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    The Syntactic Structure of Complex Sentences

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    The Syntactic Structure of Complex Sentences

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    folositor

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    folositor

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    759 views10 pages

    The Syntactic Structure of Complex Sentences

    Uploaded by

    Andreea
    folositor

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 10

    

     

    
     
      

    EDITURA UNIVERSITARIA
    Craiova, 2012

    Refereni tiinifici:
    Prof.univ.dr. IOANA MURAR
    Universitatea din Craiova
    Conf.univ.dr. CARMEN NEDELCU
    Universitateadin Craiova

    Copyright 2012 Universitaria


    Toate drepturile sunt rezervate Editurii Universitaria
    Descrierea CIP a Bibliotecii Naionale a Romniei
    CERBAN, MDLINA
    The syntactic structure of complex sentences /
    Mdlina Cerban. - Craiova : Universitaria, 2012
    Bibliogr.
    ISBN 978-606-14-0367-7
    811.111

    Foreword
    If we were to present the book in very few words, we
    would say that it is a theoretical/practical approach to the
    syntax of complex sentences given the fact that theory and
    practice are constantly interwoven throughout the whole work.
    The Syntactic Structure of Complex Sentences in its
    present form has been devised to serve two immediate
    purposes, i.e. as a course book and reference grammar resource
    for Romanian native students who read/study English and as a
    necessary introduction to the analysis of English complex
    sentences that will carry further the study of English at BA and
    MA levels. Each chapter has been structured to include a
    theoretical presentation of the selected issues, followed by truefalse items briefly checking the theoretical presentation as well
    as a large amount of language practice meant to enable the
    students to gain understanding and awareness of the
    relationships between clauses and the transformations they
    need to undergo.
    As the target population may be larger than initially
    intended by the author of the course the author provides
    straightforward explanations regarding the syntax of English
    complex sentences, analyzing the components they are made
    up of, identifying the main and subordinate (embedded) clauses
    and pointing out the most accurate constructions that can be
    used in certain clauses.
    7

    8VHU IULHQGOLQHVV KDV EHHQ WKH DXWKRUV FRQVWDQW WDUJHW


    and, consequently, the book has been devised to have as many
    parts or chapters as the types of complex sentences; the ways
    simple sentences combine in order to make up complex
    structures are also presented.
    The examples that follow every assertion are easy to
    understand, logical, and as short as the minimal context allows
    it. Bolds and italics are used consistently in order to make the
    book agreeable to the reader.
    Every chapter is followed by exercises that are varied in
    form, purpose and degree of difficulty in order to make the
    students understand how clauses within complex sentences
    function.
    The Author

    Types of Complex Sentences

    CHAPTER 1
    Types of Complex Sentences
    1.1. General considerations
    A simple sentence is made up of relatively simple
    grammatical structures. For example, noun phrases can contain
    determiners, adjectives and noun heads. A complex sentence
    consists of an infinite number of simple sentences which can
    repeat over and over again in a given sentence. The reason for this
    extraordinary potential is the recursive quality of language.
    Recursive processes depend a lot on clauses. A clause is
    any structure which contains its own verb. A clause that can form
    a sentence by itself is called independent clause. A coordinated
    sentence like Mother was cooking, and father was watching TV
    contains two independent clauses. A subordinate or dependent
    clause is a clause that can not stand alone as a grammatical entity.
    In a sentence like I wanted John to go, John to go is a subordinate
    clause. When a structure contains a subordinate clause, the
    containing structure is called matrix clause (Berk, 1999: 217). If
    the matrix clause also contains the main verb of the sentence, then
    it is considered to be the main clause. Sometimes one subordinate
    clause is contained within another subordinate clause; in this case
    the containing matrix clause is not the main clause of the
    sentence.
    e.g.
    I hoped my parents to come.
    9

    Types of Complex Sentences

    In this example hoped is the main verb, and my parents to


    come is a subordinate clause.
    Subordinate clauses will usually contain a subordinator
    (which is also called complementizer). This is represented by one
    or more small function words or special suffixes which signal that
    the following verb will not have the form and will not function as
    the main verb of the sentences. The most common subordinators
    are: that, for, -ing forms, infinitives and pro-forms beginning with
    wh-.
    Clauses can have many grammatical functions: Subject,
    Direct Object, Indirect Object, Subject Complement, Object
    Complement, Adverbial Modifier. Practically, clauses have the
    same functions as phrases do in simple sentences. In fact, complex
    sentences maintain the structure of the simple sentences.
    As stated before, sentences may have different degrees of
    complexity. They may consist of two or more main clauses or
    they may consist of one or more clauses with one or more
    dependent clauses. They are called simple, compound, complex or
    compound-complex sentences, depending on the types of clauses
    they contain.
    For didactic reasons, only compound, complex and
    compound-complex sentences are being dealt with, and each of
    these types will be explained in detail below.
    1.2. Compound Sentences
    Compound sentences, also called coordinated sentences,
    consist of two or more clauses joined by coordinating
    10

