Which sentence demonstrates a different surface structure from 'The boy will read the book' but shares the same deep structure?

Which sentence demonstrates a different surface structure from 'The boy will read the book' but shares the same deep structure?

• A. The book will be read by the boy
• B. The boy reads the book
• C. I like her cooking
• D. The cat slept

Answer: (A)

Think of how sentences can express the same basic event in different surface forms. The underlying idea is who does the action and what the action is, regardless of word order or tense. The passive version keeps the same participants and action: someone will read something. By flipping the object to the front as the new subject and using the passive form of the verb, plus the phrase by the agent, the surface structure changes, but the underlying meaning stays the same. The boy is still the one who will perform the reading, and the book is what is being read; only the way the sentence is arranged changes. The other sentences don’t preserve that same underlying proposition. They either express a different tense or aspect, describe a different action, or shift focus in a way that changes who is involved or what is happening, so they don’t maintain the same deep structure.

Think of how sentences can express the same basic event in different surface forms. The underlying idea is who does the action and what the action is, regardless of word order or tense.

The passive version keeps the same participants and action: someone will read something. By flipping the object to the front as the new subject and using the passive form of the verb, plus the phrase by the agent, the surface structure changes, but the underlying meaning stays the same. The boy is still the one who will perform the reading, and the book is what is being read; only the way the sentence is arranged changes.

The other sentences don’t preserve that same underlying proposition. They either express a different tense or aspect, describe a different action, or shift focus in a way that changes who is involved or what is happening, so they don’t maintain the same deep structure.