SEMINARS 7-8. Transformational and Generative Grammars.

THEORY OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR. Seminars SPRING 2012

1. Phrases

1. The Simple Sentence. The Subject and the Predicate. Revision: the Noun

2. The Actual Division of the Sentence. Case Grammar. Revision: the Numeral, the Pronoun.

3. The Simple Sentence in Structural Grammar. Revision: Formal Parts of Speech.

4. The Composite Sentence. Revision: the Verb

5. Types of Adverbial Clauses. Revision: the Verbids.

6. Transformational and Generative Grammars.

7. Transformational and Generative Grammars.

8. The Test: Tree-Diagramming, Tagmemic Models.

9. Text Grammar. The Discourse (terms and problems)

SEMINAR ONE.

1. Phrases. Types of connection within a Phrase. Blokh: Ch. XX.

2. Try to remember the following types and kinds of phrases (different criteria employed):

- subordinative – coordinative;

- subordinative: agreement, government, accumulation, enclosure (framing, embedding);

- subordinative: attributive, objective, adverbial;

- endocentric – exocentric;

- elementary – expanded;

- predicative – non-predicative;

- binary – multiple;

- free – grammatically fixed;

- syndetic – asyndetic;

- NP, VP, Adj P; Prep P.

3. Name the elements of phrases (H. Sweet, H. Whitehall).

4. Comment upon the relations between the components of phrases in Kruisinga”s and Jespersen’s works.

5. Mark the difference between the Sentence and the Phrase.

                  SOME PRACTICE ON PHRASES.

1. Define the following phrases applying different terms and classifications:

- Tom and Mary ran away        sweet, polite persons

- the arrival of the train             some old

- disregard the remark               she was upset and in diamonds

- this book - these books           my husband and she

- round tables                            black and white

- around the table                      a James Cameron film

 

2. Single out the phrases and comment on their structure and types of relations between the components:

1) The simple sentence, as any sentence in general, is organized as a system of function-expressing positions, the content of the functions being the reflection of a situational event.

2) The parts are arranged in a hierarchy, wherein all of them perform some modifying role.

3) The subject is a person-modifier of the predicate.

4) The predicate is a process-modifier of the subject-person.

5) The object is a substance-modifier of a processual part (actional or statal).

6) The adverbial is a quality-modifier of a processual part of the whole of the sentence.

7) The attribute is a quality-modifier of a substantive part.

8) The parenthetical enclosure is a detached speaker-bound modifier of any sentence-part or the whole of the sentence. (M. Blokh)

 

Revision: Parts of Speech.

SEMINAR 2.The Simple Sentence. The Subject and the Predicate. Revision: the Noun

1. The definition of the Sentence. Blokh. Ch. XXI; XXIV; XXV.

2. The main parts of the Sentence

3. The secondary parts of the Sentence and their functions.

4. Revision: the Noun, its Categories and Functions. Sweet’s treatment of Case. Cases of Pronouns. Give YOUR OWN examples of Nouns in the sentence, define their functions.

Some Practice:

1. Define the types of the Subjects:

1) This pretty girl is my sister’s friend

2) Nothing endures/injures but personal qualities

3) To see is to believe

4) It’s necessary for him to die

5) I knew of there being no one to help him

           6) He was seen to enter the hut.

2. Define the types of the Predicates:

1) He was strong enough for that

2) We can assist our oppressed brothers in South Africa

3) Does anyone know of that but me?

4) He became angry.

5) Mike is a great thinker

6) The boy was difficult to understand

7) It’s nothing

8) The lunch was over

9) The important thing is to see.

10) He does not dare to speak.

11) I want to jump it over

12) To die for her, he felt, was to have lived and loved well

13) The test was not difficult but funny

14) He’ll make a pause.

15) She feels well.

16) She feels the melody of the evening.

SEMINAR 3. The Actual Division of the Sentence. Case Grammar. Revision: the Numeral, the Pronoun.

1. Speak on the theme-rheme model of the sentence (functional sentence perspective, actual division of the sentence). Name the main means of marking the thematic and rhematic elements. Blokh: Ch.XXII (1/be ready to comment on Blokh’s point of view; 2/ make 10 INTRESTING questions on Block’s test (written form);

2. Comment upon Case Grammar principles (name the cases, give examples paying special attention to animateness\inanimateness.).

3. Revision: types of Numerals and their functions in the Sentence. Which of them are Noun-words? Give YOUR own examples. Which of them are Adj.-words? Give YOUR own examples.

4. Classes of Pronouns (terms and examples - by heart)

Some Practice:

1. Single out the themes and the rhemes in the following senences: WILL BE GIVEN LATER

2. Define the cases in:

a. A very nice dog will be sleeping in this kennel one day.

b. The composition was written by the boy.

c. Do, please, buy this bag for me!

d. My friend is playing the guitar in the hall.

e. I’m trying to paint a picture.

f. At last I’ve done it.

g. Look at me!

h. The computer is on the table.

SEMINAR 4. The Simple Sentence in Structural Grammar. Revision: Formal Parts of Speech.

1. Comment on sentence patterns singled out by Roberts. How many are they, what symbols are used in the patterns, what patterns would you add and why?

2. “Chinese boxes” -model. What are its drawbacks? Give 5 examples of the “Chinese boxes” schemes (your notes).

3. What are the drawbacks of the method of Bracketing? Be ready with 5 examples/

4. Draw the candelabra scheme of the following sentence:

    Many happy students were going to take an exam in English Grammar.

