Download 12.1 phrases and clauses

Phrases and Clauses
L/O:
• to revise/learn how to analyse larger units of language –
phrases and clauses
So far:
Grammar – the set of structural rules that controls the way
language works. There are 3 aspects to grammar: word
class, syntax and morphology
• word class = define the roles that each word can play in
a sentence
• syntax = the set of rules that control where each word
class can appear in a sentence
• morphology = describes the construction of individual
words
Lexis: vocabulary system of a language.
Lexical item: words that perform the same role (nouns – people,
places, things)
Linguistic Rank Scale
Morpheme
(smallest unit of
grammatical
meaning)
Lexical item
(words
that
perform the
same role )
Phrase
(units of
language
built around
a head
word)
clause
(unit of a
sentence)
Sentence
Utterance
(largest
grammatical unit)
(a group of
spoken
words – like
a written
sentence)
Text
Syntax
(looks at how lexical items are
sequenced into larger units
of language)
(an example of
written or
spoken
language for
analysis)
Grammar is a complex – as you know – and controversial area of language study!
Prescriptive approach/attitude = tends to see other varieties of language other
than ‘standard’ English as incorrect or bad and is highly critical to uses of
language that ‘deviates’ from established grammatical rules.
Descriptive approach/attitude = tends to comment on actual usage and describe
how language operates in real examples and contexts rather than judge based
on whether rules are being adhered to.
Phrases are units of language that have a head word.
The head word identifies the type of phrase you
are dealing with.
Noun phrases – the noun is the ‘head word’
the empty house
pre-modifiers: determiner, adjective, head word: noun
Prepositional phrases – post-modify the noun and
consist of a preposition and an additional noun
phrase (with a head word of it’s own)
the pretty cottage by the sea
pre-modifiers: determiner, adjective, head word: noun, post-modifying
prepositional phrase: preposition, determiner, head word: noun
Look at the following examples of noun phrases, all
taken from newspaper headlines. Identify the
constituent structure of each:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Violent robbers in rubber masks.
‘Wild west’ town.
Loyal fans to pop music.
Three record hot years predicted before
end of decade.
5. Superb collection of coloured prints.
Verb phrases – the main verb is the ‘head word’;
there can also be one or more auxiliary verbs
should have passed
auxiliary, auxiliary, head word: main verb
Where are the verb phrases in the following headlines made
of?
Main verb
1. Prime Minister takes big lead.
Main verb
Main verb + extension
2. Internet scan nets millions.
Main verb (infinitive)
Auxiliary, negative,
3. Cement tipped into lake by vandals.
main verb
4. GCSE coursework to become history.
5. Banks have not signed required customer code.
Basic sentences are created from a
combination of phrases:
The noun phrases and verb phrases are
colour coded in these sentences:
The wealthy woman has been to London
many times. Now she is planning a trip to
Paris.
Look at the poem ‘Off Course’
What do you notice about the poem? What are
the effects of the poet’s use of language?
What would someone with a prescriptive attitude
think about the poem? How would a person with
a descriptive attitude approach the poem?
Hint: look for patterns