Syntax (CGEL) Flashcards
Determine the subject in the following sentence:
‘The extraordinary Take That revival has taken everyone by surprise.’
The extraordinary Take That revival
Analyse the following sentence at the first functional level:
‘BAA said the weather outlook for the next few days was positive.’
Subject: BAA
Verb: said
Direct Object: the weather outlook for the next few days was positive
Determine the verb (1st functional level) in the following sentence:
‘We have been adding flights as and where we can.’
have been adding
Determine on the first functional level what ‘last night’ in the following sentence is:
‘Heathrow airport opened both runways last night.’
Adverbial
Determine on the first functional level what ‘earthquakes of the same magnitude’ in the following sentence is:
‘This general region has had earthquakes of the same magnitude in the past.’
direct object
Analyse the following sentence at the first functional level:
‘The 1975 Helsinki Declaration gave neutral and nonaligned countries a more active role.’
Subject: The 1975 Helsinki Declaration
Verb: gave
Indirect Object: neutral and nonaligned countries
Direct Object: a more active role
Analyse the following sentence at the first functional level:
‘The notion that pirates only plundered gold, silver and exotic treasure is unfounded.’
Subject: The notion that pirates only plundered gold, silver and exotic treasure
Verb: is
Subject Complement: unfounded
Analyse the following sentence at the first functional level:
‘People considered Anne Bonny intelligent, attractive, and quick tempered.’
Subject: People
Verb: considered
Direct Object: Anne Bonny
Object Complement: intelligent, attractive, and quick tempered
Analyse the following sentence at the first functional level:
‘Pirates rarely kept record of their activities.’
Subject: Pirates
Adverbial: rarely
Verb: kept
Direct Object: record of their activities
Analyse the following sentence at the first functional level:
‘The early afternoon train had just begun its journey.’
Subject: The early afternoon train
Verb: had begun
Adverbial: just
Direct Object: its journey
Analyse the following sentence at the first functional level:
‘Last Christmas I gave you my heart.’
Adverbial: Last Christmas Subject: I Verb: gave Indirect Object: you Direct Object: my heart
Analyse the following sentence at the first functional and first formal level:
‘The man bought a very nice hat at Heathrow.’
Subject: The man > NP
Verb: bought > VP
Direct Object: a very nice hat > NP
Adverbial: at Heathrow > PP
Analyse 'a very nice hat' in the following sentence up to word class level: 'The man bought a very nice hat at Heathrow.'
1st functional
Direct Object
1st formal
NP
2nd functional
a determinative
very nice premodifier
hat head
2nd formal
a determiner
very nice Adj.P.
hat noun
3rd functional
very premodifier
nice head
3rd formal
very adverb
nice adjective
Analyse 'When he was in London' in the following sentence up to word class level: 'When he was in London, the man bought a very nice hat at Heathrow.'
functional
Adverbial
formal
wh-clause
functional When conjunction he Subject was Verb in London Adverbial
formal
he NP
was VP
in London PP
functional he head was main verb in preposition London prepositional complement
formal
he pronoun
was primary verb
London NP
functional
London head
formal
London noun
Determine what type of clause ‘that I saw’ is in:
‘The movie that I saw.’
relative clause
Determine what type of clause ‘that I saw’ is in:
‘He said that it was fine.’
that-clause
Analyse the following sentence at the first functional and first formal level:
‘He’s eaten a whole plate of French fries.’
He Subject > NP
has eaten Verb > VP
a whole plate of French fries Direct Object > NP
Analyse 'a whole plate of French fries' in the following sentence up to word class level: 'He's eaten a whole plate of French fries.'
functional
Direct Object
formal
NP
functional a determinative whole premodifier plate head of French fries postmodifier
formal a determiner whole adj. plate noun of French fries PP
functional
of preposition
French fries prepositional complement
formal > functional > formal
French fries NP > head > noun
Analyse the following sentence at the first functional and first formal level:
‘Do you really think the whole grisly affair was just an accident?’
Do
Verb > VP
you
Subject > NP
really
Adverbial > Adv.P.
think
Verb > VP
the whole grisly affair was just an accident
Direct Object > (that-) clause
Analyse ‘the whole grisly affair was just an accident’ in the following sentence up to the second formal level:
‘Do you really think the whole grisly affair was just an accident?’
first functional level
Direct Object
first formal level
(that-) clause
second functional level the whole grisly affair > Subject was > Verb just > Adverbial an accident > Subject Complement
second formal level the whole grisly affair > NP was > VP just > Adv.P an accident > NP
Analyse 'the whole grisly affair' in the following sentence up from the second functional level up to word class level: 'Do you really think the whole grisly affair was just an accident?'
second functional level
the whole grisly affair > Subject
second formal level
the whole grisly affair > NP
functional the > determinative whole > premod grisly > premod affair > head
formal the > determiner whole > Adj.P. grisly > Adj.P affair > NP
functional / formal
whole > head / adj.
grisly > head / adj.
affair > head / noun
Determine what ‘any more pleasant’ is on the first functional level in the following sentence:
‘Knowing all this doesn’t make me any more pleasant.’
Object Complement
Analyse the following sentence at the first functional and first formal level:
‘She hastily dried her eyes to see.’
She > Subject > NP hastily > Adverbial > Adv.P. dried > Verb > VP her eyes > Direct Object > NP to see > Adverbial > to-infinitive-clause
‘I hate to see you unhappy.’
I > Subject > NP
hate > Verb > VP
to see you unhappy > Direct Object > to-infinitive-clause
Explain the difference between finite and non-finite verbs
finite verbs change due to changes in person, number, aspect, tense
non-finite verbs do not change due to changes in person, number, aspect, tense
List the characteristics of adjectives
- attributive use
- predicative use
- pre-modification by adverbs
- comparative & superlative use
> criteria do not apply to all adjectives alike!
Analyse the following sentence at the first functional and first formal level:
The woman he admired was a professor.
the woman he admired > Subject > NP
was > Verb > VP
a professor > Subject Complement > NP
Explain the difference between adjectives and adverbs
adjectives describe nouns and pronouns
adverbs describe verbs, adjectives and adverbs
List the clause constituents
subject
predicate
> contains verb and statements referring to subject
adjunct
> optional, structurally dispensable
Define commutation
relation between subject / predicate and elements they can be exchanged for
Define the options to classify verbs
intransitive
requires no object
transitive
> monotransitive > requires one object
> ditransitive > requires two objects
> complex transitive > requires two objects / object & object complement
copular
requires object complement
List the modal and primary verbs
modal
can, must, will, would, may, shall, could, might, should
> no suffixation by {S}
> no participle form
primary
be, have, do
