Grammar – course requirements

Regular active attendance

Credit test on 16.12.2011, passmark 70% (one
re-sit in January)
Grammar – course outline
7. 10. Word classes, sentence elements, phrases,
clauses, sentence patterns.
21.10. Nouns, determiners, adjectives
4. 11. Verbs, phrasal verbs, irregular verbs,
modality.
2.12. Mock test, questions.
16. 12. Credit test.
Grammar – materials and sources
Leech: An A-Z of English Grammar and Usage
Chalker: A Student´s English Grammar Workbook
Murphy: English Grammar in Use
Swan: Practical English Usage
L. G. Alexander
Any other 'use' and 'usage' book of your choice.
(Choose among renown authors and grammars, please.)
Grammar

Grammar
− Syntax
− Morphology

Other linguistic disciplines and subdisciplines
− lexicology, stylistics, semantics,
pragmatics,...
Word classes and sentence elements
Word classes
(parts of speech)
*Nouns (o) *Adjectives (o)
*Pronouns (c) *Numerals (c)
*Verbs (o) *Adverbs (o)
*Prepositions (c) *Conjunctions (c)
*Particles (c) *Interjections (o)

O – open class

C – closed class
Clause/sentence
elements

Verb

Subject

Object (direct, indirect)

Complement (subject,
object)

Adverbial
Forms and functions
(see Chalker – exercises 3,4 on pages 7-9)
FORMS = phrases

Verb phrase (VP)

Noun phrase (NP)

Adjective phrase (AdjP)

Adverb phrase (AdvP)

Prepositional phrase
(PP)
FUNCTIONS =
sentence/clause elements

Subject (S)

Verb (V)

Object (O)

Complement (C)

Adverbial (A)
Syntax
I. PHRASE (VP, NP, PP, AdvP, AdjP)
II. CLAUSE (7 clause types)
III.SENTENCE
1. SIMPLE
2. COMPOUND
3. COMPLEX
Syntax – clause types

Clause types = sentence patterns

7 clause types: SV, SVO, SVC, SVA, SVOO,
SVOC, SVOA

Differ according to whether one or more clause
elements are obligatory present in addition to
the S and V

S and V always have to be present in any
sentence, the V element in a simple sentence is
always a finite verb phrase
Syntax – clause types
1) The sun is shining.
2) That lecture bored me.
3) Your dinner seems ready.
4) Daniel stayed in bed.
5) I must send him a letter.
6) Most students find him interesting.
7) I put the book on the table.
Syntax – clause types
1) The sun is shining.SV
2) That lecture bored me. SVOd
3) Your dinner seems ready. SVCs
4) Daniel stayed in bed. SVA
5) I must send him a letter. SVOiOd
6) Most students find him interesting. SVOCo
7) I put the book on the table. SVOA
Syntax – clause types
1)She killed him.
2)He gave her the money.
3)I will lay your coats on the bed upstairs.
4)The water is boiling.
5)They consider him a conscientious student.
6)I am at home
7)He is a teacher.
Syntax – clause types
1)She killed him. SVO
2)He gave her the money. SVOO
3)I will lay your coats on the bed upstairs. SVOA
4)The water is boiling. SV
5)They consider him a conscientious student. SVOC
6)I am at home. SVA
7)He is a teacher. SVC
Verb classes

3 verb classes according to which clause elements they
require (and which clause types they enter)

INTRANSITIVEINTRANSITIVE verbs – no obligatory element: SV

TRANSITIVETRANSITIVE verbs or 'object verbs'
− MONOTRANSITIVE: SVO
− DITRANSITIVE: SVOO
− COMPLEX-TRANSITIVE: SVOC and SVOA

COPULARCOPULAR verbs or 'copulas' or 'linking verbs': SVA
and SVC
Verb classes

!!! multiple class membership of verbs!!!
− I am teaching. (SV)
− I am teaching English (SVO)
− I am teaching you English. (SVOO)
Syntax - sentences
1)SIMPLE
2)COMPOUND
3)COMPLEX
Syntax - sentences
1)SIMPLE
2)COMPOUND
3)COMPLEX
In a simple sentence all sentence elements are expressed by
phrases.
Syntax - sentences
1)SIMPLE
2)COMPOUND
3)COMPLEX
In a simple sentence all sentence elements are expressed by
phrases.
In a complex sentence at least one sentence element must be
expressed by a clause. A complex sentence contains one
matrix (or main) clause and at least one subordinate clause
Syntax - sentences
1)SIMPLE
2)COMPOUND
3)COMPLEX
In a simple sentence all sentence elements are expressed by
phrases.
In a complex sentence at least one sentence element must be
expressed by a clause. A complex sentence contains one
matrix (or main) clause and at least one subordinate clause
A compound sentence contains at least two main clauses.
Sentence types and discourse
functions
Sentence types
1)Declaratives
2)Interrogatives
3)Imperatives
4)Exclamatives
Discourse functions
A)Statements
B)Questions
C)Directives
D)Exclamations

Direct associations between syntactic types and discourse functions
are the rule, but the two do not always match. We distinguish direct
and indirect speech acts.

Could you mend my watch? DSA question about ability
ISA request