Návrat na detail prednášky / Stiahnuť prednášku / Univerzita Komenského / Pedagogická fakulta / AN - Syntax anglického jazyka I.

SYNTAX seminár 5.hod. (Brychová) (syntax_seminar11.3.08.doc)

SYNTAX SEMINÁR                11.3.2008

MODIFYING PARTS OF THE SENTENCE

MODIFIERS

1. secondary part of the sentence
2. they modify the sense of various parts of the sentence - the subject, the object, the predicate, the verb
3. they may be divided into 3 groups:

 NOUN MODIFIERS

 ADJECTIVE, ADVERB, VERB MODIFIERS

 PHRASE AND SENTENCE MODIFIERS

NOUN MODIFIERS

I. WHEN WE MODIFY SUBJECT

4. can expressed by an adjective and possessive case but they are used attributively,                     because they modify the subject of the sentence
5. there can be a definite or an indefinite article
6. it can be a noun in the possessive case, an adjective, a numeral, demonstrative pronoun, participle, indefinite article, past participle, prepositional phrase, definite article, a group o words, apposition, the infinitive verb phrase in passive voice

The little children had a lot to eat.

The little - modifier

the little children - subject

The unhappy woman burst out crying.

The unhappy - modifier (used attributively)

The unhappy woman - subject

Henry’s brother is a teacher.

Henry’s - modifier (possessive case)

Henry’s brother - subject

Tom´s grandfather is ill.

Tom´s - modifier (used traibutively)

Tom´s grandfather - subject

is - linking verb

ill - subject complement (expressed by an adjective / used predicatively)

That sleeping child is smiling nice.

That sleeping child - subject

That sleeping - modifier

That - demonstrative pronoun

sleeping - participle

is smiling nice - predicate

smiling - subject complement

nice - complement adverbial

A registered letter must not get lost.

A registered letter - subject

A registered - modifier

A - indefinite article

registered - past participle

must not get lost - predicate

must not - finite verb form

get lost - infinite verb form

The books on my desk are from Auntie Jane.

The books on my desk - subject

on my desk - modifier (expressed by a prepositional phrase)

are from Auntie Jane - predicate

from Auntie Jane - prepositional phrase

Nine students are sitting around the des.

Nine - numeral

The car there is a Mercedes.

The - definite article

there - modifier (expressed by an adverb)

The three month long holiday were never forgotten.

The three month long - modifier (expressed by a group of words)

William Shakespeare, one of the best dramatists, didn’t study at the university.

one of the best dramatists - modifier (expressed by an apposition)

The question to be answered was extremely difficult.

The - definite article

to be answered - modifier (expressed by the infinitive verb phrase in passive voice)

II. WHEN WE MODIFY object direct

John bought two cinema tickets.

John - subject

bought two cinema tickets - predicate

bought - verb

two - numeral

cinema - adjective

two cinema tickets - object direct

Charles likes your thrilling stories.

Charles - subject

likes your thrilling stories - predicate

likes - verb

your - possessive pronoun

thrilling - participle

your thrilling stories - object direct

He saw their new house.

He - subject

saw their new house - predicate

saw - verb

their - possessive pronoun

new - adjective

their new house - object direct

III. WHEN WE MODIFY object direct AND OBJECT INDIRECT

We showed those English students the sights of our town.

We - subject

showed - verb

those - demonstrative pronoun

English - adjective

those English students - object indirect

the - definite article

of our town - prepositional phrase

the sights of our town - object direct

IV. WHEN WE MODIFY SUBJECT COMPLEMENT

He is the best player in our team.

He - subject

is - verb

the best player in our team - subject complement

the - definite article

best - adjective in superlative

in our team - prepositional phrase

VERB MODIFIERS

- can be expressed by adverbs or by an adverbial phrase

You study hard.

hard - verb modifier

That man drives fast.

fast - verb modifier

They answered in a friendly way.

