Oral exam:
1. text analysis (sentence and clause types, sentence elements, word classes)
2. three topics (A, B, C)
Topics for the oral exam:
Part A
1. Modality - (ability, permission).
2. Modality - (possibility).
3. Modality - (past activity, habit, refusal).
4. Modality - (expectation, assumption, conclusion).
5. Modality - (obligation).
6. Semi-modal verbs (dare, used to, need).
7.The subjunctive (3 types - mandative s., were-subjunctive, formulaic s.).
8.Clauses of result and cause (reason).
9.Clauses of purpose.
10.Clauses of concession.
11.Clauses of time.
12.Relative clauses (links and clause types).
Literature:
Hugh Gethin: Grammar in Context. Proficiency Level English. Nelson 1992. (Chapters 3 - 11)
Sidney Greenbaum, Randolph Quirk: A Student’s Grammar of the English Language. Longman 1990.
(Chapter 4, pp. 60ff, Ch 3, pp. 43-44, Ch 14, pp. 294-302)
any grammar you like, e.g. A. J. Thomson, A. V. Martinet: A Practical English Grammar. Oxford
University Press 1986 or L. G. Alexander: Longman English Grammar. Longman 1988.
Part B
1. The simple sentence (syntactic characterization and semantic roles of clause elements).
2. The simple sentence (concord, vocatives, negation).
3. The semantics and grammar of adverbials (adjuncts, subjuncts).
4. The semantics and grammar of adverbials (disjuncts, conjuncts).
5. Sentence types and discourse functions and their relationships. Directives. Exclamatives.
6. Major classes of questions. Minor types of questions. Block language.
7. Restrictive and nonrestrictive modification (relative clauses and other types of
postmodification).
8. Apposition. Premodification. Discontinuous modification.
9. Multi-word verbs (3 groups). Adjective complementation.
10. Verb complementation (intransitive, copular, and especially transitive verbs: monotransitive,
ditransitive and complex-transitive verbs).
11. Words - phrases - clauses – sentences (their relationships). Two conventional methods of
representing the structure of sentences (tree diagrams, bracketing).
12.Functions of phrases (relation between sentence elements and types of phrases).
Literature:
Sidney Greenbaum, Randolph Quirk: A Student’s Grammar of the English Language. Longman 1990.
(Chapters 8, 11, 16, 17)
Howard Jackson: Analyzing English. An Introductin to Descriptive Linguistics. Part Two: Structures.
(Chapters 8 - 16)
Part C
1. Recoverability and substitution (pro-forms).
2. Recoverability and ellipsis (nature and types).
3. Syndetic, asyndetic, and polysyndetic coordination (coordinators, correlatives).
4. Simple and complex coordination and their types (e.g. gapping). Appended c.
5. The difference between simple and complex coordination. Pseudo-coordination. Quasi-coordination.
6. The complex sentence (subordination and its indicators, matrix clause, superordinate and
subordinate clauses).
7. The complex sentence (three main structural classes). Direct and indirect speech. Free indirect
speech and free direct speech. Transferred negation.
8. Syntactic and semantic functions of subordinate clauses (nominal clauses).
9.Syntactic and semantic functions of subordinate clauses (adverbial clauses - time, place; comment
clauses).
10.Syntactic and semantic functions of subordinate clauses (adverbial clauses - condition,
concession, and contrast).
11.Syntactic and semantic functions of subordinate clauses (adverbial clauses - exception,
similarity and comparison, proportion, preference).
12.Syntactic and semantic functions of subordinate clauses (comparative clauses, sentential
relative clauses).
Literature:
Sidney Greenbaum, Randolph Quirk: A Student’s Grammar of the English Language. Longman 1990.
(Chapters 10, 12 - 15)
Syntax exam: Topics combinations

1. Modality - (ability, permission).
9. Multi-word verbs (3 groups). Adjective complementation.
4. Simple and complex coordination and their types (e.g. gapping). Appended c.

2. Modality - (possibility).
10. Verb complementation (intransitive, copular, and especially transitive verbs: monotransitive,
ditransitive and complex-transitive verbs).
5. The difference between simple and complex coordination. Pseudo-coordination. Quasi-coordination.

3. Modality - (past activity, habit, refusal).
11. Words - phrases - clauses – sentences (their relationships). Two conventional methods of
representing the structure of sentences (tree diagrams, bracketing).
6. The complex sentence (subordination and its indicators, matrix clause, superordinate and
subordinate clauses).

4. Modality - (expectation, assumption, conclusion).
12. Functions of phrases (relation between sentence elements and types of phrases).
7. The complex sentence (three main structural classes). Direct and indirect speech. Free indirect
speech and free direct speech. Transferred negation.

5. Modality - (obligation).
1. The simple sentence (syntactic characterization and semantic roles of clause elements).
8. Syntactic and semantic functions of subordinate clauses (nominal clauses).

6. Semi-modal verbs (dare, used to, need).
2. The simple sentence (concord, vocatives, negation).
9. Syntactic and semantic functions of subordinate clauses (adverbial clauses - time, place;
comment clauses).

7. The subjunctive (3 types - mandative s., were-subjunctive, formulaic s.).
3. The semantics and grammar of adverbials (adjuncts, subjuncts).
10.Syntactic and semantic functions of subordinate clauses (adverbial clauses - condition,
concession, and contrast).

8. Clauses of result and cause (reason).
4. The semantics and grammar of adverbials (disjuncts, conjuncts).
11.Syntactic and semantic functions of subordinate clauses (adverbial clauses - exception,
similarity and comparison, proportion, preference).

9. Clauses of purpose.
5. Sentence types and discourse functions and their relationships. Directives. Exclamatives.
12.Relative clauses (links and clause types).

10. Clauses of concession.
6. Major classes of questions. Minor types of questions. Block language.
1. Recoverability and substitution (pro-forms).

11. Clauses of time.
7. Restrictive and nonrestrictive modification (relative clauses and other types of
postmodification).
2. Recoverability and ellipsis (nature and types).

12. Syntactic and semantic functions of subordinate clauses (comparative clauses, sentential
relative clauses).
8. Apposition. Premodification. Discontinuous modification.
3. Syndetic, asyndetic, and polysyndetic coordination (coordinators, correlatives).