Developments in English Historical Morpho-Syntax

Distinguishing between several subtypes of the frame far from + optional and recessive being + predicative phrase, this paper charts the evolution of the rivalling variants in British and American English over the last few centuries. The paper reports on two major findings. First, in line with the Complexity Principle, there is a tendency for more complex predicatives to help preserve the more explicit being variant better than simpler ones. In particular, morphologically complex adjectives and