Subject presentation

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Seminar: SubjectSubject in the grammarsAna Paula Rabelo de Freitas

Camila Azevedo

Camilla Millaner

Carlos Magno de Alvarenga Lopes

Gabriela Luza Rezende

Seminar: Subject

Essential Grammar in Use - Cambridge University PressSubject in the grammars

Grammar in Use - Cambridge University PressNo references.Seminar: SubjectSubject in the grammars

The Heineman English Grammar An Intermediate Reference and Practice Book.

Seminar: SubjectSubject in the grammars

Seminar: Subject

Present- Day English Syntax - A Sentence of Survey Patterns.

a) The subject is a noun or a noun equivalent.He was not intended for a business career.b) A sentence can also begin with the word it, used without any definite back-reference; it usually contains the verb to be and denotes space, time, weather, and natural phenomena in general.It was intensely hot.

It is always followed by a verb in the singular, even when the following words are in the plural.

It was 46 days of fog and contrary wind.Subject in the grammars

Present- Day English Syntax - A Sentence of Survey Patterns.

c) The subject may have end position and be announced by a pronoun; it is then given much more prominence.

It is a mark of true civilization, this compassionate attitude towards the animals at our mercy.

d) Inversion: is the rule when the sentence is introduced by unstressed there. There is a little doubt that these peoples were fair.


Syntax: Theory and Problems - Oxford University Press

Chapter 2: Subject

2.2: English There- Sentences

(1) Theres a problem on my mind.

(2) There they go.

Can both receive stress?Seminar: SubjectSubject in the grammars


(3) She put it down there.

(4) Im sorry. There is another problem.

(5) There is this place that Id like to be...

(6) There is where Id like to be.Seminar: SubjectSubject in the grammars


(7) Theres a tornado coming, isnt there?

(8) Theres a tornado coming, isnt it?

(9) There is a salami on the table.

(10) There is the salami on the table.Seminar: SubjectSubject in the grammars


Chapter 6:

6.5: English Extraposition

(1) [That Mary lied] shocked Frank.

(2) It shocked Frank [that Mary lied].

(3) a. Its likely that John has left.

b. John is likely to have left.Seminar: SubjectSubject in the grammars

Syntax: Theory and Problems -Oxford University Press

(4) I want [it to rain].

(5) I want [it to seem that hes telling the truth].Seminar: SubjectSubject in the grammars

The Grammar Book: an ESL/EFL Teachers Course

Chapter 23: Nonreferential it and there as subjects - Nonreferential, dummy, empty.- No clearly defined antecedent.- Potentially challenging for students *Is raining - Have vs. nonreferential: ?Taros school has 27 students There are 27 students in Taros school.



Nonreferential it

- Nonimperative sentences require a subject in English, it fills this function. This form therefore acts as a subject, always taking a singular verb, usually be.

- Ambient: grammatically necessary, but lexically vague. The meaning (...) derives from the rest of the sentence.



Nonreferential itCommonly found in expressions of: Time: It was 1880.Distance: It is not far from Portland.Weather: It is windy.Environment: It gets a little rowdy on the 9th floor.

It allows (...) a question or statement to be shorter and less redundant The weather will be fair and cool today.



Nonreferential there

- Nonreferential there bears no stress and cannot be removed from the clause-initial position; its vowel may be reduced.

- Different from deictic there.

- Syntactic tests: a. Question tag testb. Negation testc. Deictic here test



Nonreferential there

- Nonreferential there + other verbs:

a. Verbs of existence or position: exist, dwell, live, stand, lie, remain:

In the forest there lived a troll.

b. Event verbs that describe something happening, developing or materializing: develop, arise, appear, emerge, ensue, happen, occur. There arose a conflict.

c. Verbs of motion or direction: come, go, walk, run, fly, approach

There came three suspicious-looking men down the street.


Nominal group

Dummy It

Unstressed there

That clauses

Prepositional group

Adverbial group

Anticipatory it + extraposed subject

Seminar: SubjectSubject realizations

5. Behind the shed needs mowing. Anticipatory it + extraposed finite clauseNoun GroupAntecipatory it + Extraposed non finite clauseExistencial There + NGPrepositional Group1. It is not surprising that he failed his exams 2. The tired kitten fell asleep by her food dish. 3. "And it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe, If you don't know by now." (Bob Dylan) 4. There were six errors in your essay

According to what we have studied about subject, lets try to classify each underlined element in the following sentences. The group with more right answers will win a prize.

Seminar: SubjectExercise Game

Noun GroupAdverbial GroupWh clausethat clauseNoun group with Adjectival head

6. "I keep thinkingthat she's in trouble somewhere."(John Connolly)7. Before midday would be convenient 8. What I needis a long holiday 9. That his theory was flawedsoon became obvious10. The supernatural attracts many people


Existencial There + Noun GroupAdverbial GroupAnticipatory it + extraposed finite clause1st: Noun Group; 2nd: Dummy itThis is not subject it, it is a Direct Object.

11. Why there is a large patch in the hollow of his left breast as bare as a snail out of its shell (J.R.R. Tolkien)12. Here would be an ideal place for a picnic 13. It turned out that his secretary had stolen the money14. "He did not know it was midnight and he did not know how far he had come."(William Faulkner)15. I think you've broken it.


Prepositional GroupThat-clauseWH clauseExistential there + Noun group (about the other there in the end of the sentence it is just an Adjunct, it could be a trick ) Anticipatory it + Extraposed finite clause16. After nine is a good time to ring17. That he failed his exams is not surprising18. What you say is true19. There is a parking space there.20. "It's a pity that Kattie couldn't be here tonight." (Penelope Fitzgerald)


Seminar: SubjectReferences

MURPHY, Raymond. Essential Grammar in Use. 1990.

Cambridge University Press. Third Edition. 2007.MURPHY, Raymond with SMALZER, William R. Grammar in Use. 1989.

Cambridge University Press. Third Edition. 2009.BEAUMONT, Digby and GRANGER, Colin. The Heineman English Grammar

An Intermediate Reference and Practice Book. Heineman International. 1989.SCHEURWEGHS, G. Present- Day English Syntax - A Sentence of Survey Patterns. Lowe & Brydone (Printers) Ltd. Fifth Impression. 1973.

NAPOLI, Donna Jo. Syntax: Theory and Problems. 1948.

Oxford University Press. New York, NY. 1993. Celce-Murcia, Larsen Freeman. The Grammar Book: an ESL/EFL

Teachers Course.

Education

Subject presentation