Table 1.
Description of the experiments
| Sentence types | Example | # stimuli | Tense marking | Overt affix | Local morphosyntax | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Experiment 1 | Verb | The mailman drops the mail in the mailbox | 15 | Y | Variable | Y |
| Non-verb | There are drops of water on the floor | 15 | N | Variable | Y | |
| Experiment 2 | Regular past | Last year, he lived in New York | 15 | Y | Y | |
| Irregular past | Yesterday, she spent a hundred dollars | 15 | Y | N | ||
| 3rd singular | Everyday, the hotel provides breakfast | 15 | Y | Y | ||
| Derivation | Yesterday I paid the builder | 15 | N | Y | ||
| Non-finite | Last year, I wanted to build a house | 15 | N | N | ||
| Experiment 3 | 1st present | Everyday I return home at 5o’clock | 15 | Y | N | |
| Future | Tomorrow I will send the package | 15 | Y | N | ||
| Past prog. | Last year I was writing a book | 15 | Y | Y |