Seminar 2

The Sentence: General. The Simple Sentence

Reading

1. Блох М. Я. Теоретическая грамматика английского языка. (Ch. XXI, p. 229 – 236; Ch. XXIII, p. 243 – 261)

2. Блох М. Я. Теоретические основы грамматики. (Ч. 3, гл. 1, с. 97 – 113; гл. 3 – 4, с. 123 – 142)

3. Иванова И.П., Бурлакова В.В., Почепцов Г.Г. Теоретическая грамматика современного английского языка. (3.1 “Признаки предложения (общая характеристика)”, c. 164 – 183)

4. Ilyish B. The Structure of Modern English. (Ch. XXIV, p. 182 – 191; Ch. XXXI, p. 250 – 254)

Points to discuss

1. The notion of sentence. The sentence as a language unit. Predication and modality.

2. Communicative types of sentences.

3. Structural types of sentences.

Questions for discussion

1. What problems underlie the definition of the sentence? What is the difference between the phrase and the sentence, the sentence and a combination of sentences?

2. What properties does the sentence possess?

3. What criteria are taken into account when sentences are differentiated as simple/composite, one-member/two-member, etc.?

4. What is the difference between elliptical and one-member sentences?

5. What communicative types of sentences are traditionally differentiated?

6. What classification of sentences was proposed by prof. Pocheptsov? What principle is it based on?

Practice Assignment

I. Define whether the structures in italics are one-member or elliptical sentences. State the type of one-member sentences.

1. Virgins of the school of Rafael, Virgins of the school of Guido Reni, landscapes of the school of Zuccarelli, ruins of the school of Pannini. (W.S. Maugham)

2. "Glad to hear it." (Th. Dreiser)

3. I don't write. Not such a fool. (J. Galsworthy)

4. To be alive! To have youth and the world before one. (Th. Dreiser)

5. Living room in the house of Philip Phillimore. (L. Mitchell)

6. Looks to me for all the world like an alf-tame leopard. (J. Galsworthy)

7. A scandal! A possible scandal! (J. Galsworthy)

8. She could think of him now with indifference. She loved him no longer. Oh, the relief and the sense of humiliation! (W. S. Maugham)

9. To receive so flattering an invitation! To have her company so warmly solicited! (J. Austen)

10.Soames stole a glance. No movement in his wife's face. (J. Galsworthy)

11.“Had an autopsy. Took longer than I figured.” (A. Hailey)

12.She was going to bed at last. Ah! Joy and pleasant dreams! (J. Galsworthy)

13.In this search, who knows what he thought and what he sought? Bread for hunger—light in darkness? (J. Galsworthy)

14.A divorce! Thus close, the word was paralyzing, so utterly at variance with all the principles that had hitherto guided his life. (J. Galsworthy)

15.‘Want to see the hanging! Want to see the hanging!’ chanted the little girl, still capering round. (G. Orwell)

II. State structural and communicative types of the following sentences:

1. Well, there they were! (J. Galsworthy)

2. ‘What do you mean by that?’ (W. S. Maugham)

3. “Careful! You'll break it—“ (W. Golding)

4. What could he have been thinking of? (J. K. Rowling)

5. She had gone out a quarter of an hour before. Out at such a time of night, into this terrible fog! (J. Galsworthy)

6. Who had done this barbarous deed? (A. Conan Doyle)

7. It hadn’t changed at all. (R. Dahl)

8. “Piggy! Piggy!” (W. Golding)

9. He was not used to being talked to like that. (R. Chandler)

10.Forgotten! (J. Galsworthy)

11.This is certainly a beautiful country! (E. Bronte)

12.Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters... (J. K. Rowling)

13.Even a no-charge job was a change. (R. Chandler)

14.“You walking out on me?” (R. Chandler)

15.Be careful. I warned you about the dangers. (M. Ondaatje)