Syntactic functions + grammar & text Flashcards
(40 cards)
What is a light subject constraint?
A simple subject
e.g. She runs fast. (light subject)
The woman who was sitting next to me on the train runs fast. (heavy subject)
What is the difference between the form and function of a sentence?
Form are things like a Noun Phrase, EVP, etc.
Function are things like the subject, Predicate
What is a subject?
A noun phrase, mostly someone/thing who does something, not always though
e.g. There is a lion in my garden. Subject
What is a predicate?
An Extended Verb Phrase (EVP)
e.g. He **reads an interesting book. ** predicate
What is a predicator?
Only the (lexical) verb in a sentence
What is the basis structure of sentences?
Subject + Predicate
What are the syntactic criteria for the subject?
- Usually left-most constituent
- Every sentence needs a subject
- Usually a short NP
There are two kinds of complementation, what are they?
- Object (Od, Oi)
- Complement (SC, OC)
What is a direct object (Od)?
it’s directly affected by the action/main verb
e.g. We baked a cake.
What is an indirect object (Oi)?
recipient of something
e.g. We gave him a cake.
What do you have to keep in mind with Oi and Od?
An indirect object can only occur with a direct object!
What is the canonical word order?
S-V-O-C-A
Oi usually goes before the Od
What is a Subject Complement (SC)?
- property/attribute of the subject
- after a copular verb (be, seem, look, feel, ..)
What is an Object Complement (OC)?
- property/attribute of the object
- requires a direct object
What are the two types of a Subject Complement?
- Attributive (attribute)
- Identifying (helps identify the subject)
e.g. He is a clever dog. & My dog is the dog with the black fur.
What are Adjuncts?
- adverbials
- usually optional
- found at the beginning or end of a sentence
They give info about how, where, when, why
There are five types of transitivity, name them.
- intransitive verb (S-V)
- monotransitive (S-V-Od)
- ditransitive (S-V-Oi-Od)
- copulative (S-V-SC)
- complex-transitive (S-V-Od-OC)
verb determines which pattern is used
says how many slots (apart from the subject & verb are in a sentence)
There are three types of valency, name them.
- monovalent (needs a subject, no comple. & objects)
- divalent (needs a subject & Od)
- trivalent (needs a subject, Oi & Od)
number of obligatory arguments that a verb needs to occur with
What is valency?
the number of obligatory arguments that a verb needs to occur with
What does Transitivity describe?
how many slots (apart from subject and verb) there are in a sentence
Adjuncts don’t play a role there
What to do to identify a verb’s valency in a sentence?
Count the number of obligatory arguments, no verb
There are four clause types (moods), name them.
- Declarative (statements)
- Exclamative (exclamations)
- Interrogative (questions)
- Imperative (orders)
What is a subjunctive?
grammatical mood used to express various non-factual or non-declarative situations
wishes, hypotheticals, uncertainty, necessity, or commands
What is an indicative?
grammatical mood used to express factual statements, assertions, or questions about reality
