chapter 7: syntax: word to clause commentary on activities · 2 chapter 7: syntax: word to clause...

Chapter 7: Syntax: Word to ClauSe CoMMentary on aCtIVItIeS

activity 7.2

treasurer countnoun,singularYork propernoun(placename)Minster countnoun,singularWilliam propernoun(personalname)archbishopric countnoun,singularconnections countnoun,pluralhouses countnoun,pluraltriumph countnoun,singularaccusations countnoun,pluralcorruption non-count,nounposition countnoun,singularPopeEugeniusIII propernoun(Title+personalname+postmodifierasIIItellsyou

whichPopeEugeniusisbeingreferredto)1141 Itisanindividualyearwithitsownnamesoarguablyitisaproper

noun.Despitebeinganumber,itiscertainlynotacountnoun,asitcannotbemadeplural.Text7.1providesfurtherexamples.

activity 7.3

Theformsofthepasttenseofeachverbandthe{-en}formprovidetheanswer.Fromthedatayou lookedat, irregularverbschange thevowel for thepast tense(think – thought, be – was/were, drive – drove)andforthe{-en} form(think–thought, be–been, drive–driven).Regularverbsdonot(prove – proved, proved, answer – answered, answered).Forthepasttenseformandforthe{-en}formregularverbssimplyadd{–ed}.Spellingruleschange<y>to<i>inapplybutthevowelsounddoesnotchangeand–edisaddedasisusualwithregularverbs.

Lookontheweb(justkeyin irregular English verbs)or inagooddictionarytofindotherirregularforms–youwillfindthattheytendtobepartofverycommonverbsinuseinEnglishon a frequent basis. Not all irregular verbs change the vowel in the past tense e.g. set, putbut neither do these verbs add {–ed} as regular verbs do.What patterns can you findevenwithinthegroupofirregularverbse.g.thought, taught, caught, foughtordrank, sankorput, cut, hit.WhydoyouthinktheseirregularverbssurviveinEnglish?Mightithavesomethingtodowith the frequencyofuseof theseverbs?Whyarenewly-coinedverbs(e.g.computerize)regularforms?

Thinkaboutthepronunciationofthepasttensemorpheme{-ed}inregularverbse.g.answered, washedandposted.Isthepasttensemorphemealwayspronouncedinthesameway?Canyouexplainwhy(not)?

activity 7.7

In(a)anyoldpenwilldobutin(b)itisaspecificpenthatisrequired–maybethereisonlyonepenavailableorithastobeapenofaparticularkind.

Chapter 7: Syntax: Word to ClauSe CoMMentary on aCtIVItIeS2

activity 7.8

Manyoftheprepositionsthatyouhavefoundhavemeaningswhichrelatetotimeandplace(e.g.at, in, on, until, out of, after, at, before).Somerelateonlytotime(e.g.until)andothersonlytoplace(e.g.into, out of).Manyclaimthatofindicatespossession–truebutnotalways:whereisthenotionofpossessioninevery item of clothing? Tocertainlycanbeapreposition(asinto the archbishopric)meaning(metaphoricalorliteral)destination–butifitcomesbeforeaverb(asitdoesinallthreetextsunderscrutinyinthisactivity)itisnotreallyaprepositionbutpartoftheverb.Accompanimentorinstrumentalityisindicatedwithby.

Lookingupprepositionsinanydictionarywillprovideawealthofmeaningsandusestowhicheachprepositioncanbeput.

activity 7.9

AllthenumbersarenounsandareNPswithonlyaheadword.Allthepronouns(you, it, They, noone, this, what, I, that, we)aresingle-wordNPswithonlya

headword.TheanalysisoftheremainingNPsappearsinTable7.12.

Table 7.12 Noun phrases (NPs) in Text 7.1 and Text 7.2

Line number premodification HEAD post- modification

determiner adjectives or nouns noun or pronoun

the Collatz-Syracuse-ulam problem

1 simple questions1 a famous example2 pencil and paper∧

2 a calculator3 the world’s greatest mathematicians4 the answer5 a number5 the following rules6, 7 the number10 the next number12 the numbers13 a third rule15 Lothar Collatz15 this procedure15–16 no matter what number16 seventy years

∧ these two nouns are coordinated with and and for the purposes of this analysis have been counted as one NP.

