AJc219 Functional Syntax

Faculty of Education
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/0/1. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Martin Adam, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Světlana Hanušová, Ph.D.
Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Jana Popelková
Supplier department: Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Prerequisites
Syntax A, Syntax B
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course presents the English grammar as a tool which enables users of English to achieve their purposes in communication and tries to help language learners to realise that grammar is used in a different way in spoken and written interaction and is further modified by the context of language use. The student applies the knowledge gained in Syntax A and Syntax B courses and is able to put it into the communicative and functional context. Throughout the semester students are encouraged to link theory in the classroom to practice at schools via practical tasks.
Learning outcomes
Students:
• are able to apply the acquired knowledge from normative syntax in practice, with an emphasis on the functional concept of language material and natural communication
• are able to express more accurately and sensitively their communication intention
• can analyze and interpret English texts at different linguistic levels
• are able to use knowledge from functional linguistics for didactic purposes - e.g. to create learning materials or a set of activities for individual phases of text work
Syllabus
  • Hypothetical Meaning. Fronting without Inversion. Fronting with subject-verb inversion. Fronting with subject-operator inversion. Extraposition of Clausal Subject. Passive Voice. Extraposition of Clausal Object. Postponement and discontinuities. Cleft Sentences Proper. Pseudo-cleft sentences. Existential sentences.
Literature
    required literature
  • DONTCHEVA-NAVRATILOVA, Olga. Grammatical structures in English : meaning in context. 3. vydání. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2012, 169 stran. ISBN 9788021057623. info
  • YULE, George. Oxford practice grammar. with answer. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006, ix, 280. ISBN 0194309169. info
    recommended literature
  • COOK, Guy. Discourse. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989, xi, 167. ISBN 0194371409. info
  • LEECH, Geoffrey N. and Jan SVARTVIK. A communicative grammar of English. 1st publ. London: Longman, 1975, 324 p. ISBN 0582552389. info
Teaching methods
Home assignments + home reading. Teaching methods: classroom discussions, lectures, students' presentations, home assignments, home projects, observations.
Assessment methods
A mid-term test + a credit test (practical analysis of authentic texts and their functional interpretation) + oral exam. More than two absences are not tolerated. Tests passmark: 70%.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: in blocks.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 12 hodin.
Teacher's information
AI Manifesto In the course, the use of AI is permitted for learning but not for cheating. It is acceptable to use AI for brainstorming ideas, basic proofreading, and suggestions for improvement. It is unacceptable to have a text generated, translated or reformulated. Remember to acknowledge all innovative ideas that are not yours. For generated ideas, use in-text citations. At the end of each assignment, state how you worked/did not work with AI. When in doubt, consult your teacher.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/spring2025/AJc219