Welcome LANE 233 (Grammar 3) Presentation 1 The Simple Sentence
Clause patterns: Simple and complex sentences Elements such as Verb (V) and Object (O) are constituents of sentences, and of clauses within a sentence. A simple sentence is a sentence that consists of only one clause. I like grammarExample: I like grammar.
Clause patterns: Simple and complex sentences A sentence may be seen as comprising five units called elements of sentence (or clause) structure: ▫Subject (S) ▫Verb (V) ▫Complement (C) ▫Object (O) ▫Adverbial (A)
Clause patterns: Simple and complex sentences John (S) carefully (A) searched (V) the room (O) [1] John (S) carefully (A) searched (V) the room (O) The girl (S) is (V) now (A) a student (C) at a large university (A) [2] The girl (S) is (V) now (A) a student (C) at a large university (A) His brother (S) grew (V) happier (C) gradually (A) [3] His brother (S) grew (V) happier (C) gradually (A) It (S) rained (V) steadily (A) all day (A) [4] It (S) rained (V) steadily (A) all day (A) He (S) had given (V) the girl (O) an apple (O) [5] He (S) had given (V) the girl (O) an apple (O) They (S) make (V) him (O) the chairman (C) every year (A) [6] They (S) make (V) him (O) the chairman (C) every year (A)
Clause patterns: Clause types Type AVS1 in the houseisSara CVS2 kindisSara a nurse OVS3 the ballcaughtSomebody
Clause patterns: Clause types Type AOVS4 on the tablethe plateputI COVS5 wronghimhave provedWe a fool OOVS6 expensive presentsmegivesShe
Clause patterns: Clause types Type VS7 laughedThe child
Clause patterns: Complementation The elements O d, C, and A in the previous patterns are obligatory elements of clause structure in the sense that they are required for the complementation of the verb. This means that given the use of a particular verb in a particular sense, the sentence is incomplete if one of these elements is omitted. * I put the book (Type SVOA). * He lift (Type SVO).
Clause patterns: Complementation In some cases, however, a direct object or object complement in one of these patterns may be considered grammatically optional: He’s eating He’s eating an appleHe’s eating (Compare it with) He’s eating an apple (Type SVO) He made her career He made her career a successHe made her career (Compare it with) He made her career a success (Type SVOC) He’s teaching He’s teaching German He’s teaching the boys (German)He’s teaching (Compare it with) He’s teaching German (Type SVO), He’s teaching the boys (German) (Type SVOO)
Our approach, however, will be to regard this as a case of conversion, whereby a word such as eat is transferred from the transitive to the intransitive category. Thus He’s eating is an instance of clause-type SV rather than of SVO (with optional deletion of the object). Clause patterns: Complementation
One way of distinguishing the various clause types is by means of 'transformational' relations, or relations of grammatical paraphrase. Clauses containing a noun phrase as object are distinguished by their ability to be converted into passive clauses, the object noun phrase assuming the function of subject (V pass = passive verb phrase), the subject appearing (if at all) in an optional by-phrase, symbolized as [A]: Clause patterns: Transformational relations
Many critics disliked the play (S V O d ) The play was disliked (by many critics) (S V pass [A]) More examples: Type SVO d C o : Queen Victoria considered him a genius He was considered a genius by Queen Victoria (S Vpass Cs [A]) Type SVO d A loc : An intruder must have placed the ladder there The ladder must have been placed there by an intruder (S V pass O loc [A]) Clause patterns: Transformational relations
Type SVOO: My father gave me this watch (S V O i O d ) I was given this watch by my father (S V pass O d [A]) This watch was given me by my father (S V pass O i [A]) As Type SVOO clauses have two objects, they often have two passive forms, as shown above - one in which the direct object becomes subject, and another (more common) in which the indirect object becomes subject. Clause patterns: Transformational relations