Clause patterns: terminology verb=predicator subject complement=subject predicative=subjective predicative complement object complement=object predicative=objective predicative complement prepositional object=object of preposition=complement of preposition

Clause patterns : properties of subject position before verb Sue loved Max nominative case-form She loved him verb agreement Sue loves them subject-auxiliary inversion Do they love Sue? ? doer of the action ? topic, what the clause is about

Clause patterns : variations existential clause: displaced subject There was a nurse present pseudo-cleft construction What we need is more time it-cleft construction It was the song that impressed them extraposition: extraposed subject It disturbs her that he was acquitted preposing Humble, Mr Brown is not. postposing I understood eventually the reason for their antagonism

Clause patterns : discontinuity Could you call me form the office? V She had certainly taken lessons.

Clause patterns Biber et al. (1999) Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English 141-152 SV Their relatives arrived SVA The bomb victims were in hospital last night SVC He is American SVOd He loved her SVOp He has to deal with the children SVOiOd You left him a note, didn’t you? SvOdOp You accuse her of encouraging him? SVOdC Well she found it cold there SVOdA She placed the baby on a blanket