ôn thi cao học ĐHQG

E_English Grammar Course
Unit 7
The Simple Sentence
Clause Patterns
Sentence Elements and their Meanings
Concord
Negation
Questions, Commands, Exclamations
Issues
Clause Types
1
1/1
Clause Types
1
1/2
Clause types
Clause Elements

Obligatory vs. Optional

Clause types

S, V, O, C, A
They appointed him head of office last week.
S V O C A
Clause types transformed

Clause Types
1
1/3
Clause types
Clause Elements

Obligatory vs. Optional

Clause types

Clause types transformed

Obligatory clause patterns are those which are required
for the complementation of the verb.
Clause Types
1
1/4
Clause types
Clause Elements

Obligatory vs. Optional

Clause types

Clause types transformed

I put the book on the table (SVOA) vs. I put the book.
He resembled his father (SVO) vs. He resembled.
(Sometimes) she sings (beautifully).
He is eating (the cake).
Clause Types
1
1/5
SVA Mary is in the house.
SVC Mary is kind.
SVO Somebody caught the ball.
SVOA I put the vase on the table.
SVOC She has proved it wrong.
SVOO Mom buys me a new bike.
SV The lady smiled.
Clause Types
1
1/6
Passive transformation
SV, SVC, SVA equivalents
Clause Types
1
1/7
Passive transformation
Many critics disliked the play
(SVOd)
The play was disliked by many critics.
(S + Vpass + [A])
Clause Types
1
1/8
Passive transformation
Mom considered him a genius.
(SVOO)
He was considered a genius (by Mom).
(SVC [A])
Clause Types
1
1/9
SV, SVC, SVA equivalents
1. SV SVC
The baby is sleeping The baby is asleep
2. SV SVC
Two loaves will suffice Two loaves will be sufficient
3. SVC SVA
He is jobless He is without a job.
Clause Types
1
1/10
Which clause type does each of the following
sentences belong to?
He’s getting angry.
He got through the window.
He’ll get a surprise.
He got his shoes and socks wet.
He got himself into trouble.
He got her a splendid present.
Clause Types
1
1/11
SVC He’s getting angry.
SVA He got through the window.
SVO He’ll get a surprise.
SVOC He got his shoes and socks wet.
SVOA He got himself into trouble.
SVOO He got her a splendid present.
One verb can belong to a number of different classes.
Sentence elements and their meanings
2
2/1
See Quirk, pp170
Sentence elements and their meanings
2
2/2
Sentence elements and their meanings
2
2/3
She opened the door.
Sentence elements and their meanings
2
2/4
The key opens the door.
Sentence elements and their meanings
2
2/5
The door opens.
Sentence elements and their meanings
2
2/6
She has a new shirt.
Sentence elements and their meanings
2
2/7
This room accommodates 20 people.
Sentence elements and their meanings
2
2/8
Tomorrow is my birthday.
Sentence elements and their meanings
2
2/9
The meeting ended successfully.
Sentence elements and their meanings
2
2/10
It’s wonderful to meet you.
Sentence elements and their meanings
2
2/11
We opened the door.
He invented the telephone.
We passed the building.
Sentence elements and their meanings
2
2/12
Semantic Roles of the Object
Od
Oi
affected
recipient
We paid him a visit.
We gave him some money.
Sentence elements and their meanings
2
2/13
He is tired.
He becomes tired.
Semantic Roles of the Object
Cs
Co
Current attribute
Resulting attribute
Sentence elements and their meanings
2
2/14
Semantic Roles of the Complement
Cs
Co
Current attribute
Resulting attribute
We found the room empty.
They left the room empty.
Concords
3
3/1
Concords
3
3/2
Concords
3
3/3
SUBJECT sing/plur  VERB sing/plur
This dish is dirty/ These dishes are dirty.

SUBJECT (clause)  VERB sing
What they are doing now is my concern.

Concords
3
3/4
The child was an angel.