Chapter 7: Syntax: Word to ClauSe CoMMentary on aCtIVItIeS 3

NB: It was only after doing this activity that it became apparent that there are no examples of post- modification in this text – careful analysis shows us things in a text that we might not otherwise realize. So the next three lines of the table show examples of NPs with post- modification from Text 7.2.

premodification HEAD post- modification

Line number determiner adjectives or nouns NOUN preposition phrases (in these examples)

1 a treasurer of York Minster2–3 his close connections to both the Norman

and English royal houses

6 three of his main opponents

activity 7.10

Figure 7.10 Fresh strawberries and cream

activity 7.11

Whilstinstinctivelyitoughttomakesensetotrytodrawtreediagramsorboxdiagramsfor theseNPs, thecomplexities ineachmightmakesucha taskdauntingat thisstage.So this commentary concentrates on some of the questions you might need toconsiderwhenanalysingNPsandprovidessomeofthepossibleanswers.Andofcourseyouneedtoanswerthesequestionsbeforeyoucanbegintodrawadiagramtoshowthestructure.

1 Appleglazedslowcookedoutdoorrearedporkbellywithcracklingspears

(a) Istheheadwordbellyordoyouwanttointerpretastheheadwordpork bellyinwhichcaseistheheadwordacompoundnoun?


(b) The premodifiers are apple glazed, slow cooked, outdoor reared and possibly porkdepending on your answer to the first question.What kind of phrases arethese?Your answer to this questionwill dependonwhether you think thewordsglazed, cookedandrearedareverbsoradjectives:differentanalystsmighttakedifferentviews.Whicheveryouchoose,beconsistent:theyareeitherallthreeverbsorallthreeadjectives.Dependingonyourdecision,youareeitherdealingwiththreeverbgroups(VG)eachactingasapremodifiertotheheadwordorthreeadjectivephrases(AdjP)eachactingasapremodifier.IfyouchooseVG,theneachVGconsistsofanadjunct(andcomebacktothiswhenyouhaveread7.5.4)andaverb.IfyouchooseAdjP,theneachAdjPconsistsofapremodifier(apple, slow, outdoor)andanadjectiveheadword.

(c) The post-modification is much more straightforward: it is a prepositionphrasewhichconsistsofapreposition(with)plusaNPcrackling spearswhichitselfcontainsapremodifier(crackling)andaheadword(spears).

2 Char-grilled21daymaturedWoldsselectsirloinsteakwithtruffledbutter

(a) Istheheadwordsteakordoyouwanttointerpretastheheadwordsirloin steakinwhichcaseistheheadwordacompoundnoun?

(b) The premodifiers are char- grilled, 21 day matured, Wolds, select and possibly sirloindependingonyouranswertothefirstquestion.Ischar- grilledanAdjPoraVG?Beconsistentwithyouranswersin(a).Whateveryourdecisionaboutmaturedasverboradjective,howareyougoingtoanalyse21 daywhichisitselfaNPinapremodifierpositionifmaturedisanadjectiveorasanadjunct(7.5.4)ifmaturedisaverb?Wolds(anareaofNorthYorkshireintheUK)isaNPpremod-ifiertotheheadwordoftheNP.Theadjectiveselectisapremodifier.

(c) The post-modification is straightforward: a preposition phrase consists ofa preposition with a NP truffled butter which itself contains a premodifier(truffled–doyouthinkthisisaverboranadjective?whatdidyoudecidein(a)above?)andaheadwordbutter.

3 WarmDoreen’sblackpuddingsalad

(a) Theheadwordissalad.(b) Whatarethepremodifiers?Aretheywarm, Doreen’s, blackandpudding(inwhichcase

eachcouldbeappliedseparatelytotheheadwordandsoyoucouldhavewarm salad+Doreen’s salad+black salad+pudding salad)oraretheymorecomplex?Black puddingisawell-knowndelicacyinthenorthofEnglandandsoitislikelythatblack puddingisaNPfunctioningasasinglepremodifierwithblackaspremodifiertotheheadwordpuddingwithinthatNP.Ifthesaladiswarm–quitepossibleinculinaryterms–thenwarmfunctionsasheadwordinanAdjPandisnotpremod-ified. If somebodycalledDoreenhas invented the salad, thenDoreen’s is aNPwhichconsistsonlyofaheadword(with’stoindicatepossession)andwhichfunctionsasapremodifiertotheheadwordsalad.Doyouthinkitisfeasibletoconsiderwarm Doreen’sasasingleNPornot?Thepossibilityallowsforcertainmirth.

