English Grammar

English Grammar

By Yang YanForeign Languages CollegeLuoyang Normal University

Lecture 1 Introduction

What we will go though in this class:

1. About the class requirements

2. About the course

3. About the book

4. About the suggestions

1. About the course

Why grammar?

Can we learn without it?

How do we learn it?

We take English as a foreign language that will be seldom used in daily life after school. So we have no any English language environment at all.

Thank God we have grammar as a tool or a short cut.

a Tool to handle difficulties in English language

A short cut to form logical thought

It is just a useful tool ,a faithful servant

Language Grammar

2. About the book

Name: A New English Grammar CoursebookBy:章振邦 Almost the best grammar course book A little difficult for students of our

level need to be read 2 times or more

Features of the book:

1.Tense and aspect2. Means of expressing future time 3. –ing participle and –ed participle4. non-finite verbs 5. Relative clause instead of attributive

clausesTime distribution

Further reading: The book should be appended somereference books like:1. 《张道真英语语法》（全新版） 《实用英语语法》张道真2. 《高级英语语法》薄冰 3. 《新英语语法教程》何桂金，高纪兰 外语教学与研究出版社 4. 《大学英语语法手册》张成韦 上海外语教育出版社

About the suggestions:

• A note book strongly needed• Pre-reading being extremely essential• Homework being finished in time• Come up with your own problems

What is grammar?

Definition of GRAMMARGRAMMAR: the structural system of a

language. the branch of linguistics that deals

with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics)

Linguistics

Grammar

Syntax

Morphology

Semantics

Grammatical Hierarchy

Five Ranks

The grammar of the English language is organized into five ranks:

the sentence the clause the phrase

the word the morpheme

Diagram of the five ranks: Each rank is composed of one or more than one

grammatical unit of the immediate lower rank:

Sentence

Clause

Phrase

Word

Morpheme

A full sentence can generally be segmented rank by rank down to its smallest constituents---the morphemes.

Clause

Sentence

Noun Phrase Prepositional PhraseVerb Phrase

Determiner NounAuxiliary Adverb Main Verb Preposition DeterminerNoun

These undergraduates are rapidly improving in their writing.

0.1 Morphemes

1.Definition: the minimum or smallest grammatica

l unit the smallest meaningful element of sp

eech.

2.Classification: Two categories:

Free Morphemes Bound Morphemes

1) Free Morphemes

1.Definition: has a complete meaning can stand by itself as a Simple Word Can form Compound Words Can form Derivatives

2) Bound Morphemes

are mostly affixes also meaningful, but the meaning

is not complete in itself unless it is attached to some other form

cannot stand by itself: it only exists as an Inflectional or Derivational Affix.

Inflectional Affix -’s (genitive case) -s/-es (plural nouns) -s/-es (the third person singular verbs in simple presen

t) -ed (past tense verbs) -ing, -ed (-ing participle, -ed participle form of verbs) -er, -est (comparative, superlative degree of adjective

s/ adverbs)

Derivational Affix

Prefix, Suffix (Prefix) + Root + (suffix) co-exist existence co-existence

Mo

rph

eme

Free M

Free morpheme

Affix

Derivative

Free MFree M Compound word

Bound morpheme

Inflectional Affix

Derivational Affix Prefix

Suffix

-’s, -s -ing, -ed/-en-est, -er, -s,-es

Affix＋

＋

＋ Root

3) Allomorphs

Definition: The variants of the same morpheme

are called allomorphs.Explanation: the same morpheme in different cont

exts may take different phonological or orthographical forms.

Examples: In Orthography: in- im- il- ir- inactive immature illegal irrational incoherent immortal illogical irregular inexperienced imperfect illegible irrelevant In phonology: -s cats dogs houses

0.2 Words

is composed of one or more than one morpheme.

can be classified in two ways: in terms of word-formation

grammatical function

1. In terms of Word-formation

a) Simple Wordb) Derivativec) Compound Word

a) Simple Word:

also called Morpheme Word (free morpheme)

minor but has frequent appearance and strong derivational ability

the main body of English vocabularyusually the small word

at on down near hand foot take make

b) Derivative:

Structure: (prefix) + root +(suffix) :

unkindness

Prefix Influence the meaning of the rootSuffix Influence the part of speech of the root

Exceptions:1. be-, en-/em, a- Influence the part of speech befriend, enable, empower, asleep2. Some suffixes only change the meaning Friendship, booklet, idealism

c) Compound Word Structure: Free Morpheme + Free

Morpheme Classification: Compound Noun

Compound AdjectiveCompound VerbCompound AdverbCompound PronounCompound ConjunctionCompound Preposition

2. In terms of grammatical function

Closed-class words Open-class words

Closed-class words

Definition: Closed-class words refer to those sets

of words whose items are closed or limited in number and are only exceptionally extended by the creation of additional members.

Scope:

All the Function Words: Preposition

PronounDeterminerConjunctionAuxiliary

Open-class Words

Definition: Open-class words refer to those sets of wor

ds whose items are indefinitely extendable. New items are constantly being created and old items are giving place to new ones.

Scope:

All the Content Words: Noun

AdjectiveAdverbMain Verb

NOTE: Cardinal Numeral, Ordinal Numeral

and Interjection are between closed and open words.

0.3 Phrases

Definition: is composed of one or more than one word. is a group of words organized in a specific way with a

key Word as its Head. The word class of the Head determines the class of t

he phrase and the way in which the words are organized.

