NP (D-F a) (N infância)))
	  (SR *)
	  (CP-CLF (WPP-1 0)
		  (C que)
		  (IP-SUB (PP *T*-1)
			  (NP-SBJ *pro*)
			  (TR-D tínhamos)
			  (VB-PP alimentado)
			  (NP-ACC (D-F a)
				  (N idéia)
				  (PP (P de)
				      (IP-INF (VB abraçar)
					      (NP-ACC (D-F a)
						      (N carreira)
						      (PP (P de)
							  (NP (D-F-P as) (N-P armas))))))))))
  (TYCHO BRAHE; ID A_003_PSD,131.2057))

( (IP-MAT (CONJ e)
	  (NP-SBJ *exp*)
	  (PP (P por)
	      (NP (DEM isso)))
	  (SR *)
	  (CP-CLF (WPP-1 0)
		  (C que)
		  (IP-SUB (PP *T*-1)
			  (NP-SBJ (PRO eu))
			  (VB-P reclamo)))
	  (, ,))
  (TYCHO BRAHE; ID VA_002_SPL,35.273))

( (IP-IMP (ADVP (ADV pois))
	  (VB-SP convença)
	  (NP-SE (CL se))
	  (CP-THT (C que)
		  (IP-SUB (NP-SBJ *exp*-4)
			  (SR-D foi)
			  (NP-4 (D-UM-F uma)
				(PP (P de)
				    (NP (Q-P todos) (D-P os) (NPR-P Diabos))))
			  (, ,)
			  (CP-ADV (C porque)
				  (, ,)
				  (IP-SUB (IP-SUB (NP-SBJ *pro*)
						  (IP-GER (VB-G arreganhando)
							  (NP-DAT (CL me))
							  (NP-SBJ (D-F-P as) (N-P damas))
							  (ADVP (Q muito) (ADV bem))
							  (NP-ACC (D-P os) (N-P dentes)))
						  (, ,)
						  (NP-2 (CL me))
						  (VB-D quiseram)
						  (IP-INF (NP-DAT *-2)
							  (VB levantar)
							  (NP-ACC (D-P os)
								  (PP (P d@)
								      (NP (D-F @a) (PRO$-F minha) (N boca))))))
					  (CONJP (CONJ e)
						 (IP-SUB (NP-SBJ *exp*)
							 (PP (P por)
							     (NP (D-UM-F uma) (N unha) (ADJ-F negra)))
							 (SR *)
 							 (CP-CLF (WPP-5 0)
								 (C que)
								 (IP-SUB (PP *T*-5)
									 (NP-SBJ *pro*)
									 (ET-D estive)
									 (PP (P para)
									     (IP-INF (NP-ACC (CL me))
										     (VB ver)
										     (PP (P em)
											 (NP (VB-P calças)
											     (ADJP (ADJ-F-P pardas))))))))))))))
	  (. .))
 (TYCHO BRAHE; ID C_001_PSD,19.335))