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L.1-Elements of The Simple Sentence+types of Sentences

This document reviews elements of simple sentences and types of sentences. It begins by reminding students to review their notes on parts of speech and functions in simple sentences. It then discusses the nominal, adjectival, and adverbial functions that elements can assume in simple sentences. Next, it covers the four types of sentences: declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory. For each type it provides examples and discusses their typical uses and structures. It emphasizes that understanding these sentence types is important for students' learning about noun clauses in complex sentences.

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Anas AB
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59 views

L.1-Elements of The Simple Sentence+types of Sentences

This document reviews elements of simple sentences and types of sentences. It begins by reminding students to review their notes on parts of speech and functions in simple sentences. It then discusses the nominal, adjectival, and adverbial functions that elements can assume in simple sentences. Next, it covers the four types of sentences: declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory. For each type it provides examples and discusses their typical uses and structures. It emphasizes that understanding these sentence types is important for students' learning about noun clauses in complex sentences.

Uploaded by

Anas AB
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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S3 Advanced Grammar.

Review of elements of the simple sentence + types of sentences.


I. Review of elements of the simple sentence
Knowing that the learning of grammar is a long-term process, students are advised
to go over their S1 and S2 notes and handouts to keep track of and refresh their
minds about essential notions and rules of grammar. Parts of speech and their
functions in simple sentences are particularly related to the types of sentences
studied in S3 grammar.
The parts of speech used in simple sentences can assume one of the following
functions: Nominal – Adjectival – Adverbial.
1. Nominal functions:
These are: subject (S), subject complement (S.C.), direct object (D.O.), indirect
object (I.O), object of preposition (O.P.), object complement (O.C.), appositive
(App).
Various elements can be used with these functions: nouns (N), pronouns (Pro),
noun phrases (NP), pronominal groups (PG), adjectives etc.
Some examples:
The famous actor turned furious when he heard the bad news.
NP, (S) Adj, (S.C.) Pro, (S) NP, (D.O.)
Ann offered both her brothers expensive watches.
N, (S) PG, (I.O.) NP, (D.O.)
They found Tom, the new recruit, unfit for the job.
N, (D.O.) NP, (App) Adj, (O.C.) NP, (O.P.)
Apart from the subject, the other functions depend on the type of verb used in the
predicate: Verb + what?
To answer this question, we can use the following patterns, (to be remembered and
practiced by students).
a. Linking verb: V + S.C. Ann is a doctor/ she is rich
b. Intransitive verb: V+Ø The kids are sleeping.
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c. Mono-transitive verb: V + D.O. I read this book last year.
d. Di-transitive verb : V + I.O. + D.O. She made the kids a nice cake.
e. Complex transitive verb : V + D.O. + O.C. She made the kids happy.

Remember that the elements used after verbs with prepositions (e.g. Talk to, send
to, etc.) function as objects of preposition. These are not to be confused with
phrasal verbs (e.g. pass away, count on, look forward to etc.), which behave just
like mono-transitive verbs.
The above notions will be studied in relation to complex sentences, where clauses
and verbal phrases are used with the same nominal functions.
2. Adjectival function:
Words and phrases that come before or after Ns and NPs assume adjectival
functions and are used as attributive adjectives (as opposed to predicative
adjectives, which assume nominal functions).
These can be:
a. one-word adjectives: A round table/ A nice house
b. derived adjectives: Helpless love/ childish behaviour.
c. participial adjectives: The landing plane/ the broken heart.
d. prepositional phrases: The man with the hat/ the parcel in the locker.
Determiners (articles, distributives, quantifiers etc.) also function as adjectives
since they occur before nouns and NPs and are, therefore, considered as modifiers.
(adjectival function is dealt with in relation to adjective clauses and phrases used in
complex sentences).
3. Adverbial function:
In simple sentences, adverbs are words or phrases which modify the verb (verbal
action or state) indicating notions of time, place or manner (please refer back to
S1grammar notes and handouts).
Examples: the train left an hour ago (time)
They stayed at home all weekend (place)
The man was driving recklessly (manner)

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Other adverbs (called adverbs of degree/intensifiers) are used in simple sentences
to modify other elements: Adjs, Advs, Ns or NPs:
Examples: The room was almost empty.
The boys behaved very badly.
We spent such a nice time together.
These adverbial meanings and functions (together with other adverbial functions)
will be studied in relation to complex sentences using clauses and phrases.
Again, students are requested to go over S1 handouts and do some practice.

II. Types of sentences


Simple, as well as compound and complex sentences, can be used in one of the
following forms, also called sentence mood. Each type is basically used to do
something in communication, but can perform other acts in different contexts.
a. Declarative sentences → statements
b. Interrogative sentences → Questions
c. Imperative sentences → Requests
d. Exclamatory sentences → Exclamations

a. Declarative sentences can be affirmative or negative. They use the usual


word order, Subject- verb- object (SVO): e.g. The weather is nice today.
Negative statements are marked by the presence of a negation word, usually the
negative particle ‘Not’, in the verb phrase. However, negation can be found in
other parts of the sentence, using other negative words.
Examples:
Nobody helped me (negative subject, using an indefinite Pro.)
Tom never comes late to work (negative adverb of frequency)
I found nothing in the garden (negative D.O. using an indefinite Pro.)
She didn’t tell anyone her secret (negative I.O.)

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b. Interrogative sentences are used to ask questions. They use a reversed word
order: Verb- subject- object (VSO). We can identify two types of questions:
Wh-questions, and yes/no questions, as summarized below.
(this distinction is relevant to how noun clauses, derived from questions, are
introduced in a complex sentence).
WH- questions
e.g. what time is it?
• open with an interrogative Pro. (what, who, when)
• also called pronominal questions
• the answer expected is a piece of information
Yes/No questions
e.g. Do you understand?
• open with an auxiliary or helping verb
• the answer expected is yes or no, or other words expressing affirmation or
denial (sure, certainly, not at all etc.)
When negation is used in questions, we speak about interro-negative sentences.
e.g. why didn’t you call me? Haven’t you finished?
These questions may be used in various contexts either as information- seeking or
as confirmation- seeking questions.
See also Tag-questions, which are used after statements to ask for
confirmation. Examples: You live here, don’t you?
You haven’t finished the project, have you?

c. Imperative sentences are used to make requests, give orders and


recommendations.
In an imperative sentence, the subject is usually omitted, because it is
understood as ‘you’, addressing someone physically present.

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Examples:
Shut the door!
Hurry up, please!
Take your medicines regularly!
‘You’ is sometimes present in imperative sentences for emphasis.
e.g. You answer this question!
When negation is used in imperative sentences, we can also speak about requests,
orders etc. not to do things.
Examples: Don’t open the door! (prohibition)
Don’t you do that again! (warning) ‘you’ is present for emphasis.

d. exclamatory sentences are used to make exclamations, which express


feelings, emotions, states of mind etc. They may take different forms in
various contexts.
• statement: This is a nice day!
• question: Are you back?!
• Using wh-words: What a nice day!/how fast these animals can be!
• Interjections: Dear me!/Good lord!

Students’ assimilation of the types of sentences above is very important and will
surely contribute to a better understanding of the use of noun clauses in complex
sentences, as they can be derived from statements, questions, requests or
exclamations.

END OF CHAPTER ONE

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