WEEK 1 Revision Simple Sentence

Martin Adam: SYNTAX B (seminar) - notes for classes
WEEK 1 THE SIMPLE SENTENCE (REVISION)
According to the type and number of obligatory clause elements (sentence constituents) seven
clause types can be distinguished:
SV, SVO, SVC, SVA, SVOO, SVOC and SVOA
Any number of optional clause elements can be added without changing the clause type:
I’m speaking. I’m speaking now. (SV)
He is at home. He is probably at home now. (SVA)
They will be late. Surely they will be late again tonight. (SVA)
Clause types are closely connected with verb classes:
verb classes clause types examples
intransitive verbs SV He is working.
transitive verbs SVO (monotransitive) He’ll get a present.
SVOO (ditransitive) He’ll get us some tickets.
SVOC (complex-transitive) He got his hat wet.
SVOA (complex-transitive) He got his friends into trouble.
copular verbs SVC It’s getting dark.
SVA He got through the window.
multiple class membership - e.g. the verb to get can belong to different classes
Sometimes different interpretations are possible:
She is preparing her family dinner. (SVO or SVOO)
complementation of the verb - comprises any clause/sentence element that is needed in
order to form a grammatically acceptable sentence (O, C, and A).
The milk tastes. (incomplete structure) x The milk tastes sour. (SVC)
syntactic characterization of clause elements
verb - realized by VP, normally present in all clauses, determines what other elements must
occur, in simple sentence always finite verb phrase;
subject - typically NP, determines the number and person of the verb, subjective form of
pronouns;
object - typically NP, normally follows S and V, if two objects, then usually the indirect one
precedes the direct one, can become S of the corresponding passive structure, objective form
of pronouns;
complement - typically NP or AdjP, subject complement (relates to the S) x object
complement (relates to the O), does not have a corresponding passive subject:
adverbial - can be realized by AdvP, PP, NP or clause
e.g. I’m coming tonight/in the evening/this afternoon/when I finish my work.
can occur in more than one position, frequently optional except in SVA and SVOA
Note on middle verbs (they seem transitive but normally occur only in the active voice):
e.g.They have two sons. It doesn’t fit you.Three times seven equals twenty-one.
semantic roles of clause elements
Some examples of the most frequent semantic roles follow:
subject: agentive participant (I’m preparing breakfast.)
direct object: affected participant - animate or inanimate - directly involved in the action
expressed by the verb (We’ve sold our car.)
indirect object: recipient participant - animate - passively involved
(We’ve bought them a car.)
subject or object complement: attribute - identification or characterization
Peter is my brother. Peter is a student.
They named their son Peter. They considered Peter a good student.
attribute - current or resulting: He is happy. The milk turned sour.

We consider him happy. The heat turned the milk sour.
Subject - verb concord
- most important is concord of 3rd person number between S and V
- clauses, PPs, adverbs functioning as subject count as singular for number concord
e.g. Smoking is dangerous. In the evening is best for him.
Note: A subject which is not clearly semantically plural requires a singular verb.
Exceptions: singular nouns ending with -s (e.g. measles, mathematics, physics)
plural nouns lacking inflection (e.g. cattle, people, vermin, clergy)
grammatical concord x notional concord (agreement according to the idea of number rather
than the presence of the grammatical marker) - collective nouns
The audience were enjoying the whole match. (collection of individuals)
The audience was enormous. (a single undivided body)
coordinated subject When using and, it is necessary to distinguish between coordination
and coordinate apposition:
e.g. His brother and the editor of his papers was/were with him when he died.
(was - brother and editor have the same reference; were - two different people)
either … or, neither … nor:
When conjoins differ in number, the principle of proximity is applied, i.e. the number of the
second conjoin determines the number of the verb, as in:
Either your brakes or your eyesight is at fault.
Either your eyesight or your brakes are at fault.
concord of person: I am/He is your friend. I was/He was/You were a good student.
subject-complement and object-complement concord
My son is a student. x My sons are students.
I consider my son a good student. x I consider my sons good students.
pronouns and determiner reference
The agreement between a pronoun or a determiner and its antecedent is coreference rather
than grammatical concord: e.g. He injured himself. He/John hurt his hand.
The pronoun they is used as a 3rd person singular pronoun that is neutral between masculine
and feminine (everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody, no one, nobody) -
e.g. Every student has to pass their test today.
vocatives are either calls, drawing attention of the person(s) addressed, or addresses,
expressing the speaker’s relationship or attitude to the person(s) addressed: usually NPs in any
clause position (I,M,E), separate tone unit, intonation - usually fall-rise
Vocatives can be: names, standard appellatives, terms for family relationships, titles of
respect, markers of status, personal pronouns, nominal clauses, etc.
negation - clause negation (not between the operator and the predication: They are not here.)
words negative in form and meaning (e.g. That was no accident.)
words negative in meaning but not in form (e.g. seldom, rarely, scarcely, barely, hardly,
little, few (e.g. I seldom get any sleep, either.)
nonassertive items - clause negation is frequently followed by one or more n. items
(determiners, pronouns, adverbs), e.g. He doesn’t ever visit us. He is not at school any longer.
I don’t like her much.
scope of negation - stretch of language over which the negative item has a semantic
influence; normally extends from the negative item itself to the end of the clause;
focus of negation (the placement of nuclear stress), local negation (e.g. not long ago),
negation of modal auxiliaries (auxiliary negation x main verb negation)

WEEK 1 Revision Simple Sentence

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

WEEK 1 Revision Simple Sentence

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

WEEK 1 Revision Simple Sentence

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Martin Adam: SYNTAX B (seminar) - notes for classes

WEEK 1 THE SIMPLE SENTENCE (REVISION)

attribute - current or resulting: He is happy. The milk turned sour.

You might also like