Lingua Inglese 2 CInt A.A. 2009/10
Dott.ssa Maria Ivana Lorenzetti
Lingua Inglese 2
Lecture 6
DOTT.SSA MARIA IVANA LORENZETTI
1
The Structure of Clauses
Syntactic units are arranged according to a hierarchical
structure.
Sentence
^
Clause
^
Phrase
^
Word
The description of clauses is in terms of the kinds or
categories of phrase and their function in different types
of clauses
2
Lecture 06 - 24/03/2010
1
Lingua Inglese 2 CInt A.A. 2009/10
Dott.ssa Maria Ivana Lorenzetti
Obligatory and Optional Elements in a
Clause
S(A)V(A )
John (never) smokes (in the bathroom).
SVO(A)
John likes a cigar (after dinner).
SVCs(A)
John is a teacher (at a public school).
SV(A)A(A)
John is (never) at home (when his mother-in-law comes
for a visit).
(A)SVOC(A) (Yesterday), John bought a cigar for his father (at a
new shop on SW Broadway).
(A)SVOCo(A) (On Tuesday), they made John chairman of the club
(after a long, controversial debate).
(A)SVOA
(Because he couldn’t find his ashtray) John put the
cigar on the table.
3
Clauses: Structure and Types
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
SV
SVA
SVC
SVO
SVOA
SV IO DO
SVOC
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The baby sleeps.
An old man lives
there.
Jane is a beautiful girl.
My father plays chess.
The government sent
the envoy to Africa.
Jim bought Mary some
flowers.
We imagined Mary
much nicer.
4
Lecture 06 - 24/03/2010
2
Lingua Inglese 2 CInt A.A. 2009/10
Dott.ssa Maria Ivana Lorenzetti
Clauses: Structure and Types (2)
Type 1 is an intransitive clause. The verb refers to
an action that does not affect anybody or anything
else. Impersonal verbs like rain, snow belong to this
group.
The baby sleeps.
Type 2 clauses can be seen as intransitive, since
they do not have a direct object. They have an
obligatory adjunct, usually of place, but sometimes
also of time or manner (The performance lasted four
hours)
An old man lives there.
5
Clauses: Structure and Types (3)
Type 3 is an intensive clause type. The
complement and subject are said to be in an
intensive relation, i.e. they are not distinct entities
and refer to the same thing or intension. The same
happens when two NPs are in apposition, i.e. The
Iron Lady, Mrs. Thatcher
Jane is a beautiful girl.
Type 4 is a transitive clause type. Specifically, it is
monotransitive (as opposed to type 6), because it
has only one object
My father plays chess.
6
Lecture 06 - 24/03/2010
3
Lingua Inglese 2 CInt A.A. 2009/10
Dott.ssa Maria Ivana Lorenzetti
Clauses: Structure and Types (4)
Type 5 is also transitive, but with an
obligatory adjunct in addition to the object.
The majority of adjuncts are of place.
The government sent the envoy to Africa.
Type 6 is ditransitive, since it takes two
objects. In most cases, they are a DO and
an IO. The IO usually refers to an animate
entity, either the recipient or beneficiary of
an action
Jim bought Mary some flowers.
7
Clauses: Structure and Types (5)
Type 7 is a complex transitive type. There is only
one element following the verb, but it consists of
an object and a complement, which are related by
means of an intensive relation
We imagined Mary much nicer
Subjects and verbs are constant elements in all
these clause types. It is only what comes after the
verb that varies.
Seem and become may enter only type 3 , elect
only type 7, sit only type 2. Other verbs may enter
more classes depending on the context: find may
fit types 4 and 7, open types 1 and 4, put types 5
and 7
8
Lecture 06 - 24/03/2010
4
Lingua Inglese 2 CInt A.A. 2009/10
Dott.ssa Maria Ivana Lorenzetti
SV-Type: Bracketing
The baby sleeps.
[[NP [DET The] [N baby]] [VP [V sleeps]]]
9
Tree Diagram: SV-Type
S/MC
VP
NP
Det
N
V
The
baby
sleeps
10
Lecture 06 - 24/03/2010
5
Lingua Inglese 2 CInt A.A. 2009/10
Dott.ssa Maria Ivana Lorenzetti
SVA-Type
An old man lives there.
[[NP [DET an] [ADJ old] [N man]] [VP [V lives]
[ADVP[ADV there]]]]
11
Tree Diagram: SVA-Type
S/MC
VP
NP
Det
N
V
Adj
An
old
ADVP
Adv
man
lives
there
12
Lecture 06 - 24/03/2010
6
Lingua Inglese 2 CInt A.A. 2009/10
Dott.ssa Maria Ivana Lorenzetti
Simple Clause - SVO
S/MC
VP
NP
Det
NP
V
N
Det
The
Secretary
printed
the
N
letter
13
Alternative Representation
The secretary printed the letter
[[NP [DET The] [N secretary]] [VP [V printed]
]
[NP [DET the] [N letter]]]
14
Lecture 06 - 24/03/2010
7
Lingua Inglese 2 CInt A.A. 2009/10
Dott.ssa Maria Ivana Lorenzetti
Tree Diagram: SVOA-Type
S/MC
VP
NP
V
Det
NP
N
Det
The
Government
PP
N
sent the envoy
to Africa
15
SVIODO-Type: Simple Clause
S/MC
VP
NP
NP
N
Jim
V
bought
NP
(IO)
Mary
Det
some
N
flowers
16
Lecture 06 - 24/03/2010
8
Lingua Inglese 2 CInt A.A. 2009/10
Dott.ssa Maria Ivana Lorenzetti
Clause Hierarchies
John thinks that Mary read the book
Sentence
Matrix Clause
John thinks that Mary read the book
Main Clause
Subordinate Clause
17
Rank Scale
John thinks that Mary read the book
The same sentence can be analysed at different
levels
WORD LEVEL
[N John] [V thinks] [Comp that] [N Mary] [V read] [Det
the] [N book]
PHRASE LEVEL
[NP [N John]] [VP [V thinks] [Comp that] [NP [N Mary]] [VP
[V read]] [NP [Det the] [N book]]]
18
Lecture 06 - 24/03/2010
9
Lingua Inglese 2 CInt A.A. 2009/10
Dott.ssa Maria Ivana Lorenzetti
Rank Scale (2)
CLAUSE LEVEL
[MC [NP [N John]] [VP [V thinks] [SubC [Comp that]
[NP [N Mary]] [VP [V read] [NP [Det the] [N book]]]]]]
SENTENCE LEVEL
[S/MC [[[NP [N John]] [VP [V thinks]]] [SubC [Comp
that] [NP [N Mary]] [VP [V read] [NP [Det the] [N
book]]]]]]
19
Tree Diagram - Main Clause + SubClause
S/MC
NP
N
VP
V
SubC
NP
Comp
John
thinks
that
N
Mary
VP
V
read
NP
Det
N
the
book
20
Lecture 06 - 24/03/2010
10
Lingua Inglese 2 CInt A.A. 2009/10
Dott.ssa Maria Ivana Lorenzetti
Useful References for Exercises !!!
http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/eduweb/gramm
ar/
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internetgrammar/exlist/exlist.htm
21
Lecture 06 - 24/03/2010
11