4 basic sentence structures;Verb types;Argument structuresEDUC 5658 Sandra Powell

Sentence analysisThe first division we make when analyzing a sentence is to locate.....

Subject

Predicate

Sentence analysis Subject

Predicate

Every sentence can be divided into Subject and Predicate.

When analyzing a sentence, the first thing to do is to locate the Subject and the verb.

The verb, along with all of the other parts after it that are essential to the sentence, is in the Predicate.

In this course, we don’t use the term Predicate very much. We classify sentences by the TYPE of predicate that the sentence has.

Verb categoriesSome key terminology for analyzing sentence structures:

Transitive Intransitive Copular or Linking

These are VERB categories. We classify verbs according to how they interact with nouns in a sentence.

Verb categoriesWe will add one more category: Ditransitive These are the verbs that take both a direct and indirect object.Ditransitive GIVE:

On Father’s Day, we gave Dad a T-shirt. We gave it to him after lunch.

Transitive Intransitive Copular or Linking

These are VERB categories. We classify verbs according to how they interact with nouns in a sentence.

FunctionsSome key terminology for analyzing sentence structures: (chapters 2 and 5, GB)

Subject Direct object Indirect objectThese are roles that NOUNS (or noun phrases or noun clauses) play in relation to verbs

FunctionsOne more important function:(chapter 4, GB)

Subject complement A NOUN or an ADJECTIVE can be the Subject complement with a copular/linking verb.

Subject Direct object Indirect objectThese are the roles that NOUNS (or noun phrases or noun clauses) play in relation to verbs

Sentence constituentsCan you identify S: Subject, DO: Direct Object,IO: Indirect Object, and SC: Subject Complement in these sentences?

(try it before going to the next slide)

Your sentence doesn’t contain any mistakes.

However, your sentence sounds strange.

Studying grammar gives me a headache!

Grammar is my greatest joy! In learning grammar, students

usually need some explicit instruction.

Without it, students may fossilize at a low level.

Your sentence doesn’t contain any mistakes. S V DO However, your sentence sounds strange. S V SC (adjective) Studying grammar gives me a headache! S V IO DO Grammar is my greatest joy! S V SC (noun phrase) In learning grammar, students usually need S V some explicit instruction DO Without it, students may fossilize at a low level. S V prep. phrase (adverbial)

Your sentence doesn’t contain any mistakes. S V DO

However, your sentence sounds strange. S V SC (adj)

Studying grammar gives me a headache! S V IO DO

Grammar is my greatest joy! S V SC (noun)

In learning grammar, students usually need S V some explicit instruction DO

Without it, students may fossilize at a low level. S V

Did you get themall right? Grammar expert!

If you got some wrong, can you figure out why? Orcan you formulate a specific question about the example?No problem!

Are you totally lost?Let’s get you up to speed! Head over to the University of Calgary grammar guide for the basics:University of Calgary online reference: The Basic Elements of English Usage Grammar Guide. Sections II I (Subject and predicate) and II ii (Objects) http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/eduweb/grammar/  (click on Sentence Elements on the left-hand side of the page to open Section II)

Intransitive verb

Subject

Transitive verb

Subject

Direct object

Linking (or

copular) verbSubject• Subject

complement

Ditransitive verb

Subject

Indirect object

Direct object

The verb controls the sentence type The way nouns line up in association with a verb is called the verb’s ARGUMENT STRUCTURE. It’s part of our mental dictionary entry for a particular verb.

Frequency, and possibility of adding new words to these verb categories There are a limited

number of verbs that take IO and DO.

There are only a few copular /linking verbs (about 10-15, with a few idiomatic expressions like “come true”)

There are thousands of transitive and intransitive verbs.

When English adds new verbs (like GOOGLE and POWN), they are transitive or intransitive. We aren’t accepting any new copular/linking verbs!

(sometimes a new ditransitive is derived from a related verb: He emailed me the information. )

4 basic sentence structures

Most sentences fall into one of these basic sentence types. Given a sentence, you should be able to identify the core of the sentence (Subject and Verb) and figure out which sentence structure it is. Remember, the VERB controls what kind of sentence structure is needed.

S V: intransitive verbS V O: transitive verbS V SC: linking verb (copular verb)S V IO DO: ditransitive verb

These sentences are built around intransitive verbs.

S V (intransitive verb): Snow was falling.

The verb does not need anything to complete it; there is only one argument, the subject.

S V sentence structure

S V (intransitive verb): Snow was falling. We can add optional information about how, when,

where, why: this information is Adverbial, not Direct object, because it can be omitted and we still have a complete sentence:

Snow was falling steadily outside my window. S V Adv Prep phrase

(adverbial)

S V sentence structure

S V O sentences are built around transitive verbs.We held a meeting.

A noun phrase, the direct object, comes right after the verb, with no preposition. The object is needed to complete the sentence;

?? We held. It’s not a complete sentence. English speakers would say, “Huh? What did you hold?”

S V O sentence structure

S V O sentence structureAdverbials can be added to tell things like when,

where, how, why…We held a meeting S V O with parents prep. phrase (adverbial) after the incident prep. phrase (adverbial) to decide what to do adverbial of purpose

(with TO) The adverbials are “extra” because we still have a

complete sentence without them.The Direct object is not optional: it is part of the

sentence core structure.

S V SC sentence structureThe defining characteristic of a linking verb (copula) is that it can take an adjective, which describes the Subject, as its Subject complement

S V SC: The snow looked beautiful.S V SC: It’s getting dark.S V SC: The curry seems hotter than usual today.

