SEMINAR 1 - SENTENCE AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE

   QUESTIONS   (to answer after you have studied the seminar handout carefully)

   1. Which two main constituents are needed to make a sentence?

   2. Are the terms 'the verb' and 'the predicate' identical?

   3. How many basic sentence elements do we distinguish in English and which ones?

   4. How do we identify the subject of the clause / sentence? Consider the following sentence:

      e.g.  The grey-haired woman in the black dress is my grandma.

   5. What three main kinds of adverbials do we distinguish? Give examples of your own.

   6. Using the following examples explain the difference between the verbs (i.e. what kind of
   verbs are they?)

        a) The keys disappeared.
        b) I saw your sister at the cinema yesterday.
        c) The test didn't seem difficult at all.

   7. Give examples of a ditransitive and monotransitive verb in sentences illustrating the
   difference between them.

   8. Some verbs can be used both transitively and intransitively. Compare the following
   sentences - what kind of verb is 'leave' in each one?

       a) The bus left early.
       b) John left his office and went home.

   9. Supply the sentence patterns:

       a) John bought his girlfriend some flowers.
       b) I find your suggestion interesting.
       c) My elder brother is studying English in London.
       d) Your argument appears sensible.
       e) Peter arrived at 7 o'clock.
       f) It didn't rain.
       g) The young woman was waiting for her husband.

   

      Judging from the above sentences, which elements are obligatory?

   10. Give a definition of 'a phrase'. What basic phrases do we distinguish? Identify the
   phrases in the following sentence:

        e. g. Carol´s eldest brother has been studying English in London for three months.

   11. Identify the following phrases in the given sentence:

        a) a noun phrase - He told the whole story again.
        b) a verb phrase - My sister is going to study history at
             university.
        c) an adjective phrase - The watch was much more expensive
             than I expected.
        d) an adverb phrase - She said it rather slowly.
        e) a prepositional phrase - I found the key under the bed.

   12. Explain the difference between a clause and a sentence.