Itwasthisitemonthemenuthatcausedusthegreatestentertainmentthatevening.

(c) Thereisnopost-modificationinthisNP.


activity 7.12

Hereareoneoftheauthor’splansforthecomingweekend:

This coming weekend I am going to stay in a holiday cottage with the family. I shall get there at about 6.00pm before Giles and Liz who are in charge of catering for the weekend. Anne and Vernon will be late (their train arrives at 19.30) so I will meet them at the station after I have made up all the beds for everyone and we will all eat together as soon as we have got back from the station.

Note:(a) AlltheVGswithwillorshallareoftencalledthefuturetenseinEnglishbutinfact

theyareinthepresenttenseandrefertofuturetime.(b) InfactalltheVGsinthisshortsampleareinthepresenttenseeventhoughweareclearly

talkingaboutaweekendinthefuture.Comparethiswithyouraccountofyourplans.(c) Useoftheperfectiveaspect(have+{V+en})showstheorderofactivitiesinterms

ofmakingthebedsandgoingtothestation,andreturningfromthestationandeating.Workoutthechronologicalorderoftheeventstomakethisclear.

activity 7.14

Thetagquestionsareunderlined.

(a) Theythinktheyknowtheanswer,don’tthey?(b) Noonecanproveit,canthey?(Notethechangeofpronoun–whydoyouthink

thismightbe?)(c) Ithoughtof11,didn’tI?(d) Nobodywashurt,werethey?(cf.(b))(e) Ithadsatinthatdrawer,hadn’tit?(f) Irummagedthroughthebills,didn’tI?

Thechangeofpronounin(b)and(d)istheresultofthenegativepronouns(no one, nobody)in theoriginal clause.To say‘noone canprove it, cannoone?’ is justnot feasible inEnglishgrammar.

Purists(traditionalists?,prescriptivists?)mightarguethatthepronounusedinthetagfor(d)shouldbeheorshe:commonusagesaystheyandhencetheverbhastochangetoagreewiththenownewsubject,they.Givenourfocusonlanguageinuse,weacceptthatthisishowlanguageisused.

In terms of tag questions in use, some linguists argue that tag questions are afeatureofwomen’slanguageandfromthatarguethatitisafeatureofpowerlesslanguage(➔4;➔R1.3).Coates(1996)andPichlerandCoates(2011)takethedebatefurther.

activity 7.15

Innoteform,theevents/actionsoccurinroughlythisorder(thisexacttimescaleisnotknownfromtheinformationwearegiven):

mymothertoldmeIcouldn’tfindthewaterintheriver–(movedtoandnow)livinginLondon–usedpassportontriptoGreece(lastsummer)–sistermovedtoNY–

This was discussed earlier in this chapter 7.3


plantogotoNYtospendChristmaswithsister–begintopack–lookindrawer–not find passport – rummage through bills and stuff – not find passport–takeeverythingoutofdrawers–mouthdry–heart-rateincreased.

activity 7.16

1 (L22)The window was created–perhapsthewriterdoesnotknowwhowas/weretheactualperson/peopleinvolvedinitscreation.

2 (L26) executed – though some words have been omitted because of elision (➔ 8).PresumablythefullversionwouldreadArchbishop Scrope was executedwhichispassiveandweunderstandthattheexecutioner(whoeverhemighthavebeen)carriedoutthedeed.

3 (L27)allowed to be buried in the Minster–presumablyitwastheMinsterauthoritieswhopermittedtheburial.

activity 7.17

TheVGhave been refurbishedisinthepassivevoice(been refurbished)andperfectiveaspect(have been).TheVGwill be improvedisinpassivevoice.

activity 7.18

AllthesentenceshaveoneclauseonlyexceptforthosesentenceslistedhereinTable7.13:

Table 7.13 Clauses in sentences

Sentence no:

Number of clauses

3 (L3–4)

2 (a) Although his position was consecrated in 1143(b) he was deposed by Pope Eugenius III

4 (L6–7)

2 (a) William was sent in to exile until 1153(b) when three of his main opponents […] all died.

