SEMINAR 1   --   SENTENCE   AND   SENTENCE   STRUCTURE

sentence  (subject and predicate)  -   sentence elements (S,
V, O, A, C)   -  types of verbs (transitive, intransitive,
copular)  -  7 basic sentence patterns)   -  phrases    -
clause

Sentence

Consider the following stretches of language. Are they
sentences?

e.g.            are playing football in the garden
                  the boys

What's missing in each one?

> to make a sentence, we need two constituents: the subject
+ the predicate (= what is said about the subject, i.e. all
the words in a sentence except the subject.

Sentence elements
     
[  S ]  the subject  is easily identifiable -- by asking who? -- he,
children, my mother, someone

  -    the predicate has a few constituents:

[   V  ]  -  verb  -   are playing
[   O  ]  - object -  football
[   A  ]  - adverbial - in the garden   (=time, place,
manner)
[   C  ]  - complement -- is used after a copular verb  e.g.
He is clever.


Verbs

We distinguish 3 basic types of verbs:

  a)   intransitive -- do not require an object, can be
     followed by an adverbial
     e.g. My head aches.    The bus left (early). They
     didn't arrive.

  b)   transitive -- require an object, cannot stand on their
     own
     e.g. I need money.     He enjoys swimming.     I met
     him yesterday.

  c)   copular -- are followed by a complement (compl. tells us
     st about the subject)
     e.g. John is clever.    Mike is an architect
     
        most common:  be, seem, appear, sound, feel, taste,
  smell
        verbs indicating a change: become, go, grow, get,
  prove, turn

!Some verbs can be used both transitively and
intransitively:

compare:   open     The door opened.     v.      Someone
opened the door.
  
       answer
       
       close

Sentence patterns

  -    out of the sentence elements we can make 7 basic
     sentence patterns (types)

  1.   SV  -       My head aches.   They laughed.
2.   SVC -     My brother has become an architect.
  3.                  My sister enjoyed her holiday.
  4.                  The firm gave Sam a watch.
5.                  They made Sam chairman.
  6.                  The bank opens at 9.
  7.                  You can put the dish on the table.

Try to add the other types.

IN THE STUDY OF GRAMMAR THERE ARE TWO MAIN ISSUES: FUNCTION
AND FORM.

So far we have analyzed parts of sentences in terms of their
function (=sent. elements)
Speaking about form, we will identify various phrases in a
sentence:


Phrase -- a word or more words built around the head word

  a)   noun phrase -- My watch has disappeared.
b)   verb phrase -  My watch has disappeared.
  c)   adjective phrase -- She sounded a bit doubtful.
  d)   adverb phrase -- She answered quite rapidly.
e)   prepositional phrase -- The keys were on the desk.


Sentence v. clause

  -    I was late today. = a sentence
-    I was late today because I missed the bus.  = a
sentence which comprises 2 units -- clauses.

A sentence can comprise only one clause, as in I was late
for school.