Topic 2: The Coordination - Handout                               

a/ syndetic, units are linked by coordinating conjunctions (i.e. by coordinators)

b/ asyndetic, coordinators are not present (but could be inserted); conjuncts, on the   

    other hand, can be present

c/ polysyndetic coordination - coordinator is repeated between each pair of units

Examples:                   a/ He tried hard, but he failed.

b/ He tried hard, (and) yet he failed.

c/ The weather was nice and the sun was shining and the water was marvellous.

Linkers:         coordinators (coordinating conjunctions) - syndetic coordination

                        conjuncts (adverbials) - asyndetic coordination

                        subordinators (subordinating conjunctions) - syndetic subordination

1. coordination (units are on the same syntactic level)

2. subordination (one of the units is a constituent of a superordinate unit)

Examples:                   1. He tried hard, but he failed.

2. Although he tried hard, he failed.

Coordinators:

three central coordinators: and, or, but

somewhere between ‘pure’ coordinators and ‘pure’ subordinators: for, so that (in the meaning “with the result that”)

1. unlike e.g. conjuncts, coordinators are restricted to the initial position in the second clause, e.g. John plays the banjo, and his sister plays the violin. x John plays the banjo; his sister, moreover, plays the violin.);

2. coordinated clauses (with and, or, and but) are sequentially fixed in relation to the previous clause (not true for most subordinators Although she cried, he gave it away.);

3. coordinators (all) are not preceded by a conjunction;

4. they can link clause constituents (the same applies to conjuncts yet, so, time adverb then) e.g. You may come tomorrow or may phone today.

5. they can link subordinate clauses, e.g. I wonder whether I should stay or whether I should leave immediately.

6. they (and, or) can link more than two clauses - multiple coordination.

Correlatives (endorsing item and a coordinator):

three main pairs:       either … or (emphasizes the exclusive meaning of or),

both … and (emphasizes the additive meaning of and and

singles out the segregatory meaning of and rather than combinatory meaning),

neither … nor (negative counterpart of both … and, emphasizes that the negation applies to both units);

one marginal pair:    not (only) … but (also)

Examples:       Either you or your sister can stay.

                        Both David and Jane got divorced. (not from each other)

                        Mary is neither happy nor sad.

                        He came not to help us, but to talk to us.

                        Not Henry, but his wife is the owner.

                        Not only was he late, but he also forgot his glasses.

Notes:  1. According to prescriptive tradition, the use of correlatives is unacceptable   

    when there are three or more conjoins.

            2. Correlatives should introduce parallel units, i.e. units of equivalent function.

Simple coordination

coordination, in which a single clause or clause constituent is linked to others that are parallel in meaning, in function, and (generally) in form:

conjoin + conjoin = conjoint

two ways of analysing simple coordination of clause constituents:

1. an elliptical version of clause constituents, two clauses in which a subject and an operator have been ellipted from the second clause:

She has trimmed the hedge and O mowed the lawn.

2. a single clause containing two coordinated predications, which together constitute the predication of the clause:

She has [[trimmed the hedge] and [mowed the lawn]].

Types of simple coordination:

c. of clauses, c. of predicates and predications (the most reduced form being preferred), c. of noun phrases and their constituents (combinatory and segregatory coordination of noun phrases, e.g. John and Mary make a pleasant couple. and John and Mary know the answer.), c. within noun phrases, etc.

Complex coordination

coordination in which the conjoins are combinations of units rather than single units, usually requiring a strong parallelism between the conjoins, therefore tending to be used in written style of English, two types:

1. each conjoin consists of contiguous elements and the conjoins are combined in final position, e.g. He gave me a book on stamps and Mary a book on painting. Oi + Od

2. conjoins are not in final position, e.g. John admires, but Mary hates, modern music.

Gapping

is a type of complex coordination in which a second or subsequent conjoin contains a medial ellipsis, so that the elements in these conjoins are not contiguous,                           e.g. One girl has written a poem, and the other O a short story. S + O

Appended coordination

characteristic of informal speech, occurs when an elliptical clause (involving one element or contiguous elements) is appended to a previous clause:

e.g. My mother plays badminton, and sometimes even tennis.

Pseudo-coordination

mostly found in informal speech; several types:

a/ the c. of two verbs that has an idiomatic function similar to that of a catenative construction (e.g. I’ll try and come.)

b/ the c. of two adjectives of which the first functions as an intensifier of the second (e.g. His speech was nice and short.)

c/ the c. of identical comparative forms of adjectives, adverbs, and determiners that expresses a continuing increase in degree (e.g. She felt more and more angry.)

d/ the c. of two or more identical forms of verbs and adverbs that expresses continuation or repetition (e.g. He talked and talked and talked.)

e/ the c. of two identical nouns to indicate different kinds (e.g. You can find doctors and doctors.)

f/ the c. of three or more identical nouns to indicate a large number or quantity (e.g. We saw dogs and dogs and dogs all over the place.)

Quasi-coordination

most of the quasi-coordinators are related to comparative forms: as well as, as much as, rather than, more than. They sometimes resemble coordinators in that they link a variety of constituents.

Examples:

John, as well as his brothers, was responsible for the loss.

I am going to forget the whole affair, rather than cause trouble.