STRUCTURAL CLASSIFICATION OF THE SENTENCE

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 556.

CLASSIFICATIONS OF THE SENTENCE

The sentence can be classified in different ways. In this book only two of them will be studied: the structural classification and the classification according to the purpose of utterance.

ONE-MEMBER (one principal part of the sentence)

TWO-MEMBER (two principal parts of the sentence)

COMPOUND (independent clauses, coordination) John fell and Mary laughed.

COMPLEX (principal clause and one or more subordinate clauses, subordination) John fell because Mary laughed.

NOMINAL (only subject) Summer. English spring flowers.

VERBAL (only predicate) Stand up! Sit down!

СOMPLETE (both the subject and predicate are present) John fell.

INCOMPLETE (ELLIPTICAL) (either the subject or the predicate or both are omitted) 1. Looks like rain. 2. Who ran? – John. 3. Where are you going to? – To Copenhagen. 4. How are you? –Not too bad?

Both one-memberand two-membersentences may be extendedand unextended, i.e. may have or not have secondary parts of the sentence:

Mary laughed. (Two-member, unextended)

Mary laughed loud. (Two-member, extended)

Silence. (One-member, unextended)

Eerie silence. (One-member, extended)

NOTE 1:The difference between a two-member elliptical sentence and a one-member sentence is that in the former the missing principal parts can easily be restored, whereas the latter is complete and nothing can be inserted. The missing subject or predicate is implied in an elliptical sentence and can be guessed from the context, situation or preceding sentence. In a one-member sentence only the principal part is structurally necessary.

An elliptical sentence can contain adverbial expressions of place which refer to the omitted verbal predicate. E.g. In the background a little writing table. To the left a sofa. (Two-member elliptical sentences). But a one-member sentence does not contain any secondary parts which might be connected with a verbal predicate. E.g. A small but cosy room. (One-member sentence)

One-member sentences always refer to the present. They are uttered with an expressive intonation.

But sometimes it seems rather difficult to distinguish these types (and not necessary).

NOTE 2:In the elliptical two-member sentence the following principal parts of the sentence can be omitted:

1) Subject: Seems difficult. Don't know.

2) Predicate: Who did it? – I.

What's happened? – Nothing.

3) Part of predicate: You seen them? All settled.

You here? What's the door locked for?

Postman been?

4) Subject and part of predicate: Not bad.

See what I mean?

5) Subject and predicate: What are you thinking about? – Food.

What do you enjoy most of all? – Grammar lessons.

2. CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO THE PURPOSE OF UTTERANCE

1. Declarative Sentence(It gives the listener some information. I speak Dutch. Cats eat fish.)

2. Interrogative Sentence(It asks for information. Do you speak Dutch? Do cats eat fish?)

3. Imperative Sentence( It expresses commands and requests. Speak Dutch please. Eat fish immediately!)

Each of the above-mentioned communicative sentence types can be affirmativeor negative.

Besides, all types of sentences may serve as exclamations, in which case they are called exclamatory sentences.

NOTE 1: The word long as an adverb of time is mainly confined to interrogative and negative sentences; in affirmative sentences (for) long time is the norm:

Have you been waiting long?

I haven't been waiting long.

BUT: I've been waiting (for) a long time.

With the words “too, so, as … as, enough”long is used in all types of sentence:

I've been waiting too long.

They stayed too long.

In negative sentences different meanings sometimes are possible with long and a long time.

A long time can refer to the negative idea expressed by the whole verb (didn't speak); long only refers to the idea expressed by the infinitive (speak).

NOTE 2: The word far is mainly confined to interrogative and negative sentences; in affirmative sentences a long way is the norm, especially in an informal style.

Is it farto the station?

It's not farto the station.

BUT: It's a long wayto the station.

I live a long wayfrom the university. (far could not be used here except in very formal or literary writing.)

This also applies when far is followed by the words away, off, out, back, etc.

Summer seemed a long wayaway.

Far is, however, normal in affirmative sentences after too and so, and in the structure as far as, it is also common in the expression far from:

You've gone too far.

I haven't had any problems so far.

It's OK as far asI know.