They - subject

answered - verb

in a friendly way - verb modifiers

ADJECTIVE AND ADVERB MODIFIERS

7. the adjective can be modified by adverbs
8. the adverb can be modified by adverbs

We saw a highly amusing play.

We - subject

saw a highly amusing play - predicate

a highly amusing play - object direct

saw - verb

a - indefinite article

highly - adverb

amusing - adjective

We were awfully sorry.

We - subject

were awfully sorry - predicate

were - verb

awfully - adverb

sorry - adjective

He spoke very well.

He - subject

spoke very well - predicate

spoke - verb

very - adverb

well - adverb

It was too late.

It  - subject

was too late - predicate

was - verb

too - adverb

late - adverb

SENTENCES

1. SIMPLE SENTENCE is a sentence that consists of a subject and a predicate.

We study.

We - subject

study - verb

2. there are also ONE MEMBER SENTENCES

1. consisting of 1 verb

1. imperative  Go!   Silence!   Study!   Mother!
2. questions   What?   Where?   Why?   Really?
3. other          Ouch. No. Yes.

2. sometimes consisting of more words, but they don’t have a predicate or a verb

Good idea.

Another cup of tea.

See you on Tuesday.

Anything missing?

At home.

At school.

3. there are UNEXTENDED TWO MEMBER SENTENCES (holá, nerozvitá veta)

        We study.

4. there are EXTENDED SENTENCES (rozvitá veta)

        We study hard every day.

5. there are also COMPOUND SENTENCES that consist of two or more coordinate elements

 (priraďovacie súvetia)

6. there are also COMPLEX SENTENCES (podraďovacie súvetia)

GRAMMATICAL PRINCIPLES OF WORD ORDER

- the English language has a fixed word order (SV….)

        EXCEPTS OF THIS ARE:

1) questions, interrogative clauses - there is an inversion (subject + operator)

                                 exception is in subject questions (Who did it?) and W-words (Who did what?)

2) contrast

3) fronting

1. fronted objects        - typical for demonstrative pronouns  

          This I do not understand.

          That I also like.

        - examples with “such a…”

                Such thing you must tell me.

2. fronted predicatives        - expressed by “best of all / “even” / “also” / “the more” / “so different”  

                                           at the beginning of the sentence

                - mainly when we use linking verbs

                  Also it is very popular for travelling.

3. fronting of predicative with subject front order without inversion

Right you are.

Bloody amazing it was.

You are a little deedle, you are!

4. fronted  -ed  &  -ing  predicates - uses in newspapers and official documents

Standing at the airport we saw a…..

Considering the situation…..

Focusing ……..

Aiming…….

5. fronting in exclamation

How clever you are!

Charming you are!

4) formulaic clauses with subjunctive verb forms and archaic verb forms

        Long live the Queen.                So help me God.

        Be it proclaimed.                So be.

5) degree adverbs

        So greatly had he suffered.

        So badly was he affected.

6) inversion

6. in opening time adverbials

                THEN - Then came voices all shouting together.

                AGAIN - Again came the sounds.

                FIRST - First came the shouts.

                NEXT - Next came the crowd.

                NOW - Now comes the fear.

7. after linking forms SO, NOR, NEITHER

She jumped, so did we.

Please do help me, she said.

Will you help me, please?

8. in use of indirect speech - mainly in news when you use quotation

“Are you going home?” - someone asked.

“This is very interesting.” - said he.

7) Subject after negative and restricting coordinators and adverbials

        NEITHER                NEVER

        NOWHERE                 NOT ONLY

        REALLY                SELDOM

        LITTLE                 LESS

        ONLY                        NOR

        HARDLY  

I haven’t done this. NOR have I.

NO DOUBT he will issue his instruction.

NOT SURPRISINGLY he won.

NOT MANY YEARS AGO there was a park.

IT SEEMED TO BE too easy.

8) clauses opening with the auxiliary “MAY”

        May he forgive you.

        Long may be so.

9) hypothetical conditional clauses         - mainly in formal writing style

        - if we want to replace it we use “SHOULD” or “HAD”

10) position of direct and indirect object - we can change it