8.The Structure of the Simple Sentence

Definition. A sentence is a unit of speech whose grammatical structure conforms to the laws of the language and which serves as the chief means of conveying a thought. A sentence is not only a means of communicating something about reality but a means of showing the speaker’s attitude to it.

The classification of SS is based on two principles:

according to the purpose of the utterance;

according to the structure.

According to their structure SS are divided into two-member and one-member sentences. A two-member sentence is complete when it has a subject and a predicate.

Fleur had easily established immediate contact with an architect.

A two-member sentence is incomplete when one of the principal parts or both of them are missing, but can be easily understood from the context. Such sentences are called elliptical: What were we doing? –Drinking.

A one-member sentence has only one member, which is neither subject nor predicate. This does not mean that the other member is missing, for the one member makes the sense complete. Used in descriptions and in emotional speech.

If the main part of a one member sentence is expressed by a noun, the sentence is called nominal. The noun may be modified by attributes.

Dusk – of the summer night.

The main part of a one member sentence is often expressed by an infinitive.

To die out there – lonely, waiting them, waiting home.

SS can be unextended (consisting only of the primary or principal parts) and extended (consisting of the subject, a predicate and one or more secondary parts: objects, attributes or adverbial modifiers). 1) Birds fly. 2) This big girl is a student. (attr)

9.Complex sentences

While coordination is a connection of 2 or more clauses of equal rank& function, subordination is usualy defined as a nonsymmetrical relation,that is,in a complex sentence with a minimal composition of 2 clauses, 1 is the basic element,the other-a constituent or part of the 1st. The 1st one is called the main clause, the 2nd –the subordinate.

There is much more to be said about the complex sentence than about the compound. This is due to several causes, which are, however, connected with one another.For one thing, the semantic relations which can be expressed by subordination are much more numerous and more varied than with co-ordination: all such relations as time, place, concession, purpose, etc. are expressly stated in complex sentences only.

TYPES OF COMPLEX SENTENCES

The notions of declarative,interrog.,imper.,exclam. sent. appear to be applicable to some types of complex sentences as well.If the main clause of a complex sentence is interrog. or imper., this implies that the complex sen. as a whole is also interrogative or imperative respectively.For example:Why couldn't she sense now that he was outside(subor.cl.) and come out(main cl.)? Now let us take a complex sentence with an imperative main clause: Never you mind how old she is. (SHAW) The main clause never you mind is imperative and that is enough to make the whole sentence imperative as well.

Проблемаклассификации СПП.

TYPES OF SUBORD. CLAUSES

The problem of classif. sub.clauses is one of the vexed ? of syntactic theory. The first opposition in the sphere of principles would seem to be that b/w meaning or contents and syntact. func.. But this opposition is not in itself sufficient to determine the possible variants of classif.. For instance, under the head of "meaning" we may bring either such notions as "declar." (or "statement") and "interrog." (or "question"), plus a notion like "explanatory". Under the head of "function" we may bring either the position of a clause within a comp. sentence, defined on the same principles as the position of a sentence part within a simple sentence, or on the analogy b/w a clause and a part of speech performing the same func.within a simple sent. Besides, for certain types of clauses there may be ways of characterising them in accord. with their peculiarities, which find no parallel in other clauses. For instance, clauses introduced by a relative pronoun or relative adverb may be termed "relative clauses".

What classifications of subord. clauses should be accepted as the most rational?It is perhaps best to start with the last of the enumerated views, viz. that which draws a parallel between subordinate clauses and parts of speech. There is little to be said in favour of this view. The strongest argument here is probably the fact that in ME a clause may sometimes be treated like a noun, namely when it is introduced by a preposit. For inst.: But after the initial dismay he had no doubt as to what he must do.

The term "relative clause" may very well be applied to any clause introduced by a relative pronoun or relative adverb.

O. Jespersen devotes several chapters of his book "A Modern English Grammar" to relative clauses. In accordance with his general view that elements of language may be divided into primaries, adjuncts, and subjuncts, he treats the syntactical functions of subordinate clauses as falling under these heads: "relative clauses as primaries" and "relative clause adjuncts".

From the viewpoint of function the subordinate clauses of these types are of course quite different, yet they may be all termed "relative clauses". This makes it evident that the notion "relative clause" is not a notion of syntactic function, since it cuts right across syntactical divisions.

Thus the notion of "relative clauses" is useless as an element of a general classification of clauses. In that respect it is no better than "declarative" or "interrogative" clauses.

There remains now the classification of subordinate clauses based on the similarity of their functions with those of parts of the sentence, namely the classification of clauses into subject, predicative, object, attributive, adverbial, appositional, and parenthetical clauses. In this way the general parallelism b/w parts of a simple sent. and subord. clauses within a comp. sent. will be kept up; however, there is no sufficient ground for believing that there will be complete parallelism in all respects and all details: on the contrary, it is most likely that differences between the two will emerge (especially in the sphere of adverbial modifiers and adverbial clauses). Subordinate clauses may well be expected to have some peculiarities distinguishing them from parts of a simple sentence.