ABSTRACT
While the verb sarraɦa in (1) is only preceded by wa, a coordinating conjunction which typically relates the current context to the previous one, the verb sarraɦa in (2) is preceded by both the coordinating conjunction wa and the particle QAD.1
This raises the question as to why the writer-enunciator would resort to the use of a complex verbal structure, that is, [QAD[Verb]], when a simpler form, that is, [Verb] is available. The following sections are devoted to answering this question. In order to do so, a deeper investigation relative to the characteristics of QAD is essential. Accordingly, we organize the discussion as follows: the first part presents and discusses the major competing hypotheses concerning the properties and functions of QAD. The second part outlines the shortcomings of previous
