This document provides an overview of presupposition. It begins with a definition, stating that presuppositions are implications that are assumed to already be known by the listener. It then discusses six types of presuppositions: existential, factive, lexical, structural, non-factive, and counterfactual. Examples are provided for each type. Common presupposition triggers are also outlined, including definite descriptions, factive predicates, counterfactual conditionals, change of state verbs, temporal clauses, cleft sentences, questions, and others. Entailment is briefly defined as well.

1. Assignment
(Semantics & Pragmatics)
Prepared by:
WALEED AKHTAR KAMBOH
Submitted to:
Ma’am Mahwish Shamim
The Given Topic is:
“Presupposition”
Program: M.A. (English Language Teaching)

2. Presupposition
Contents:
 Definition
 Types of Supposition
 Some Common PresuppositionTriggers
Definition:
“Presuppositions are implications that are often felt to be in
the background- to be assumed by the speaker to be already
known to the addressee.”
Examples:
 The King of France is bald.
 The King of France is not bald.
 Is the King of France bald?
 If the King of France is bald, he should wear a hat in the
winter.
 There is a King of France.
 Mary’s brother bought three horses.
 Mary exists, Mary has a brother, Mary has only on
brother, Mary’s brother is rich.
 Speaker’s subjective presupposition, all can be wrong.

3. Types
1. Existential
2. Factive
3. Lexical
4. Structural
5. Non-factive
6. Counterfactual
1. Existential Presupostion:
Speaker is committed to the existence of the entities name.
The King of France
The cat
The girl next door
Your car
2. Factive Presupposition:
Certainverbs/construction indicate that something is a fact.
Example:
 We regret telling him- we told him
 She didn’t realizehe was ill.- he was ill

4.  I am glad it’s over. – it’s over
These certainverbs are telling us about some facts.
3. Lexical presupposition :
It is the assumption that, in using one word, the speaker can
act as if another meaning (word) willbe understood.
Examples
She pretended that he had understood what she
meant.
He used to run.4
Andrew stopped running.
You are late again.
You were late before.4

5. 4. Structural presupposition :
It is the assumption associated with the use of certain
words and phrases.
Examples :
• Wh-question in English are conventionally
interpreted with the presupposition that the
information after the wh-form (e.g. when and where) is
already known to be the case.
Examples
She pretended that he had understood what she
meant.
>> she traveled4
When did she travel to the USA?
Where did you buy the book?
>> you bought the book4

6. 4. Non – factive presupposition :
It is one that is assumed not to be true.
Examples
She pretended that he
had understood what she meant.
He did not understand what she meant.4
She pretended that he
had understood what she meant.
I imagined that Kelly was ill.
Kelly was not ill4
5. Counter – factual presupposition :
Meaning that what is presupposed is not only not true,
but is the opposite of what is true, or “ contrary to facts.”

7. Counterfactual conditional
Ex :
If I had enough money, I would buy that house.
→ I do not have enough money
If he hadn’t made such a terrible mistake, we
would be very happy now.
→ He did make/made a terrible mistake.
An If clause → a complete
statement
1
Ex :
They wish they could go on vacation now.
→ They cannot go on vacation now.
I wish I had studied medicine.
→ I did not study medicine.
2
An embedded clause after wish ⇒
a complete statement

8. Some common Presupposition
triggers
Presupposition
triggers
Examples
Definite descriptions my son, the boss, Mike
Factive predicates count, make sense, matter,
know, regret, realise, resent,
find out, discover, see, notice,
be aware that, be proud that,…
Counter-factual
conditionals
If, unless, without,…

9. Change of state verbs begin, start, stop, finish,
cease, continue, carry
on, cease, take, leave,
enter, come, go, arrive
Temporal clauses before, while, since,
after, during, whenever..
Cleft sentences It is/was …. which/
whom/ that…
Questions Who, what, when, …
Definition of Entailment
a relationship that applies
between two sentences/
propositions, where the truth of
one implies the truth of the other
because of the meaning of the
words involved

10. Subtypes of entailment
Entailment
Assertion Presupposition
Assertion :
• A declarativesentence typically asserts that a state
of affair exists. We say assertive sentences in which we
declare something or we make a statement.
The End