    Types of Complex Sentences

    conjunctions or simply coordinators. Each part is a complete


    clause that can stand by itself. Most grammarians recognize three
    conjunctions (coordinators) in English and, but, or- but it is not
    always clear that these three forms really constitute a coherent
    grammatical category. Les common is yet, followed by for. Yet
    and for are generally considered to be more formal than the other
    three conjunctions, and, but and or.
    Note: Because for and yet have other sentence functions, less
    proficient ESL/EFL learners are occasionally confused when these
    words are used as coordinators. They must learn to distinguish
    between for as a preposition and yet as an adverb from their
    coordinating conjunction counterparts.
    e.g.
    Function
    She came for me.
    preposition
    She came for we had invited her.
    coordinator
    :HKDYHQWHDWHQ yet.
    adverb
    He had eaten, yet he was still hungry.
    coordinator
    1.2.1. Coordinators
    (i) Conjunction and
    This conjunction can be used to conjoin various structures,
    from single lexical items to independent clauses, namely
    sentences. Normally, conjunction and only joins the same
    structural types, i.e. two subjects, two predicates, two (in)direct
    objects etc. When three or more items are conjoined in written
    English, and is used only between the last two. This constraint
    does not apply to spoken English. The items that can be conjoined

    11

    Types of Complex Sentences

    are of several types, and can perform several functions as in the


    examples below:
    (i) Noun phrases functioning as:
    - Subject:
    Mary and John are brothers.
    - Direct Object:
    I like football and volleyball.
    - Indirect Object:
    I lent John and Mary my car.
    - Adverbial Modifier of place: I myself have driven all the way to
    Spain and Italy.
    (ii) Verbs:
    e.g.
    My mother has advised and supported me all my life.
    They danced and joked a lRWDW0DU\VSDUW\
    (iii) Modals:
    e.g.
    I can and will help you.
    (iv) Predicates
    e.g.
    Mary dressed and went out.
    The students wrote their papers, handed them out to the
    teacher and left the classroom.
    (v) Adverbs
    e.g.
    They ran far and fast.
    She was dancing elegantly and gracefully.
    (vi) Intensifiers
    The President got more and more upset.
    (vii) Prepositions
    e.g.
    The kids ran in and out of the door.
    The men strolled up and over the hill.
    (viii) Adverbial prepositional phrases
    e.g.
    They Mike walked down the stairs and out the door.
    12

    Types of Complex Sentences

    (ix) Adjectives and adjectives phrases


    e.g.
    The castle was immense and bleak.
    The manager was very angry and very loud.
    (x) Sentences
    e.g.
    My mother was cooking and my father was reading the
    newspaper.
    Next year I will be visiting foreign countries and my
    sister will be staying home.
    It is obvious that nearly all morphological classes can be
    conjoined with and. Pre-nominal adjectives are generally
    enumerated without and, e.g. a beautiful, intelligent girl, although
    there are contexts in which they can be coordinated by and, e.g. a
    mean and nasty person. Unlike pronominal adjectives,
    predicatives cannot be simply enumerated, they must always be
    coordinated, e.g. The child was smart and nice. Articles can be
    conjoined under any circumstances while conjoined
    demonstratives are usually unacceptable, e.g. I want this and that
    book (?). Conjoined genitive determiners are infrequently used,
    e.g. This is his and her house (?). However, conjoined
    demonstrative and genitive determiners can be acceptably
    employed if the speaker points to the referents while speaking in
    order to separate the participants to the conversation. Conjoined
    genitive Noun Phrases are perfectly acceptable, although the
    genitive markers are attached to the second element in the noun
    phrase:
    e.g.
    0LNH DQG &DURO IDWKHU (Mike and Carol have the same
    father)
    13

    Types of Complex Sentences

    P\VRQDQGKLVIULHQGVWHDFKHU (the teacher is one and the


    same for the two students)
    Typically, and is an additive conjunction, bringing new
    information by attaching a word or a phrase of the same type. But
    the additive relationship between two or more coordinated
    constructions is often determined by social conventions. If
    somebody says I bought four chairs and a table for my terrace,
    the collocutor understands that the chairs and the table are a set,
    but if we say I bought some chairs and a table, the same
    collocutor will understand that the chairs and the table are
    separate, i.e. they are not a set.
    There are some special cases when conjoined items have a
    conventional order, e.g. fish and chips, bread and butter, black
    and white. In most instances the order can be violated, but there is
    one case in which an exceptionally strong order is observed: You
    and I or, colloquially, you and me. Me and you* is not acceptable.
    In certain cases frequently coordinated items that are
    always associated (and coordinated) have taken on the status of
    idioms, and in such situations the order is never reversed:
    e.g.
    I love rock and roll.
    By and large, they decided to support their president.
    The newly weds wined and dined their guests at the most
    famous restaurant in Miami.
    Wined and dined is special because the expression cannot
    be used but together. A person cannot wine or cannot only dine.
    By and large is also special because it is made up of two different
    14

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