By: Siti Nurani, S.Pd., M.Hum

DIFFERENT CONSTRUCTIONS AND DIFFERENT MEANINGS

•Different constructions and different acts performed by speakers and writers

Example: 1) a. The wealthy young man bought that piano for his secret fiancee.

b. Did the wealthy young man buy that piano for his secret fiancee?

Description: - Example (1a) and (1b) are semantically related in that they both

have to do with a situation in which one person, a wealthy young

man, bought something, a piano, for another person, his secret

fiancee. - Both examples place the situation in past time (past tense), which

is marked on bought in (1a) and on did in (1b). The two examples

differ in that (1b) has did at the beginning of the clause while in (1a)

does not. - The presence or absence of did at the front of the clause signals

a difference in the speaker’s or writer’s attitude to the event;

(1a) is used in order to assert or declare that the event took place,

while (1b) is used in order to ask if the event did take place.

- Example (1a) is an instance of a declarative construction => reflecting

the idea that the speaker or writer declares something to be the

case. - Example (1b) is an example of an interrogative construction =>

speakers who wish to ask whether the event took place.

- Both examples share the major lexical items: wealthy, young, man,

buy, piano, secret and fiancee. The word wealthy and young modify

man and secret modifies fiancee; and buy has as its complements

the wealthy young man (buyer), that piano (the thing bought), his

secret fiancee (recipient of the piano).

Example: 2) a. Who bought that piano for his secret fiancee? b. What did the wealthy young man buy for his secret fiancee?

c. Who did the wealthy young man buy that piano for?

Description: - In (2a-c), one of the participants is unkown. - In (2a) as related in meaning to Someone bought a piano for his

secret fiancee. In (2b) as related in meaning to The wealthy young

man bought something for his secret fiancee.

Example: 3) a. The wealthy young man bought that piano for his secret fiancee.

b. That piano was bought for his secret fiancee by the wealthy

young man.

Description: - Example (3a) is an active clause => take as the starting point the

participant who carries out an action, who is active in a given

situation. - Example (3b) is a passive clause => take as the starting point the

participant on whom an action is carried out, that is, who suffers

the action. - The construction of (3b) “That piano was bought for his secret

fiancee by the wealthy young man” is called the “long passive”.

because it contains an agent noun phrase. But approximately of

passive clauses do not have a phrase referring to the do-er or

agent, such as “That piano was bought for his secret fiancee” is

called short passive”.

TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION COPULA CONSTRUCTION Construction that has The verb BE or COPULA or LINK VERB. Examples: 4) a. Fiona is very happy. [COPULA, DECLARATIVE, ASCRIPTIVE] b. Fiona is the best student. [COPULA, DECLARATIVE, EQUATIVE] c. Fiona is in Auchtermuchty. [COPULA, DECLARATIVE LOCATIVE] Description: - Ascriptive copula clauses (4a) are used to ascribe a property to an entity (happiness is ascribed to Fiona). - Equative copula clauses (4b) are used to state that one entity is identical with another entity (Fiona and the best student are the same person) - Locative copula clauses (4c) are used to state where some entity is located.

NON-COPULA CONSTRUCTION

Construction that has ‘ordinary’ verb.

Examples:

5) a. Frank bought the piano for Jane.

[NON-COPULA, DECLARATIVE, ACTIVE, OBLIQUE OBJECT]

b. Frank bought Jane the piano.

[NON-COPULA, DECLARATIVE, ACTIVE, DOUBLE OBJECT]

c. The piano was bought for Jane by Frank.

[NON-COPULA, DECLARATIVE, PASSIVE, OBLIQUE

OBJECT]

d. The piano Frank bought for Jane.

[NON-COPULA, DECLARATIVE, ACTIVE, OBLIQUE OBJECT,

TOPIC]

e. Did Frank buy Jane the piano?

[NON-COPULA, INTERROGATIVE, YES-NO, ACTIVE,

DOUBLE OBJECT]

EXERCISE

Please do number 1

(Page 32)

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