Syntax and morphology

SOME SYNTACTIC Chapter 12 DETAILS 1. COMPLEMENT 1.1. Complement of Adjectives I fear that they are lost (NC/ DO/ Nal) I am fearful that they are lost (NC/Complement of Adj/ Nal) He was hopeful of a change (PP/ Complement of Adj/ Nal) He was hesitant to see her. (Infinitive Phrase/ Complement of Adj./ Nal I am happy that you are here. (NC/Complement of Adj/ Nal) Her roommate became tired of studying. She is indifferent whether you come or not. 1.2. Complement of Noun 1.2.1. Clause as a complement of the noun I fear that they are lost. (NC/DO/Nal) My fear that they are lost came true. (NC/Comp of noun/Nal) 11 http://www.ebook.edu.vn that is subordinating conjunction. It connects the clause with the noun. The clause is a nominal functioning as a complement of the noun. 1.2.2. Infinitive Phrase as a complement of the noun Her decision to tell the truth Some nouns that take a complement: refusal, desire, intention, promise, hope Complement of noun: His refusal to submit without a fight was courageous. Postnominal modifier: He was not a man to submit without a fight. 12 http://www.ebook.edu.vn Complement of noun :His desire to consider the motion was thwarted Postnominal modifier: The next thing to consider is the stage set. Notes: The noun complement clauses give us central information about the head noun (what exactly the noun is), while the relative clauses tell something else about it, something more peripheral. 1.3. Complement in –ing and to_____ He wanted to stop trying to postpone working. 2 THE EXPLETIVE IT The expletive it occurs as a “dummy’ in the subject position before the verb. It takes the place of the real subject, which follows later in the sentence as in It is nice that you could come. It is hard to see the difference. 13 http://www.ebook.edu.vn EXERCISES EXERCISE 1. Indicate whether the italicized word groups are DO Direct object Caj Complement of the adjective Av-al Adverbial 0. Jim doubts that he can pass the course. DO____ 1. Jim is doubtful that he can pass the course. _______ 2. Jim is doubtful of passing the course. _______ 3. We were reluctant to leave. _______ 4. Jane learned that something unpleasant had happened. _______ 5. Jane was conscious that something unpleasant had happened. _______ 6. Juliet forgot that she had a job to finish. _______ 7. Juliet became forgetful of her duties. _______ 8. Jerry was sick when the game began. _______ 9. The lad was afraid of venturing into deep water. _______ 10. Mrs Brown was devoted to her daughter. _______ EXERCISE 2. Underline complements of the noun in the following sentences. 0. His offer to buy the whole lot was accepted. 1. We heard of Tom’s attempt to raise money for the needy. 2. Agatha needed somebody to love. 14 http://www.ebook.edu.vn 3. They did not approve of Harry’s intention to register late. 4. It was a thrilling game to watch. 5. Their hope to win was strong. 6. Robert’s resolution to practise daily soon faded away. 7. There is a man to admire. 8. Father’s order to stay away from the telephone was sullenly obeyed. 9. We approved Josephone’s determination to live within her budget. 10. The assertion that women are poor drivers does not hold up under investigation. EXERCISE 3. Underline the subject in these sentences. 0. It is odd that the tree fell in that direction. 1. It occurred to me that the road might be impassable. 2. It is hard to see the difference. 3. It doesn’t matter whether she wears the green or the yellow suit. 4. It is necessary that you write a tactful letter. 15 http://www.ebook.edu.vn Chapter 13 TREE DIAGRAM We use “tree” diagrams to represent phrase structure. A tree provides the following information: the word class of each word, the phrase structure of the whole sentence (what the word-groupings are, and their hierarchical structure—how they are nested or not nested inside each other), and the phrasal category of each phrase (what kind of phrase each phrase is). A tree does not show, directly, information about the function of phrasal categories. In ordinary sentences, the sentence (S) is always subdivided into NP VP S= NP+VP 1. NOUN PHRASE NP= det+N’ N’=N+Modifier Modifiers a word a phrase 16 http://www.ebook.edu.vn