Download Grammar and Sentence Types

GRAMMAR
AN INTRODUCTION
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

BE ABLE TO DEFINE GRAMMAR

KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF
GRAMMAR

KNOW HOW GRAMMAR WORKS IN
ENGLISH (BASICS)
GRAMMAR WORLD

CONSISTS OF –

WORDS

PHRASES

CLAUSES

SENTENCES
Grammar

is a way to describe the way a
language’s sentences are constructed
using words.

is a set of rules in a language which is
used for forming/ changing words and
sentences.

is the structure and system of a
language usually considered to consist
of syntax and morphology.
Importance of Correct Grammar
To communicate more effectively and
precisely
 To express meanings correctly
 For improved understanding
 To get the right impression for the right
meaning

Grammar – the Creation of
Language
Grammar is the guide to create words and
sentences in all languages.
 It enables and also restricts all aspects of
language to grow in form and content –
words and sentences.
 Gives shape to ideas and emotions, to be
expressed through sound and symbols.

Word Categories


Classification of all
words into basic
categories so that
they are easily
identified
Mainly 8 in English,
know as Parts of
Speech
part of speech
Verb – doing words
Noun – naming words
Adjective – noun describers
Adverb – verb describers
Pronoun – noun replacers
Preposition – directing linkages
Conjunction – joining linkages
Interjection - exclamations
Form & Functions of Words

Every word has a purpose in every
sentence. This can be identified through
the form of the word (which part of speech it
belongs to or shape e.g. action, education, completion;
credible, responsible, suitable, terrible ) and the function
of the word (what place it has in the
sentence)
 In English the usual order of function of
words is SUBJECT, PREDICATE and
OBJECT, and sometimes as ADVERBIAL
Phrases
Groups of words within a sentence that have
some kind of grammatical link between them.
 If a group of words can be substituted with
one word then it is evident that the particular
group of words constitutes a phrase. e.g.
[The children] should watch less television.
 [They] should watch less television.

Phrase Types
Phrase Type
Head
Example
Noun Phrase
Noun
[the children in class 5]
Verb Phrase
Verb
[play the piano]
Adjective Phrase
Adjective
[delighted to meet you]
Adverb Phrase
Adverb
[very quickly]
Prepositional Phrase
Preposition
[in the garden]
For convenience convenience
Phrase Type
For convenience, we will use the following abbreviations fo
Abbreviation
Noun Phrase
NP
Verb Phrase
VP
Adjective Phrase
AP
Adverb Phrase
AdvP
Prepositional Phrase
PP
Noun Phrases (NP)
Consists of head noun + modifiers
 Modifiers include determiners and adjectives
 NP = (DET) + (ADJ) + HN = PRO
 e.g. The (DET) children (HN) should watch
less television.
 I like [the title of your book.]

Adjective Phrase (AP)

In an ADJECTIVE PHRASE (AP), the Head word is
an adjective. e.g.
Susan is [AP clever]
The doctor is [AP very late]
My sister is [AP fond of animals]

The pre-Head string in an AP is most commonly an
adverb phrase such as very or extremely. Adjective
Heads may be followed by a post-Head string:

[AP happy (AdjH) to meet you (post headstring)]
[AP ready (AdjH) to go (post headstring]
[AP afraid (AdjH) of the dark (post headstring]
VERB PHRASE (VP)
Verb is the head word, others follow. VP = V + (NP) + (PP)
In a VERB PHRASE (VP), the Head is always a
verb. The pre-Head string, if any, will be a
`negative' word such as not [1] or never [2], or an
adverb phrase [3]:
[1] [VP not compose an aria], [2] [VP never compose an
aria], [3] Paul [VP deliberately broke the window]
Many verb Heads must be followed by a postHead string:
My son [VP made a cake] -- (compare: *My son made),
We [VP keep pigeons] -- (compare: *We keep)
I [VP recommend the fish] -- (compare: *I recommend)
ADVERB PHRASE (AdvP)
In an ADVERB PHRASE, the Head word is an
adverb. Most commonly, the pre-Head string is
another adverb phrase:
He graduated [AdvP very recently]
She left [AdvP quite suddenly]


In AdvPs, there is usually no post-Head string, but
here's a rare example:

[AdvP Unfortunately for him], his wife came home
early
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE

Prepositions usually consist of a Head -- a
preposition -- and a post-Head string only.
Here are some examples:

[PP through the window], [PP over the bar]
[PP across the line]. [PP after midnight]
This makes PPs easy to recognise -- they nearly
always begin with a preposition (the Head). A preHead string is rarely present, but here are some
examples:
[PP straight through the window]
[PP right over the bar]
[PP just after midnight]


CLAUSES


Verb plays a central role in all clauses, thus
obligatory or compulsory.
Seven basic clause types:
 S+V
He /cried.
 S+V+O
Viliame/ closed/ the gate.
 S+V+C
The lovo/ is/ ready.
 S+V+A (c) Preetika/ lives/ in Nadi.
 S+V+O+O Sam/ gave/ Susie/ a rose.
 S+V+O+C Rita/ got/ her shoes/ very wet.
 S+V+O+A Faizal/ put/ the paint/ on the floor .
Clauses

Main Clause – a complete unit on its own
(a simple sentence). Eg. Hina is ready.
Subordinate Clause – a unit which cannot
be on its own and need the support of
another clause, such as a relative clause
(which is embedded into the main clause).
Eg. Hina ( who is wearing the pink blouse) is
ready.

