CHAPTER 6

THE SIMPLE SENTENCE

1. Clause pattern
2. Concord
3. The vocative
4. Negation
5. Statements, questions, commands, exclamations
6. Questions
7. Commands
8. Exclamations
9. Formulae
10. Aphoristic sentences
11. Block language
1. CLAUSE PATTERN
a. Simple vs complex sentences.
b. Clause types:

(1) S + V(intens) + A place

eg: She is at home
(2) S + V(intens) + Cs
eg: She is beautiful
(3) S + V(monotrans) + Od
eg: She loves him
(4) S + V(complex trans) + Od + A place
eg: She took her son to school
(5) S + V(complex trans) + Od + Co
eg: She made us happy
(6) S + V(ditrans) + Oi + Od
eg: She gave me some money
(7) S + V(intrans)
Notes:
- Od, C and A: obligatory elements of clause structure.
- Can expand those patterns by the addition of various optional adverbials.
eg: SV: (Sometimes) she sings (beautifully)
SVA: She is (now) at home
SVOO: She kindly sent us some photos
c. Transformational relation
- SVOd ↔ SV(A)
eg: Many people like this song ↔ This song is liked (by many people)
- SVOdCo ↔ SVCs(A)
eg: She considered him a genius ↔ He was considered a genius (by her)
- SVOdA ↔ SVA(A)
eg: She put the letter on the table ↔ The letter was put on the table (by her)
- SVOO ↔ SVOd(A)/SVOi(A)
eg: She gave her son this laptop ↔ Her son was given this laptop (by her) /
This laptop was given to her son (by her)
- SV ↔ SVC / SVA
eg: The baby is sleeping ↔ The baby is asleep
He hurried ↔ He went fast
- SVC ↔ SVA
eg: He is jobless ↔ He is without a job
d. Intensive relationship
e. Multiple class membership of verbs
- One V can belong to a number of different classes → can enter
into a number of different clause types.
eg: SVC: He’s getting angry
SVA: He got through the window
SVO: He’ll get a surprise
SVOC: He got his shoes wet
SVOA: He got himself into trouble
SVOO: He got her a nice present
f. Clause elements syntactically defined
- A subject
+ is normally a NP or a clause with nominal function
+ occurs before the VP in declarative clause; immediately after the operator in
questions
+ has number and person concord, where applicable, with the VP
- An object (direct and indirect)
+ like an S, is a NP or clause with nominal function
+ normally follows the S and the VP
+ by the passive transformation, assumes the status of S
+ An Oi precedes the Od, and is semantically equivalent to a prep phrase
 - A complement (S or O)
+ is a NP, an Adj phrase, or a clause with nominal function, having a co-
referential relation with the S (or O)
+ follows the S, VP, and O
- An adverbial
+ is an adverb phrase, adverbial clause, NP, or prep phrase
+ is generally mobile
+ is generally optional.
g. Clause elements semantically considered
+ Agentive, affected, recipient, attribute
* Agentive: most typical semantic role of S
* Affected: Od
* Recipient: Oi
* Attribute: Cs, Co
- Current attribute (stative verb)
- Resulting attribute (dynamic verb)
+ Agentive and instrumental S
+ Affected S
+ Recipient S
+ Locative, temporal and eventive S
+ Empty ‘it’ S
+ Locative and effected O
+ Affected indirect O
 2. CONCORD
a. S – V concord
- most important type
- a clause/ a prepositional phrase … as S → singular
b. notional concord, and proximity:
‘Notional concord’ is agreement of V with S according to the idea of
number
the principle of ‘proximity’ denotes agreement of V with whatever N or
pronoun closely precedes it.
c. collective Ns: notionally plural but grammatically singular
+ in BrE: plural
+ in AE: singular
+ if the group is being considered as a single undivided body →
singular; if as a collection of individuals → plural
d. coordinated S (S consists of 2 or more NP): distinction has to be made
between appositional and non-appositional coordination
+ non-appositional: (implied reduction of 2 clauses) → plural
f. Concord of person
g. Other types of concord
• S - C concord
• O - C concord
• S - O concord
• Pronoun concord
eg: They finished their homework.
Notes: Everyone thinks they have the answer
Has anybody brought their camera?
No one could have blamed themselves for that.
But more formal: Everyone thinks he has the answer
Every student has to make up his or her own mind
3. THE VOCATIVE
- Nominal element added to a sentence or clause
optionally, denoting the one or more people to whom it
is addressed, and signaling the fact that it is addressed
to them.
- In form, a vocative may be:
(1) a single name with or without a title
(2) the personal pronoun or an indefinite pronoun
(3) standard appellatives, usually N without pre or
postmodification: family relationships, endearment, titles
or respect, markers of profession or status
(4) a nominal clause
(5) items under (1), (2), (3) above with the addition of
modifiers or appositive elements of various kinds
4. NEGATION
- The negation of a simple sentence is accomplished by inserting not, n’t
between the operator and the predication.
+ If there isn’t an item in the positive sentence that can serve as
operator, the auxiliary do is introduced.
+ Lexical verb be and have: serve as operator
+ Lexical have: usually has do as operator, and informally got is
used.
- Abbreviated negation
- Non-assertive items
- Negative intensification
- Alternative negative elements
- More than one negative form
- Scope of negation
- Focus of negation
- Negation of auxiliaries
5. STATEMENTS, QUESTIONS, COMMANDS,
EXCLAMATIONS
Simple sentences may be divided into 4 major syntactic classes,
whose use correlates with different communicative functions:
• Statements: S is always present and precedes the V
• Questions: marked by one or more of these 3 criteria:
– the placing of the operator immediately in front of S
– the initial positioning of an interrogative or wh-element
– rising intonation
• Commands: have no overt grammatical S, and whose V is in imperative
• Exclamations: have an initial phrase introduced by ‘what’ or ‘how’, without
inversion of S and operator
Notes: 4 adjs can be used for these types: Declaratives, interrogatives,
imperatives, exclamatory.
6. QUESTIONS
- 3 classes of questions: Yes-no questions, Wh-questions,
Alternative questions
a) Yes-no questions
- positive orientation
- negative orientation
- tag questions
- declarative questions
- yes-no questions with modal auxiliaries
b) Wh-questions
c) Alternative questions
d) Minor types of questions
7. COMMANDS
a) commands without an S
b) commands with an S
c) commands with ‘let’
d) negative commands
e) persuasive imperatives
8. Exclamations
9. Formulae
10. Aphoristic sentences
11. Block language