Week 3 - Sentence Types (2)

Basic sentence types (2) Maria Petrescu LIN205 University of Toronto Toronto Mississauga Miss issauga

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Usage note: Adjective or adverb? •

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In formal usage in Standard English, Types I and III are a re distinct: You sang well. (Type I) I really really feel feel bad for him. him. (Type III) However, However, in informal English, certain adjectives ad jectives and adverbs have merged: e.g., e.g., good/well   good, quick/quickly   quick , quiet/quietly   quiet , yielding sentences such as • • •

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You sing good. She did it quick. He said it quiet.

Also, you can hear hypercorrections such as •

I really feel badly for him. 2

Type IV: Copula + Nominal

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Those guys The auction Our office The three survivors T h at

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The subject complement is a nominal (it functions as a noun).

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are students. was a success. is becoming a jungle. remained friends afterwards. was that.

The subject complement can also be a noun clause: I can be what I want to be.

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VPIV  MVPbe/other copula + NP/Noun Clause

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The subject complement has the same referent as the subject 3

Type IV: Copula + Nominal •

Recognizing a Type IV sentence: Is the main verb be or another copula (most often become or remain)? remain)? Is the verb followed by a noun phrase or noun clause that refers refers to the same entity as the subject? Often, the sentence can be paraphrased with can be classified as/can be considered  • •

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

We can number the NPs in a sentence to indicate whether they refer to the same thing Those guys1 are students1 . vs. Those guys1 saw a bear2. TASK: Identify the Type IV sentences. Then draw a phrase marker for each. Croa Croati tia a is a favo favour urit ite e to tour uris istt dest destin inat atio ion n in in Eur Europ ope. e. It is is a beauti beautiful ful coun country try with with a long, long, jagged jagged coas coastli tline. ne. Its Its tep tepid id wate waters rs are are rema remark rkab ably ly clea clean. n. Its Its beaut beautif iful ully ly pre preser serve ved d old old citi cities es are are a real real treas treasur ure. e. Visi Visito tors rs can can hav have e an acti active ve va vaca catio tion n the there re..

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Usage: It is I or It is me? me? •

In many languages, such as Latin, the subject complement is in the nominative (subject) case: • •

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Is victor est . est . = He is the winner (not she). she). Paulus victorem vīdit . = Paul saw the winner .

nominative accusative

Language purists have often argued that English should also follow this model and that we should say It is I rather than It is me Historically, Historically, this was certainly the case: Old English Ic eom ic (“I am I”), not *Ic eom mē However, However, French Fren ch disjunctive pronouns behave the same way:  je C’est moi , not *C’est  je Today, the subject case of pronouns is used as the subject complement only in the most formal of contexts in English 5

Type V: Transitive verbs • • •

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 John The dog I

An intransitive verb can stand on its own • • •

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I saw you. Sally sold vegetables. His father bought a new suit.

The complement is typically a NP and typically refers to something other than the subject. We can indicate the latter with subscript numbering •

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She’s talking. My heart stopped. The roof collapsed.

A transitive verb requires a complement •

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hit Bill. bit the man. had brought a cake to the party.

 John1 hit Bill 2.

Note that the following sentence is Type I, as fall  as  fall is is intransitive! •

 John fell on his head. 6

Task •

Identify the verb phrase in each of the following sentences. Is the verb transitive or intransitive? How do you know?  –

The bell rings at 5:00 p.m. every day.

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Those children play all afternoon.

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Cats catch mice by instinct.

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The cynic snickered.

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His answers surprised us.

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Keith caught a cold last week.

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Type V: Transitive verbs •

  Monotransitive (“one-transitive”) verbs take a direct object I lost the keys (direct object). object). •

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  Ditransitive (“two-transitive”) verbs take an indirect object and a direct object I brought you (indirect object) the keys (direct object). object). •

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Often, the same verb can be used in different ways. Consider grow :  ??? Tomatoes grew well there.  ??? I grew restless. I grew some tomatoes.  ??? She grew me some gorgeou gorgeouss tomatoes. tomatoes.  ??? • • • •

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Recognizing a Type V sentence: The verb requires a nominal complement The complement does not usually refer to the same entity as the subject The verb is not a copula (i.e., it does not mean “equals” or “becomes”) • •

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Task •

Identify the type of sentences and verb:  –

He goes to Paris in June.

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He goes crazy in July.

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He goes, “I don’t think so”.

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The ball rolled slowly away.

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The child rolled the ball slowly. slowly.

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TASK •

Consider each of the underlined verbs and see if you can create another sentence in which the verb is either transitive or intransitive, not linking:  –

Mary feels tired.

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The soup tastes funny.

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The beer smells sour.

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He became angry.

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The paper looks messy.

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The music sounds terrible.

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The situation appears hopeless. hopeless.

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Usage note: Rise or raise raise? ? Lie or lay ? rise – rose – risen raise – raised – raised

“go up” “cause to go up”

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lie – lay – lain lay – laid – laid 

“rest in a horizontal horizontal position” “cause to rest in a horizontal position”

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lied There’s also lie – lied – lied

“not tell the truth” 

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TASK: Choose the standard usage

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1. 2. 3. 4. •

He rises/rose/has risen. He rises/rose/has risen his hand. He lies/lay/has lain in his bed. He lies/lay/has lain th the e boo book ks on on the the tab able le..

He raises/raised/has raises/raised/has raised . He raises/raised/has raised his hand. He lays/laid/has laid in laid in his bed. He lays/laid/has laid the books on the table.

Which of the verbs is encroaching on the territory of another one in colloquial (spoken) usage?

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Type V: Transitive verbs •

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  Reflexive direct objects

Compare I cut the apple with a plastic knife. knife. I cut myself myself with a plasti plasticc knife knife.

(S and DO are different entities) (S and DO are the same entity)

Reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves   Purpose 1) Keith likes him. /Keith likes himself. 2) My whole family is a Republican, but I myself am a Democrat. 3) The woman built the garage (by) themselves.

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Type V: Transitive verbs •

  Reciprocal direct objects objects

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The students respected each other. We all call one another frequently. frequently.

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Reciprocal pronouns : each other, one another 

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The lawyers respect r espect themselves. (reflexive) The lawyers respect each other (reciprocal)

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Historically, different meaning but modern English no difference

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The houses are close to each other. other. The houses are close to one another. another.

(only two) (more than two)

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Type V: Transitive verbs •

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Object complements Adjectival They left the room messy. (Adjectival Object Complement) The maple maple jam in the cronut cronut burger burger made them violently sick. Nominal They left the room a complete mess. (Nominal Object Complement) They elected Peter  president  president of the club. club. Task: Draw a tree diagram for the first sentence in each set of examples.

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Usage: Comma Splice •

Say the following out loud:  –

Yes is not a suitable answer.

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Yes, the ground is dry.

Rule 1) Neve Neverr ins inser ertt a spl splic ice e com comma ma bet betwe ween en the the subj subjec ectt and and  predicate or between the main verb and its complement(s). 2) Use Use two two com comma mass to set set off off anyth anythin ing g that that inte interr rrupt uptss the the subject and predicate or the verb and its complement(s).

exception of a few  Eg. Our whole class, with the possible exception  , 15

For Week 4 tutorial: •

Exercise 8.8 (the first sentence starts with “Homemade pizza…”)

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Exercise 8.12 (the first sentence starts with “A “A heavy rain…”)

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Exercise 8.14 (the first sentence starts with “The students…”)

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