Clauses and Sentences for
information flow translation
CAO Zhixi
(曹志希)
Foreign Language School, Zhanjiang
Normal University
29 Cunjinlu, Zhanjiang
524048,Guangdong, China
[email protected]
Clauses and information flow
translation
http://kan.weibo.com/ceditor?kid=3618747513305572
References
[1]曹志希等.高级英语同义词辨析与惯用法[M]. 北京：气象出版社，
2000.
[2]张克礼.新英语语法[M]. 北京：高等教育出版社，2001.
[3]章振邦. 新编英语语法教程[M]. 上海：上海外语教育出版社，
2004.
Clauses
The clause is composed of one or more
than one phrase. A full-fledged clause is
structurally a sequence of phrases and
logically a construction of
“subject+predicate”.
1) Independent and dependent clauses
①An independent clause is a clause that can
stand by itself and act as a complete utterance.
e.g. He knows everything about it.
That hat does not fit; you may try another.
②A dependent clause forms only part of another
clause or of a phrase.
e.g. I don’t think he knows everything about it.
If that hat does not fit, try another.
2) Simple and complex clauses
①When a clause consists of only one construction
of “subject + predicate”, it is a simple clause.
e.g. It is not true.
He said that it was not true.
②When a clause comprises another clause or other
clauses as its element or elements, it is a complex
clause.
e.g. What you said is not true.
He complained that what you said was not true.
3) Main and subordinate clauses
In a complex clause, the clause that takes
another clause as its element is the main clause,
while the clause that forms part of the main clause
is a subordinate clause.
He complained that what you said was not true.
从句
主句
从句
主句
4) Finite and non-finite clauses
①A finite clause is one with a finite verb phrase as
its predicate verb or predicator.
e.g. He complained that what he said was not
true.
②A non-finite clause is a clause with a non-finite
verb phrase as its predicator.
e.g. I signed the paper to get the license.
Can’t you recall telling me that story last week?
5) Verbless clauses
When a clause is marked by the absence of any form
of verb element. It is a verbless clause. A verbless
clause is just a construction of “subject + predicate”
without any form of verb element.
e.g. Hungry and exhausted, the climbers
returned.
Christmas then only days away, the family
was pent up with excitement.
Sentences
The sentence is the highest rank of
grammatical unit. Based on one or more
than one clause, the sentence is also the
basic linguistic unit of connected discourse;
it can stand alone and perform a function
in social communication. Thus, a sentence
can be defined as a grammatical unit that
can perform a communicative function.
(1) Full and minor sentences
①A full sentence is a sentence with an
expressed subject and predicate.
e.g. I signed the paper to get the license.
②A minor sentence is only a sentence
fragment which in specific contexts and
situation can stand by itself and perform a
communicative function.
e.g. No smoking!
(2) simple, compound, Complex and
compound-complex sentences
①A simple sentence is a sentence that comprises
only one independent clause.
②Two or more coordinated independent clauses
make a compound sentence
③When an independent clause comprises one or
more dependent clauses as its elements. This makes
a complex sentence.
④Two or more coordinated independent clauses
with at least one complex clause make a compoundcomplex sentence.