This discussion sounds familiar (2005, 2006).  If R&K is liberalized, the sentences you distinguish may be diagrammed with their respective (deep) structures.  The authors themselves claimed that by diagramming you could get too involved with analysis and cautioned against it.  

I have drawn up possible diagrams for these sentences and will post them on my site, as an appendix to my commentary on R&K:  

http://userpages.burgoyne.com/bdespain/grammar/rk_gram/r_k_toc1.htm

I'll put them in section 25 tonight sometime.  I hope this will help.  

Bruce

-----Original Message-----
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Robert Yates
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 8:22 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Please analyse this - from John Curran

I have to take issue with the following statement by Martha.

>>> Martha Kolln <[log in to unmask]> 11/17/2008 7:08 AM >>>

R&K diagrams aren't perfect. But they do a good job of showing the 
structural relationships of sentence parts, no matter where in the 
sentence they appear, distinguishing form and function. 

****
My understanding of RK diagrams is that both 1 and 2 would be diagramed the same.

1) John is easy to please.
2) John is eager to please.

The relationship of John to please is different in these two sentences.  In (1), John is the object of please; in (2) John is the subject of please.

Bob Yates, University of Central Missouri

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