- •Introduction
- •The sentence
- •Structural classification of sentences
- •§ 2. From the point of view of their structure, sentences can be:
- •The simple sentence
- •Elliptical (incomplete) sentences
- •The Structural Types of Sentence s entence
- •Communicative types of sentences
- •Declarative sentences
- •Interrogative sentences
- •§ 14. Pronominal questions are often used as short responses. They usually consist of (a) a question word or (b) a question word followed by a preposition.
- •Imperative sentences
- •§ 19. In the case of first person plural and third person singular and plural subjects, the imperative let is followed by a personal pronoun in the objective case.
- •§ 20. The imperative of some verbs may acquire interjectional force. Thus the forms listen, look (here), see (here) (Am.) - are used to attract attention.
- •Verbless Commands
- •§ 21. Commands are sometimes expressed without an imperative verb, as in:
- •Exclamatory sentences
- •§ 22. The main distinctive feature of this communicative type of sentence is a specific intonation; structurally it is variable.
- •§ 23. There are utterances which do not constitute sentences (non-sentence utterances). They are:
- •Negation
- •§ 25. Not can be attached to other parts of the sentence, not only the predicate verb. In this case it comes before the word or phrase it negates.
- •§ 26. In short answers or orders with the verbs of mental activity think, believe, hope, suppose, be afraid and after the conjunction if the negator not may replace the sentence or clause it negates.
- •§ 29. Besides negators there are other words that make a sentence negative in meaning. They are:
- •§ 30. Double negatives are sometimes possible in standard English, but only if both negative words have their full meaning and this serves for the sake of emphasis.
§ 29. Besides negators there are other words that make a sentence negative in meaning. They are:
seldom, rarely... (= not often);
hardly, scarcely, barely... (= almost... not, hardly ever, scarcely ever).
As they also make the whole sentence negative they have the same effect on the sentence as other negators, that is exclude other negators.
a) The pronoun some and its derivatives are changed to any or its derivatives.
The rain continued with scarcely any pause.
He hardly thinks of anything else.
b) The adverbs sometimes and already are changed to ever and yet respectively.
Mrs. Greene hardly ever plays tennis now.
c) They are generally followed by positive, not negative, tag question.
She scarcely seems to care, does she?
Little and few have the same effect on sentences.
There’s little point in doing anything about it, is there?
§ 30. Double negatives are sometimes possible in standard English, but only if both negative words have their full meaning and this serves for the sake of emphasis.
You’ve no reason not to trust me.
Do you think Julius will try to see you? - No, he won’t. But he won’t try not to either.
She wouldn’t like to live in a place not so nice.
John hadn’t been a crime reporter for nothing.
Not only would he do nothing to advance them; he impeded them.
It’s not only not important, it’s not a fact.
In standard English double negatives, rare as they are, may neutralize each other and then the ultimate meaning of the sentence is positive.
You’ve no reason not to trust me (= You must trust me).
I just couldn’t do nothing (= I had to do something).
By removing one of the negators the sentence is made negative in meaning.
I just could do nothing.