The children are angels.
Concords
3
3/5
He injured himself.
Concords
3
3/6
The boy likes his toys
Concords
3
3/7
Notional Concord
Nominal clause
Collective noun
None
The verb agrees with the
idea of plural rather
than the actual
singular form of the noun
Concords
3
3/8
Notional Concord
Nominal clause
Collective noun
None
What he says isn’t true.
(= The thing he says isn’t true)
What they like best are tea and coffee.
( The things they like…)
Concords
3
3/9
Notional Concord
Nominal clause
Collective noun
None
The cabinet are having a rest.
(All members of the cabinet…)

The cabinet has reached an agreement.
(The cabinet as a whole)
Concords
3
3/10
Notional Concord
Nominal clause
Collective noun
None
None of the students like Grammar.
None of the cheese is fresh.
Concords
3
3/11
Concord by Proximity
Set phrases
Existential sentence with ‘there’
Either… or
The verb tends to agree
with whatever noun or
pronoun closely precedes
it, instead of the head
word of the subject
Concords
3
3/12
Concord by Proximity
Set phrases
Existential sentence with ‘there’
Either… or
One in ten take drugs.
Concords
3
3/13
Concord by Proximity
Set phrases
Existential sentence with ‘there’
Either… or
There are two chairs and a desk there.
There is a chair and two desks there.
Concords
3
3/14
Concord by Proximity
Set phrases
Existential sentence with ‘there’
Either… or
Either my brother or I am to blame for the error.
Either the teacher or the students need to do this.
Concords
3
3/15
Concord with coordinated
subject
Coordinated subject
representing a single entity
When the NPs refer to the same
thing/ person
normally takes
a plural verb
Concords
3
3/16
Concord with coordinated
subject
Coordinated subject
representing a single entity
When the NPs refer to the same
thing/ person
The hammer and the sickle was flying on top of the building.
Concords
3
3/17
Concord with coordinated
subject
Coordinated subject
representing a single entity
When the NPs refer to the same
thing/ person
His lawyer and former college friend, Max Weber, was with
him at his death.
Negation
4
4/1
The negation of a sentence is accomplished by inserting not between the operator and the predication.
E.g.
The attempt has succeeded.
The attempt has not succeeded.
We may win the match.
 We may not win the match.
Negation
4
4/2
Assertives vs. Non-assertives
Negative intensification
Alternative Negative elements
Scope of negation
Focus of negation
Relationship between scope and focus of negation
Main verb negation vs. Auxiliary negation
Negation
4
4/3
Non-assertive forms = items
that do not naturally
occur outside negative,
interrogative, and
conditional sentences.

E.g.
I saw him somewhere.
I didn’t see him
anywhere.

(Quirk p.184)
Negation
4
4/4
Negative Intensification = ways to give emotive intensification
to a negative.
I found nothing at all the matter with him.
I have no excuse whatever.
I`ll never, never go there again.
I`ve never in all my life seen such a crowd.
She has never spoken to me even a single word.

Negation
4
4/5
Alternative Negative Elements (Instead of the verb, another
element may be negated)
An honest man would not lie -> No honest man would lie.
I didn`t see any birds -> I saw no birds.
Negation
4
4/6
Scope of Negation
Normally extends from the negative word itself to the end of the clause.

E.g.
I definitely didn’t speak to him.

(It’s definite that I did not.)
I didn’t definitely speak to him.

(It’s not definite that I did.)

= The stretch of language
over which the negative
meaning operates
Negation
4
4/7
Focus of Negation
1.‘JOHN doesn’t love Mary.
Somebody loves Mary but it’s not John.
2. John doesn’t ‘LOVE Mary.
John likes Mary but it’s not love.
3. John doesn’t love ‘MARY.
John loves somebody else but it’s not Mary.

The contrastive nuclear stress falling on a particular part of a clause indicates that the contrast of meaning implicit in the negation is located at that spot and the rest of the clause can be understood in a positive sense.

Negation
4
4/8
Scope & Focus of Negation
I didn’t LISTEN all the time.

(I listened none of the time.)
I didn’t listen ALL the time.

(I listened some of the time.)
The scope must include the focus, and by the position of the focus we can realize the extent of the scope
Negation
4
4/9
Scope & Focus of Negation
In each of the following case, does John love Mary or not?

