DueRead: Understanding English Grammar, Chapter 2Meeting PlaceWe will meet in our usual classroom, Dial 153. Please bring Understanding English Grammar. |
February 12-16, 2001Now that you have a solid foundation in both phonology and the lexicon, we turn to a study of syntax, the system by which sounds and words are organized in sentences.As we move through the remainder of the semester, you should continue to work on mastering the material covered in the study guides and in Understanding English Grammar. You also should be revising the grammar guides that you posted last week. Over the next few weeks, I will be reading the drafts you have posted and writing detailed evaluations designed to help you improve these drafts. |
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ResourcesUnderstanding English Grammar describes the ten basic sentence patterns covered here.A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language presents detailed descriptions of numerous aspects of English grammar. The Art of Styling Sentences - 20 Patterns for Success describes more patterns of sentence structure, along with examples and exercises. Updated
February 12, 2001
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SyntaxBy Misty WilsonStudent, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, 1998 The word "syntax" refers to the relationships of words within a sentence. In English, speakers and writers generally indicate these relationships through word order. For example, the actor--or "subject"--in a sentence generally comes before the verb. Recipients of actions--or "objects"--generally appear after verbs. English syntax actually is much more complex than these examples suggest, but they illustrate a general principle: syntax is the system that speakers and writers use when they combine words into phrases and clauses, ultimately creating meaning. In their book Understanding English Grammar Martha Kolln and Robert Funk identify ten basic sentence patterns in English syntax. The first step in learning these sentence patterns is identifying two basic parts of a sentence: the subject and the predicate. The subject consists of a noun phrase, which includes a noun headword, along with its modifiers; this subject, which usually appears somewhere before the verb in a sentence, generally is someone or something performing an action. The predicate contains a verb phrase generally referring to an action performed by the subject. This verb phrase is made up of the predicating verb, or main verb, along with its modifiers and complements. Take, for example, the following sentence: The diligent students worked on their assignment today.Here, the noun phrase "the diligent students" is the subject, and "worked on their assignment today" is the predicate. It is helpful to think of a sentence as a series of slots. Each of the ten basic patterns begins with a noun phrase in the subject slot, followed by one, two, or three slots in the predicate. Below are detailed descriptions and examples of each basic pattern described by Funk and Kolln. Patterns 1-3 (Be Patterns) The first three patterns are the be patterns. The number of slots in the predicate is two. The first slot contains the main, or predicating verb, which is a form of be. Some examples of forms of be are is, am, are, was, were, being, and been. Expanded forms include have been, was being, might be, and will be. What follows the main verb in the final slot determines which pattern the sentence is. In Pattern 1, an adverbial of time or place follows the main verb. In both Pattern 2 and Pattern 3, the predicating verb is followed by a subject complement: a noun phrase or adjectival that renames or modifies the subject. An adjectival follows it in Pattern 2, and in Pattern 3 a noun phrase follows the main verb. * The numbers in parentheses in some of the patterns show the relationships
between noun phrases. If the numbers are identical, the noun phrases
have the same referent (what the noun
phrase stands for). Different numbers denote different referents.
Patterns 4 and 5 (Linking Verb Patterns) Patterns 4 and 5 contain two slots in the predicate, just as in Patterns 1-3. These patterns contain a linking verb followed by a subject complement. The difference between the two is the type of phrase that fills the subject complement slot. In Pattern 4, an adjectival fills this slot. In Pattern 5, a noun phrase fills the subject complement slot; the noun phrase has the same referent as the first noun phrase. Linking verbs that commonly appear in Pattern IV are verbs of the senses
such as taste, smell, feel, sound, and look. Others
include
turn, appear, become, get, remain, and prove. Some
of these verbs also are used in Pattern 5.
Pattern 6 (Intransitive Verb Pattern) No complement follows the verb in this pattern; however, the verb may
be followed by adverbial information answering questions such as the following:
When? Where? Why? How? How long?
Patterns 7-10 (Transitive Verb Patterns) The four transitive verb patterns have one thing in common: each contains
a direct object--a noun phrase
that often refers to the object of a verb's action. Pattern
7 is considered the basic transitive pattern and contains only a direct
object following the verb. Pattern 8 differs a little in that an
indirect object precedes the direct object. We usually think of the indirect
object as the recipient and the direct object as the thing given.
One way to distinguish between Patterns 9 and 10 is to identify the object
complement--the noun phrase or adjectival describing or renaming the
direct object. In Pattern IX, the object complement that follows
the direct object is an adjective that modifies the direct object.
The object complement in Pattern 10 is a noun phrase. In this pattern,
the noun phrase has the same referent as the direct object.
ExerciseComplete each sentence by filling in the slot with a word or group of words. Draw vertical lines to isolate each slot in the sentence and identify each slot according to its function and form. Then identify the sentence pattern.
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