S V SC sentence structureThe most common copular/ linking verb is BE:

S V SC: Extreme sports are dangerous.The Subject is the only noun we need, just like S V: Snow was falling.However, unlike S V, something is needed to complete the sentence. We can’t say: ?? Extreme sports are.

Linking verbs don’t indicate action performed by the Subject. They link the subject to something that describes or characterizes or re-names the Subject. It’s called a Subject Complement, not a direct object, to show this relation to the Subject.

S V SC sentence structure: BE as copular/linking verb

S V SC: Extreme sports are dangerous. N V AdjectiveUnlike many of the linking verbs, BE can also take a noun or a prepositional phrase as its subject complement:

S V SC: Extreme sports are my passion. Noun phrase

S V SC: Extreme sports are out of control! Prep phrase

S V IO DO sentence structureSome verbs can be followed by 2 nouns, or noun

phrases, with no preposition:Josh gave his friend a present. S V IO DO

These verbs are called ditransitive. That term is not commonly used in pedagogical grammars of English; you’ll find information about this sentence structure listed under Indirect Object instead.

S V IO DO sentence structureThese verbs have 2 objects, an Indirect object and a Direct object.

What’s the difference? Most ditransitive verbs involve transferring something TO a person, or doing it FOR a person.

The Direct object is the thing that gets transferred or done or made.The Indirect object is the person TO WHOM, or FOR WHOM, it is done.Indirect objects are usually human, occasionally animals or organizations, but almost never inanimate objects.

S V IO DO sentence structureExample sentences:The government promised us a tax cut.

This protest should send the government a message.

Good news! The university has offered me a job!

You’d better give the dog some water. He looks thirsty.

The Direct object is the thing that gets transferred or done or made. The Indirect object is the person TO WHOM, or FOR WHOM, it is done.Indirect objects are usually human, occasionally animals or organizations, but almost never inanimate objects.

S V IO DO sentence structureIndirect objects are not always essential elements: The government promised a tax cut. The government promised citizens a tax cut.

This protest should send a clear message.This protest should send politicians a clear message.

“Promise” and “send” can be transitive or ditransitive.

S V IO DO sentence structureIndirect objects are not always essential elements. It depends on the verb used.

? Mount Saint Vincent has offered ( ) a job!This sentence is a little strange. “Offer” seems to need both recipient and thing offered.?You’d better give ( ) some water. I gave blood. I gave cash instead of a present.We can omit the recipient IO with GIVE when it is obvious to the listener.GIVE implies an indirect object: There has to be a giver and a recipient, but we don’t have to include the IO in the sentence structure.

Indirect object movementMost verbs that take indirect objects allow two grammar patterns for expressing the IO:

S V IO DOGive the dog some water.I baked you some cookies.The university has offered me the job!

S V DO (to or for) IOGive some water to the dog.I baked some cookies for you.The university has offered the job to an external candidate with extensive experience.

Learner problems with sentence structures and argument structures of verbs

The problem in all of these sentences is that the argument structure is wrong for the chosen verb.

?? Sandra is blue eyes.?? I looked the painting with admiration.?? An earthquake collapsed the building.?? Tattoos changed popular recently.?? My friend sent me.

?? Sandra is blue eyes. Sandra’s eyes are blue S V SC With copular/ linking verb BE, the subject is characterized or described or re-named by the subject complement. To fix the sentence, we need “Sandra” to be the possessor of “eyes.” “Blue” describes “eyes,” not “Sandra”?? Sandra is blue eyes. Sandra has blue eyes. S V DOBut look how the original argument structure works perfectly with a different verb. The verb controls the sentence structure.

?? I looked the painting with admiration.The sentence sounds strange because we feel that the verb LOOK should be followed by a direction (adverbial), not a thing (direct object)We can look at, or towards, or in, a thing. I looked at the painting with admiration.S V prep. phrase prep. phrase

I regarded the painting with admiration. S V DO prep. phraseOn the other hand, the verb REGARD, with a very similar meaning, has a different argument structure. It takes a direct object.

Our mental dictionary entry for a verb includes grammatical information as well as meaning.

?? An earthquake collapsed the building. The building collapsed in an earthquake. S V prep. phrase An earthquake destroyed the building.. S V DO

Look at the different argument structures for the verbs COLLAPSE (intransitive) and DESTROY (transitive). But the verb BREAK works with both argument structures. It can be transitive or intransitive: You broke my Ipad! S V DO My Ipad broke. S V

?? Tattoos changed popular recently. Tattoos became popular recently. S V SC This learner has used CHANGE as a linking verb. “Popular” is an adjective; it characterizes the subject “tattoos.”CHANGE is not a copular/linking verb. It can be transitive: I changed my mindOr intransitive: The world has changed

The copular/linking verb we use to express this meaning of change is BECOME.

?? My friend sent me. My friend sent me a letter. S V IO DOSEND takes both a direct object (usually a thing) and an indirect object (almost always a person). We can omit the IO, but not the DO:My friend sent a letter

But verbs like CALL and CONTACT take only a D O. They are transitive, not ditransitive, even though the meaning seems similar to SEND:My friend called me. ?? My friend called me a phone call.We will contact you soon. ?? We will contact you a letter soon.

Why is this important for teachers?

Many of our learners’ problems with sentence structures are actually not problems with general principles.When learners make a mistake inbasic sentence structure, it’s usually not useful to explain the sentence structure rules (for example, “you have to have a direct object with a transitive verb.”)They need information on that specific VERB and how it arranges nouns around it in a sentence. (“That verb needs a direct object after it.”)

Questions about the Powerpoint? I’d be happy to talk grammar with you!Sandra Powell