John doesn’t LOVE Mary because she is a teacher.

John doesn’t love Mary because she is a TEACHER.

The scope must include the focus, and by the position of the focus we can realize the extent of the scope.
Negation
4
4/10
Negation
4
4/11
The scope of negation
includes the meaning
of the auxiliary itself
Negation
4
4/12
can’t (in all sense)
You can’t be serious.

(It is not possible that…)
You can’t go swimming.
(You are not allowed…)
She can’t ride a bicycle.
(She is not able to…)
Negation
4
4/13
2. Needn’t
You needn’t pay that fine.
(You are not obliged to…)

It needn’t be my fault.
(it is not necessary that…)
Negation
4
4/14
3. May not ( = permission)
You may not go swimming.
(You are not allowed to…)
Negation
4
4/15
May not (=possibility)
They may not bother to come if it’s wet.


(It is possible that they will not
bother to come.)
Negation
4
4/16
Negation
4
4/17
Don’t worry. I won’t interfere (I’m willing not to interfere.)
He won’t do it (He insists on not doing it.)
They won’t have arrived yet (I predict that they’ve not arrived yet.
Negation
4
4/18
Don’t worry, you shan’t lose your reward.
(I’m willing to see that you don’t lose your reward.
Negation
4
4/19
I shan’t know when you return (I predict that I shall not know…)
Negation
4
4/20
You mustn’t keep us all waiting (You’ll oblige me for not keeping…)
Negation
4
4/21
You oughtn’t to keep us waiting (obligation)
He oughtn’t to be long (necessity)
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/1
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/2

Sentences in which the subject is always
present and generally precedes the verb.

Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/3
Yes – No Questions
Wh - Questions
Alternative Questions
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/4
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/5
General Yes – No questions
Has the boat left?
Yes-no questions with positive orientation:
Has the boat left already?
Yes-no questions with positive orientation:
Hasn’t the boat left yet?
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/6
Tag questions
Rising tone = neutral assumption
Falling tone:
Positive assumption + positive expectation
Negative assumption + negative expectation
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/7
Declarative Questions

You’ve got the explosive?

He didn’t finished it?

Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/8
Exclamatory Questions
Negative Y-N

Hasn’t he grown!
Wasn’t it good!
Positive Y – N

Am I hungry!
Do I look annoyed!
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/9
Wh- word pronouns: who, whom, which, what, whose
Who went there with her? (Wh-word = S)
Who(m) did he talk to? (Wh-word = Od)
Which book have you lent him? (Wh-word = premodifier)
Whose beautiful antiques are they? (Wh-word = determiner)
Who did you lent to book to? (Wh-word = Oi)
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/10
Wh- word adverbs: when, where, how, why, how + adj/adv
When will you come back? (A time)
Where should I put these? (A place)
Why aren’t they coming? (A reason)
How did they mend it? (A manner)
…
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/11
Would you like tea, coffee, or milk?

Which ice cream would you like. Chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry?
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/12
sentences that make use of the imperative mood in the main,
or sometimes of questions with the initial modal
- particularly with invitations or requests.
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/13
Commands
Without subject
With subject
With ‘let’
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/14
Commands
Without subject
With subject
With ‘let’
Positive: Be reasonable
Negative: Don’t make noise
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/15
Commands
Without subject
With subject
With ‘let’
‘You’ as subject
Infinite pronoun S
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/16
Commands
Without subject
With subject
With ‘let’
‘You’ as subject
You there be quiet!
You come here, Jack, and you come over there, Mary.
Will you come in and sit down?
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/17
Commands
Without subject
With subject
With ‘let’
Indefinite Pronoun S
Positive: Somebody open the door! Everybody shut their eyes!
Negative: Don’t anyone say anything!
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/18
Positive: Let’s go out./ Let each man decide for himself.
Negative: Let’s open the door/ Don’t let him lose heart.
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/19
Full exclamation
Short exclamation
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/20
Full exclamation
Short exclamation
What an enormous crowd came!
How delightful her manners are!
Questions, Commands & Exclamation
5
5/21
Full exclamation
Short exclamation
What a book!
How wonderful!