Optional Slots Ed McCorduck English 402--Grammar SUNY Cortland

slide 2: definition of optional slots English 402: Grammar In all the sentence patterns we’ve seen so far, slots like NP (subj), be (pred vb), V-lnk (pred vb), ADJ (subj comp), NP (subj comp) etc. have been required in each pattern, but sometimes an element will not be necessary to a sentence. In other words, the slot is optional and whether the element is present in the surface sentence or not the sentence is still grammatical (in the descriptive sense).

exx The lemmings charged. *The lemmings flung. The lemmings charged madly. The lemmings charged off the cliff. slide 3: missing elements vs. optional slots; examples English 402: Grammar * = ungrammatical, i.e., the verb fling requires a direct object slot as in The lemmings flung themselves (over the cliff)

exx *She devoured. She devoured the sandwich. She devoured the sandwich ravenously. slide 4: another example of missing elements vs. optional slots English 402: Grammar

slide 5: adverbials and qualifiers English 402: Grammar These “optional” slots are filled by adverbials, which can be either single words or phrases. Adverbials can also include words from the class known as qualifiers, among which are words like very, pretty [in the sense of ‘fairly’, i.e., not the adjective meaning ‘nice looking’] rather, less, almost, nearly and the informal qualifier way.

exx Jack runs very fast. adverbial The car sped nearly into a ditch. adverbial She discerned the problem less quickly than I did. adverbial He drove way slow. (informal) adverbial slide 6: examples of adverbials with qualifiers English 402: Grammar

Adverbials express the following concepts: time (can answer the one-word question When? ) place (can answer the one-word question Where? ) manner (can answer the one-word question How? ) reason/cause/purpose (can answer the one-word question When? ) frequency (can answer the short question How often? ) slide 7: functions of adverbials English 402: Grammar

Unlike other slots, those for adverbials are quite flexible; adverbials can generally occur in the following positions in a sentence: at the beginning at the end medially, i.e., usually between other slots but sometimes within an element that fills a slot exx Cyanide very often smells like almonds. (subj) adverbial (pred vb) Rolly is always looking hungry. (subj) adverbial (i.e., is looking is one element, the pred vb) slide 8: on the flexible positioning of adverbials English 402: Grammar

Regardless of where an adverbial may occur in the surface sentence, however, in a Reed-Kellogg diagram adverbials always go on slanted lines under the verb which is on the main line. To illustrate, in the following sentences the adverbial desperately occurs in three different positions, but the diagram on the next slide is the only way to diagram each of these three variants: Desperately the survivors swam. The survivors desperately swam. The survivors swam desperately. slide 9: adverbials’ flexible surface position but set position in R-K diagrams English 402: Grammar

slide 10: example of a Reed-Kellogg diagram of a sentence with a movable adverbial English 402: Grammar