Word Class of Phrase :

Noun PhraseVerb PhraseAdjective Phrase Adverb PhrasePrepositional Phrase

1) The Noun Phrase:

Structure: (Determiner) + (Pre-Modifier) + Noun + (Post-Modifier)

all the college students

Noun as the Head

Determiner

Determiner

Noun as the Pre-Modifier

His new book on phonology The girl standing under the tree The author’s new novel that will soon come out

Post-Modifier

Clause

Prepositional Phrase

Finite Verb Phrase

2) The Verb Phrase:

In terms of the amount of verbs

In terms ofgrammatical form

Finite Verb Phrase Non-finite Verb Phrase

Simple Verb Phrase Complex Verb Phrase

Simple Verb Phrase:

Structure:(Modifier) + Main Verb + (Modifier)

She looks pale. We utterly detested him.

Complex Verb Phrase:

Structure: Auxiliary /Auxiliaries + Main Verb +

(Modifier)

It is getting dark. She ought to have told him about it. Joan will certainly object and so will

Mary.

Finite Verb Phrase:

A finite verb phrase is initiated by a finite form, that is, a verb form that changes according to Tense or Subject.

PersonNumber

I loved you.

Tommy loves Lora.

The girls love fairy tales.

Love loved

Love loves

Love love

Number Person

Tense

Non-finite Verb Phrase:

A non-finite verb phrase is initiated by a non-finite form, that is, a verb form that does not change according to Tense or Subject.

We went there to see a film.

I usually go there to see a film.

Robert seldom goes there to see a film.

Andrew will go there to see a film.Non-finiteFinite

Point out finite and non- finite verb phrases:

Having seen the film, we had a discussion.

Painted by a famous artist, the portrait is invaluable.

Tired from studying all afternoon, she went for a walk.

Opening the book slowly and tentatively, she began to read.

3) The Adjective Phrase:

Structure: (Modifier) + Adjective + (Post modifier /

Complementation)

The course is pretty difficult. I’ll be glad to help you repair the car

if you show me what’s wrong.

4) The Adverb Phrase:

Structure: (Modifier) + Adverb + (post

Modifier) He spoke loudly and clearly.

5) The Prepositional Phrase:

Structure: (Modifier) + Preposition + Complementation

The weather has been fine except in the north.

Now their footsteps could be heard directly above my head.

We are collecting money for the benefit of some orphans.

0.4 Clauses:

is composed of one or more than one phrase.

A full-fledged clause is structurally a sequence of phrase and logically a construction of “Subject + Predicate”.

The producers are able to supply a small part of our needs.

NP VP NP Subject Verb Object Subject Predicate Clause Sentence

In order to be a clause, a group of words must meet three criteria:

It must contain a subject; It must contain a predictive verb; It must make a complete thought.

Classification:

1) In terms of grammatical function:

Independent clause (IC)

Dependent clause (DC)

stand by itselfact as a complete utterance

forms only part of another clause or phrase

He knows everything about it.

I don’t think he knows everything about it.

Quiz: I went to the store. I didn't buy any bread.

I went to the store; I didn't buy any bread.

I went to the store, but I didn't buy any bread.

I went to the store; however, I didn't buy any bread.

When I went to the store, I didn't buy any bread.

I didn't buy any bread when I went to the store.

IC. IC.

IC; IC.

IC, IC.

IC; IC.

DC, IC.

IC DC.

2) Simple and Complex Clauses

In terms of the “Subject + Predicate” construction:

Simple Clause

Complex Clause

only one construction of “subject + predicate”

comprises another clause or other clauses as its element or elements

Examples:It is not true.

What you said is not true.

He said that it was not true.

He complained that what you said was not true.

Simple

Complex

Simple

Complex

Independent

Dependent

Independent

Dependent

3) Main and Subordinate Clauses

In a complex clause, the clause that takes another clause as its element is the main clause, while the clause that forms part of the main clause is a subordinate clause.

Example:

He complained that what you said was not true.

Main Clause Subordinate Clause

Subordinate Clause Main Clause

0.5 SentencesFeatures: the highest rank of grammatical unit. the basic linguistic unit of connected discourse Based on one or more than one clause can stand alone and perform a function in social c

ommunication.

a grammatical unit that can stand by itself and perform a communicative function.

Definition:

1) Full and Minor Sentences

A minor sentence is only a sentence fragment which in specific contexts and situations can stand by itself and perform a communicative function.

Minor sentences are extensively used in informal discourses.

A: When did he arrive? B: Last night. No smoking! Fire!

A Full Sentence is a sentence with an expressed subject and predicate.

This kind of sentence is mostly used in formal speech and writing.

Classification of Full Sentence:

Simple Sentence Compound Sentence

Complex Sentence

Compound-complex Sentence

one independent clause

Two or more coordinated independent clauses

an independent clause comprising one or more dependent clauses as its elements

Two or more coordinated independent clauses with at least one complex clause

Juan and Arturo play football every afternoon.

Some students like to study in the mornings.

Alicia goes to the library and studies every day.

I tried to speak Spanish, and my friend tried to speak English.

We had to go inside when it started raining.

As long as it isn't cold , it doesn't matter if it rains.

I admire Tim, but he doesn't admire me, although I try hard to impress him.

Even if you fail, at least you tried, and you're a better person for it.

Examples:

S. S.

S. S.

S. S.

Cpd. S.

Cpx. S.

Cpx. S.

Cpd. Cpx. S.

THANK YOU!