The distribution of parasitic gaps (P-gaps) has been the subject of scrutiny at least since Engdahl 1983. Key issues have been: the position and category of the P-gap’s antecedent, the nature of the P-gap itself, the relationship between the true gap and the P-gap, the licensing of the P-gap, and the relationship between P-gaps and ATB extraction.
This paper presents data which motivate the recognition of an additional factor controlling the distribution of P-gaps: namely, whether the P-gap is in a restrictive or appositive clause. P-gaps will be shown to be unacceptable when they occur in a phrase that is parenthetical or appositive. The formal solution presented here extends the analysis of P-gaps in Nissenbaum 1998, 2000 and the syntax of appositives in De Vries 2006.