Seminar 1

The Phrase: Principles of Classification

Reading

1. Блох М. Я. Теоретическая грамматика английского языка. (Ch. XX, p. 222 – 229)

2. Иванова И.П., Бурлакова В.В., Почепцов Г.Г. Теоретическая грамматика современного английского языка. (Гл. 2 “Словосочетание”, с. 100 – 163)

3. Ilyish B. The Structure of Modern English. (Ch. XXIII, p. 171 – 181)

Points to discuss

1. The phrase in the hierarchy of language units.

2. The structural and the semantic properties of the phrase.

3. Classifications of phrases.

4. Types of syntactic connections: coordination, subordination, accumulation.

5. Agreement and government as two main types of syntactic relations.

6. Adjoinment and enclosure as special means of expressing syntactic relations.

Questions for discussion

1. What is the phrase? What are the differential features of the phrase?

2. What parts of speech can function as head words?

3. What principle is the traditional classification of phrases based on?

4. Comment on different approaches to classifying phrases.

5. Comment on types of syntactic connections.

6. What does agreement as a syntactic relation consist in?

7. What differentiates government from agreement?

8. What makes adjoinment and enclosure special means of expressing syntactic relations?

Practice Assignment

I. Define the properties of the following phrases:

For us to come; (made) him feel tired; denied the accusations; seriously damaged; pride and prejudice; a wedding dress; naïve country (girls); to kiss tenderly; over the net; beauty, grace, elegance; he runs; proud of the success; early riser; perfectly sure; a feeling of disgust; rich in copper ore; love of God; (caught) the boy snooping around; my old (shoes); the book falling out of her hands; junk food; to stably reproduce; we trust; new blue (jacket); on the table.

II. State the type of syntactic relations (agreement, government, adjoinment, enclosure):

A negative answer, these books, he comes, to fully understand, to know them, on me, they agreed, lovely face, your lovely smile, with him, to speak quietly, that shop, gave to him.