Seminar 6

The Verb: the Categories of Voice and Mood.

Oppositional Reduction of Verbal Categories

Reading

1. Блох М. Я. Теоретическая грамматика английского языка. (Ch. XVI – XVII, p. 150 – 179)

2. Хлебникова И. Б. Основы английской морфологии. (Ch. VI – VII, p. 85 – 114)

3. Ilyish B. The Structure of Modern English. (Ch. XI – XII, p. 99 – 122)

4. Quirk R., Greenbaum S. et al. A University Grammar of English. (3.37.– 3.47., p.50– 57)

Points to discuss

1. The category of voice.

2. Language means of expressing modality.

3. The category of mood.

4. Oppositional reduction of verbal categories. Neutralization and transposition of verbal forms.

Questions for discussion

1. What makes the expression of voice distinctions in English specific?

2. How many voices are there in English?

3. Comment on the connection between the problem of voice and transitivity/intransitivity of verbs.

4. What complicates the analysis of English mood forms?

5. What does the category of mood express?

6. What is the status of the imperative mood in English?

Practice Assignment

I. State the kind of passive constructions used in the following sentences (direct primary passive, indirect secondary passive, prepositional tertiary passive):

1. I had been invalided home from the Front; and, after spending some months in a rather depressing Convalescent Home, was given a month's sick leave. (A. Christie)

2. Winston hardly knew Tillotson, and had no idea what work he was employed on. (G. Orwell)

3. He felt that sooner or later this principle would have been promulgated by someone in the room. (J. Steinbeck)

4. The threshing machines were oiled and cleaned. (J. Steinbeck)

5. On occasion he had even been entrusted with the rectification of ‘The Times’ leading articles, which were written entirely in Newspeak. (G. Orwell)

II. Analyze the forms of the oblique mood in the following sentences:

1. “Do you suggest we keep quiet about such things?” (A. Hailey)

2. If he had known what it had cost me to acquire my art, he would also have known that it would break any collector to buy it. (M. Twain)

3. “I wish there were some other way to tell you this,” Pearson said, “but I’m afraid there isn’t.” (A. Hailey)

4. And somewhere or other, quite anonymous, there were the directing brains who co-ordinated the whole effort and laid down the lines of policy which made it necessary that this fragment of the past should be preserved, that one falsified, and the other rubbed out of existence. (G. Orwell)

5. If only Richard had left him alone, without interference, simply left him alone. (A. Cronin)

III. State the functional meaning (realization, neutralization, transposition) of verbs in the following sentences:

1. O’Donnell was maneuvering for time while he marshaled his thoughts. (A. Hailey)

2. O’Donnell was introducing Pearson to Hilton. (A. Hailey)

3. “Somebody was being poisoned last time we were here, I remember,” said Tuppence. (A. Christie)

4. Just a little minute ago I am asking questions of a gentleman who wants to tell me all his ideas on every subject. (A. Christie)

5. I’ll give you a hand when it comes to putting them in. (E. S. Gardner)

6. Virginia returned to her car, drove to Bakersfield and called Perry Mason, just as the lawyer was reaching his office. (E. S. Gardner)

7. “He’s always straying off and getting lost, and turning up again; he’s so adventurous.” (K. Grahame)

8. “Are you feeling happy just now?” (P. Abrahams)

9. Brown was having to tread warily and to be diplomatic. (A. Hailey)

10. “Yes, it was old Mrs. Caraway. She’s always swallowing things.” (A. Christie)