5. Name the key points of the IC-model of the sentence. What are its drawbacks?

6. What are the main constituents of the tagmemic model of the sentence?

7. Revision: Formal Parts of Speech (types, examples).

Some Practice:

1.Put down the tagmemic models of the following sentences:

1) The natives around here are handsome

2) Something is rotten is the state of Denmark

3) The asparagus in our garden grows really fast during June

4) Down the hill, John ran very fast

5) The children are in the garden

6) My friends were out

7) I can’t believe that he’s gone

8) The children grew very tired

9) They seemed clever

10) The cake was in the oven for half an hour.

2. Draw the IC-models of the following phrases and sentences:

1. our oil supply from the Middle East;

2. an unforgettable impression of the day;

3. has been reading it for three hours;

4. touchy and pleasant days;

5. across the field and the river;

6. Evelin came and stopped it;

7. If you like, take this;

8. What is more, he’s a raven;

9. Give it to me whenever you find it;

10.  A man who hates cats usually likes dogs;

11.  since the first night;

12.  the essential difficulty of their relationship;

13.  now their lives were woven together;

14.  was a trembling bell of fate;

15.  Bart stood looking at the crowd seeing them all;

16.  They were his people and he was coming home with massive support and considerable extra investments;

17.  The speaker of the New South Wales State Legislative Assembly.

SEMINAR 5 .The Composite Sentence. Revision: the Verb

1. The definition of the composite sentence.

2. The Compound sentence – Blokh: Ch.XXVIII: commentary and 10 questions.

3. The Complex sentence – Blokh: Ch. XXVII: commentary and 10 questions.

4. Types of Sub-sentences: definitions and YOUR OWN EXAMPLES of all the types.

5. Revision: the Verb as a Part of Speech, its Categories (with different points of view).

Some Practice:

    Analyse the types and the structures of the following sentences:

1. If this plan is to bring confidence to the population of the island, it must be adequately thought over and discussed.

2. If the conference is to be a success, if the tests are to be stopped, public opinion must take itself felt.

3. They have at the same time drawn attention to what they regard a reasonable delay in dealing with their claim for a 15 per cent increase in wages.

4. My room is more fantastic than usual. It has all the appearance of having been at some time a corridor, though possibly it is really a section of what was once an immense drawing-room.

5. The republicans are already cashing in what seems to them certain victory.

6. He didn’t sing it as I thought he should.

7. He made more than necessary.

8. He will be here by 8 o’clock unless he has a car trouble.

9. Since I love music I’m always ready to go the Opera house.

10.  Now that you’ve got a new car, your girl-friend is very assured.

11.  It is strange that he hasn’t gone to Italy.

12.  Our idea is that everything might happen.

13.  It smelled as if something was rotten.

14.  The question is how the matter was to be kept quiet.

15.  What we need is what we are deprived of.

16.  He went on asking why he was in such a hurry.

17.  They became aware that television had robbed the cinema of its former popularity.

18.  He was the most remarkable-looking man that I had ever seen.

19.  It was as if these men and women had matured.

20.  Should you have some time, call on me, sweetie.

SEMINAR 6. Types of Adverbial Clauses. Revision: the Verbids.

1.Name the types of Adverbial Clauses. Comment on the links (connect sentences). Give examples.

2. Revision: definitions of the 3 Verbids, their functions with YOUR OWN examples.

Some Practice:

1. Define the type of the Clause WILL BE GIVEN LATER.

2. Comment on Detachment, Apposition and Specification of the parts of the sentence. Translate them into Russian:

1. With massive backing and considerable extra resources, the Children’s Department could play a decisive role in finally breaking through the old ideas and prejudices.

2. The speaker of the New South Wales State Legislative Assembly, Mr. Raymond Septimus Maher, was committed for trial here today on a charge of indecent exposure.

3. By deciding to postpone a decision on whether to expel Greece, the council of Europe Ministers have shown how empty is their talk of democracy and how tender they are toward fascism.

4. Politely, but firmly, they told him that they would not be shaken.

5. Mr. F.C. Goldfield, an estate agent and would-be big land developer almost sobbed in public yesterday on behalf of the poor widows of Walderslade, near Chathan, Kent.

6. The sun is slanting, an hour above the horizon now, above the swift coming of the summer night.

7. And now he knows that she is watching him: the grey woman not plump and not thin, manhard, in a serviceable grey garment worn savage and brusque, her hands on her hips, her face like of generals who have been defeated in battle.

8. To many, language is the most important form of human communication.

9. Defeated by the noise of the traffic, splashed with mud from the grinding wheels, he still kept on plodding along the gutters.

10. Presently, utterly humble, he began to have some notion of apologizing to the girl.

SEMINARS 7-8. Transformational and Generative Grammars.

1. Comment on the basic terms and notions of Transformational Grammar.

2. Block’s treatment of the Paradigmatic Structure of the Sentence – Ch.XXV: comment upon and put 8 questions.

Some Practice:

Apply transform-rules (if necessary) and draw the tree-diagrams of the following sentences:

1) The boy will post the letter;

2) The president was elected with six votes against;

3) My friend should explain everything in class;

4) He asked me a question;

5) The man persuaded John of going there;

6) Did I order you to close the door?

7) The car was bought by the boy;

8) Usually the boys in the family milked the goats in the morning;

9) My friends were waiting for me at the station;

10) My son realized that I had learned where he wasted his money;

11) Did Debora buy an arm-chair at the sales?

12) My father was reading a paper, she was waiting in the corner;

13) It’s a typically English way to furnish a room;

14) A steep new road and many French flattened out to the hills in the North;

15) I expect Mr. Poirot wants to get to town;

16) Guns were firing from the fields behind the village and shells going away had a comfortable sound;

17) If you let yourself love a wild thing you’ll end up looking at the sky;

18) The weather is fine and I don’t know where to go;

19) His family is rather noble but his manners are awful;

20) Let me tell the truth or I may die;