8 (L10–11)

2 (a) A great crowd assembled on Ouse bridge(b) to greet him

9 (L11–12)

2 (a) The bridge collapsed under the weight of the crowd(b) many of whom fell into the waters beneath

10 (L12–13)

2 (a) William blessed the crowd(b) nobody was hurt

11 (L14–15)

2 (a) After his first mass and celebratory feast William fell ill(b) died a week later

13 (L16–17)

2 (a) Although the matter went to court(b) it was never resolved


Sentence no:

Number of clauses

16 (L25–27)

4 (a) they hoped(b) to distract the populace from the growing cult of

Archbishop Scrope(c) executed in 1405 for open rebellion against Henry IV(d) but allowed to be buried in the Minster.

19 (L31–32)

2 (a) Beatrice died in 1415(b) having outlived her husband and two of her five sons.

20 (L32–33)

2 (a) The Ros of Helmsley family were long- standing benefactors

(b) their heraldry appears throughout the Minster.

21 (L34–35)

2 (a) The high quality of the painting suggests (b) that the window was the work of John Thornton of

Coventry.

So11sentenceshavejustoneclause(thoughseveralhavealotofwordsinthoseclauses),10 have two clauses and one has 4: that 4-clause sentence does stand out from thesurroundingtext(➔8ontextpatterning).

activity 7.19

Paragraph1:

i. Williamii. hiscloseconnectionstoboththeNormanandEnglishroyalhousesiii. hispositioniv. he

Paragraph2:

i. Williamii. threeofhismainopponentsiii. William

Paragraph3:

i. Williamii. Heiii. Agreatcrowdiv. Thebridgev. manyofwhomvi. Williamvii. nobody


activity 7.20

Foreachclause,weshowtheSFPCAanalysisundereachclauseandthenprovideatreediagramtoshowthemoredetailedanalysis.

1 singleunderlinedclauses(a) (L1) It was a quiet shift.

S F Cint


(b) (L3)

what part of Yorkshire are you from? A-place F S A-place…

NB:(i)Theelementthatisqueriedinaquestiongoestothefrontoftheclauseandsotheprepositionalphrasethatformstheadjunct(from what part of Yorkshire)issplit(hencethebracketinginthetreediagram)becauseoftheinterrogativeform.

(c) (L3–4) I dawdled back towards Pickering S F/P A-place A-place


(d) (L8) It would sound daft S F P Cint

(e) (L8) I told her that S F/P Cio Cdo


(f) (L11) you lived in York S F/P A-place

(g) (L12) I was a country girl S F Cint


(h) (L17) Ann slapped the dashboard S F/P Cdo

(i) (L17) I recognised your name S F/P Cdo


(j) (L17–18)Didn’t you use to come and buy cabbages off my Dad? F S aux lex lex CdoA-source

(k) (L19) That wasn’t me S F Cint


(l) (L19) It ’ d be my brother S F P Cint

(m) (L21–2) he bought stuff off your Dad S F/P Cdo A-source


(n) (L25) We had a small farm S F/P Cdo

2 doubleunderlinedphrases

(a) (L1) with this particular WPC


(b) (L16) from Crayke

(c) (L21) right old rattle- trap

AnalternativeanalysiswouldinterpretrightasmodifyingoldinanAdjP(quitepossibleinYorkshiredialect➔12)–inwhichcasetheanalysislookslikethis:


activity 7.21

1(a) along-standingopponentofWilliam


(b) duringanationalperiodofrevivalofthecultofStWilliam

2

(a) Threenightsbeforetheoff

Note:^Numstandsfornumerativeandthecategorywouldincludecardinalnumbers(ten,forty-four)andordinalnumberssuchasfirst,second.Cardinalnumbersarenouns(thoughthenumberoneisoftenusedasapronoun);ordinalnumbersareadjectives.*OffislistedintheOEDasadverb,preposition,nounandfinallyadjectiveinthatorder.Sorelativelyunusualitmaybe,butthatistheanalysishere.


(b) througheverypocketofeveryitemofclothinginmywardrobe.

3 No-oneotherthantheauthorofthetextcanknowexactlywhatwasinhis/hermindbutperhapsithassomethingtodowithtryingtokeepanexplanatorytextveryclearandverystraightforwardforthereader.

chapter 7: syntax: word to clause commentary on activities · 2 chapter 7: syntax: word to clause...

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