SENTENCES
Group of words that gives a complete and
self-contained message.
 Parts of the Sentence:

SUBJECT – what the sentence is about
 PREDICATE – what is said about the subject,
includes the object and complements and
most importantly the verb!
 ADVERBIAL – extra information which may
not alter the meaning of the sentences, can
change places in the sentence.

4 types of sentences:
 Simple
 Compound
 Complex
 Compund-Complex

Simple Sentences
A simple sentence has the most basic
elements that make it a sentence: a
subject, a verb, and a completed
thought.
 Jone waited for the bus.
"Jone" = subject, "waited" = verb
 I looked for Mere and Suman at the
bus stand.
"I" = subject, "looked" = verb
Examples of simple sentences
Mere and Suman arrived at the bus
station before noon and left on the
bus before I arrived.
"Mere and Suman" = compound
subject,
"arrived" and "left" = compound
verb
Simple Sentences
The use of compound subjects, compound
verbs, prepositional phrases (such as "at
the bus stand"), and other elements help
lengthen simple sentences, but simple
sentences often are short.
 The
use of too many simple sentences can
make writing "choppy" and can prevent
the writing from flowing smoothly.
Compound Sentences
A
compound sentence refers to a
sentence made up of two independent
clauses (or complete sentences)
connected to one another with a
coordinating conjunction.
 Coordinating
conjunctions are easy to
remember if you think of the words
"FAN BOYS":
Coordinating Conjunctions
 For
 And
 Nor
 But
 Or
 Yet
 So
Examples of compound
sentences
1. Jone waited for the bus, but the bus was
late.
2. I looked for Mere and Suman at the
bus stand, but they arrived at the stand
before noon and left on the bus before I
arrived.
Examples of compound
sentences
3. Mere and Suman arrived at the bus
stand before noon, and they left on
the bus before I arrived.
4. Mere and Suman left on the bus
before I arrived, so I did not see them
at the bus stand.
Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions are useful for
connecting sentences.

While coordinating conjunctions can indicate
some type of relationship between the two
independent clauses in the sentence, they
sometimes do not indicate much of a
relationship.
Coordinating Conjunctions
 The
word "and," for example, only
adds one independent clause to
another, without indicating how the
two parts of a sentence are logically
related.
 Too many compound sentences
that use "and" can weaken
writing.
Complex Sentences
A
complex sentence is made up of an
independent clause and one or more
dependent clauses connected to it.
 A dependent clause is similar to an
independent clause, or complete
sentence, but it lacks one of the elements
that would make it a complete sentence.
 A complex sentence joins an independent
clause with one or more dependent
clauses
Examples of dependent
Clauses

because Mere and Suman arrived at the
bus stand before noon

while he waited at the bus stand

after they left on the bus
Dependent Clauses
 cannot

stand alone as a sentence.
But they can be added to an independent
clause to form a complex sentence.
Dependent Clauses
begin
with
subordinating
conjunctions
Examples of Subordinating
Conjunction
 as,
because, before, even though, if
 since,
though, unless, until, when
 whenever,
 after,
whereas, wherever, while
although
Position of Dependent Clause
 The
dependent clauses can
go first in the sentence,
followed by the independent
clause.
Example

Because Mere and Suman arrived at the bus
stand before noon, I did not see them at the
stand.

While he waited at the bus stand, Jone
realized that the bus was late.

After they left on the bus, Mere and Suman
realized that Jone was waiting at the mini bus
stand.
Position of Dependent Clause
 Conversely,
the independent
clauses can go first in the
sentence, followed by the
dependent clause, as in the
following:
Example

I did not see them at the mini bus stand
because Mere and Suman arrived at the
bus stand before noon.

Jone realized that the bus was late while he
waited at the mini bus stand.

Mere and Suman realized that Jone was
waiting at the mini bus stand after they left
on the bus.
Complex sentences
 Complex
sentences are often
more effective than compound
sentences because a complex
sentence indicates clearer and
more specific relationships
between the main parts of the
sentence.
Compound-Complex Sentences

A compound-complex sentence is made
from two independent clauses and one or
more dependent clauses. Eg:
Although I like to go camping, I
haven't had the time to go lately,
and I haven't found anyone to go
with.
Example
The example has 2 independent clause and
one dependent clause.
 independent clause: "I haven't had the time
to go lately"
 independent clause: "I haven't found
anyone to go with"
 dependent clause: "Although I like to go
camping... "

Compound-complex sentences
 Compound-complex
sentences are
very common in English, but one
mistake that students often make is to
try to write them without having
mastered the simple sentences,
compound sentences, and complex
sentences first.
More on Sentences
Beginning Sentences with "And" or
"Because"
 Should you begin a sentence with "and" or
"but" (or one of the other coordinating
conjunctions)?
 The short answer is "no." You should
avoid beginning a sentence with "and,"
"or," "but," or the other coordinating
conjunctions.
WHY?
 Because
these words
generally are used to join
together parts of a sentence,
not to begin a new sentence.
More on Sentences

Should you begin a sentence with
"because"?

Perhaps some students are told not to
begin a sentence with "because" to avoid
sentence fragments
Example of Sentence Fragment

"Because Mere and Suman arrived at the bus
stand before noon.”
More on Sentences

it is perfectly acceptable to begin a
sentence with "because" as long as the
sentence is complete as in:
"Because Mere and Suman arrived at the
bus stand before noon, I did not see them
at the bus stand."
Conclusion to Lecture
 You
will use all you have learned in
your spoken and written English
activities.
 Attempt
tutorial activities to practice
more on sentence types.