The problem of parts of the sentence

Parts of the sentence are divided into main and secondary depending on the participation in the forming of the predicative nucleus in the sentence. There are 3 theories of the hierarchy of the main parts of the sentence:

1. Jasperson view subject is the only main part of the sentence

2. Почєпцов says that subject and predicate are 2 main parts of the sentence

3. Turnier believes that the predicate is the main part of the sentence – verbcentred theory.

Почєпцов divided all parts of the sentence into 3 groups :

• Subject and predicate. They are into dependant and independent members in relation to any other part of the sentence

• Objective and adverbial modifier. Which usually depend upon the verb and are often necessary for the structural semantic obliqueness of the sentence. We can not omit objective and adverbial modifier(She closed her eyes (cannot be omitted ) and was there (cannot be omitted)

• Attribute usually depends upon the noun and it may be omitted 1 without destroying the structural and semantical complements of the sentence. (Two other men (subject) passed (predicate) across his window.)

The main parts of the sentence: subject and predicate

The subject is the main part of the sentence which denotes the thing or person whose action or characteristic is expressed by the predicate which is not dependant on any other part of the sentence but predicate. The subject can be expressed by :

1. a noun(Mary gave her a report)

2. a pronoun (everyone agreed)

3. a numeral (the first was my friend)

4. an infinitive (to see you is a pleasure)

5. by a gerund (smoking is harmful)

6. by a word combination(the port of new-York authority)

7. by a subject clause (who can do it is not known)

8. by introductory –it-(pronoun)(it is necessary to go there)

9. By gerundial or infinitive complex (for them to go back would be to admit defeat)

Predicate is one of the main parts of the sentence which denotes the action or property of a thing or a person, expressed by a subject; it is not depended on other parts of a sentence but subject. The problem of classification of predicates is disputable one. The traditional classification divides into:

1. Simple verbal – predicate consists of a notional verb in any tens, aspect , voice or mood form and can also be expressed by phrase logical units and phrases (while the pie is being backed )

2. Compound verbal predicate can be of 2 types:

• Compound verbal modal predicate

• Compound verbal aspect predicate

Compound verbal modal predicate consists of the verb with the modal meaning + infinitive. The compound verbal aspect predicate consists of finite verb with an assertive meaning + infinitive or a gerund.

Compound nominal predicative consists of link verbs (to get, to look, to be, to become, to seem) that partly lost their lexical meaning and a predicative (a nominal part, commonly expressed by a noun, an adjective, and pronoun, a numeral, an infinitive, a gerund, a participle, a prepositional phrase, a clause)(the man was difficult to convince. The leaves are turning yellow)

Double predicate (verbal nominal predicate).It combines the features of two different types of predicate. It has the features of the simple verbal predicate and those of the compound nominal predicate.

Other classification suggested by professor Почєпцов, he divides predicates into:

• Simple

• Complicated

They can be verbal, nominal, phraseological, verbal-nominal.

Phraseological predicates in Почєпцов consists of a transitive verb + a noun with the meaning of action (to give a smile)

Professor Ilish divides predicate into: simple and compound on the one hand and verbal and nominal on the other hand. By simple nominal predicate he implies a predicate consisting of a noun or an adjective without a link verb. These cases are rather rare in English and the sentences are exclamatory (my ideas are absolute!)

Such sentences are not elliptical (cheaply used in colloquial speech, especially a dialogues) since the link verb can not be added without completely changing the meaning of the sentence.

Another type is that in which the predicate comes first, the subject next and no link verb is either used or possible (splendid game, cricket)

Professor Ilish considers the phrases shall, should, will, would +infinitive to be a simple verbal predicate if shall will, should, would are considered to be modal verbs then we’ll have the compound verbal predicate. The compound nominal predicate consists of a link verb and a predicative. (the lesson is over)

If we compare professor Ilish classification of predicate with the classification done by Почєпцов are can see that the type of the predicate called by Ilish the compound nominative predicate is referred by Почєпцов to simple nominal predicate.

Secondary parts of the sentence: object, attribute, adverbial modifier

Object – is the second part of the sentence which denotes a thing to which the action passes on which is a result of the action in reference to which an action was permitted or a properties manifested.

Purely structure classification of object into prepositional and non-prepositional was proposed by Смирницький. But this none committed with meaning.

Traditionally objects are divided into:

• Direct (he gave me the book)

• Indirect (he told me about his success)

• prepositional

This classification lacks homogeneous basis because indirect object and direct are singled out in the basis of meaning. And prepositional object are singled out on the basis of formation.

Почєпцов divided into:

• Object complement (додаток обє’кта) denotes the object of the action. It can be both prepositional and non-prepositional (he saw me)

• Subject complement (додаток субє’кта) – means the doer of the action. The verb is used in the passive voice. And this type is always prepositional (the article was written by me)

• Addressee complement (додаток адресата) denotes a person or a thing to which the action is addressed. Can be prepositional and non-prepositional (he offered it to me)

The attribute is a secondary of the sentence characterized the thing as to its property or quality. Can be:

• Prepositional when they presides the part of the sentence they modify (a beautiful girl)

• Postpositional – when they follow the word they modify(from times immemorial)

Adverbial modifier – the secondary part of the sentence serving to characterize an action or a property as to its quality or intensity or to indicate the way of the action is done, the time, place, course, purpose, condition with which the action is connected. They are: place, time, manner, cause, purpose, comparison, condition.