STRUCTURE OF THE CLAUSE – UNIT 1 Topics covered so far in Unit 1: Nominal group (NGp), verbal group (VGp), adjectival group (AdjGp), adverbial group (ADvGp)

STRUCTURE OF THE CLAUSE – UNIT 1

Topics covered so far in Unit 1:

Nominal group (NGp), verbal group (VGp),

adjectival group (AdjGp), adverbial group (ADvGp)

and prepositional phrase (PP): their structure and

function*

STRUCTURE OF THE CLAUSE – Unit 1

Topic to be developed in this section of the unit: Elements of the clause: their function and recognition criteria

Lower-rank units (groups and phrases) that fill the elements of the clause

Clauses that fill elements of the clause (embedded clauses/embedding)

[Bloor & Bloor, chapter 3; Downing, Angela & Philip Lock, chapter1]

How does this topic relate to the previous one and to later topics

To previous one:

In that elements of the clause (highest-ranking unit in the rank-scale), like Subject, Complement, Adjuncts, are generally (though not only) filled by the lower-ranking units, groups and phrases, we have studied so far

To later topics: In that an understanding of the elements of the clause and how they are filled will help us better understand the three kinds of meanings we make through language and the linguistic resources we use to encode/express/realize those meanings

Elements of the clause

The elements of the clause we will be referring to in this course are illustrated by means of the sentence below and shown in red below each of the groups and phrases (sometimes made up of a single word) that fill them:

“However, luckily, Otto Loewi had A(djunct) A(djunct) S(ubject) F(inite) con(junctive) mod(al)

jotted down the idea on a sheet of paperP(redicator) C(omplement) A(djunct)

cir(cumstantial)

Elements of the clause – obligatory and non-obligatory elements

Obligatory Non-obligatory

Subject Adjunct(s)

Finite and Predicator

Complement

Elements of the clause – Subject - definition

The Subject can be defined semantically

experientiallyinterpersonally

textually

and syntactically

We will attempt to define the S from both perspectives. Semantically we will only consider it from an experiential and textual perspective.

Elements of the clause – Subject – definition (SEMANTIC PERPECTIVE)

Experientially:

S is usually, though not always, the main participant in the event or action being represented

The guests left. The guests brought a present S/Actor S/Actor

The poor man feared the encounter .

S/Senser

He said a few words. He is fearless.S/Sayer S/Carrier

Elements of the clause – Subject – definition (SEMANTIC PERPECTIVE)

Textually:

The S is usually (though not always) the topic of the message, what the text is about. In the following examples, we can see how the topic changes when the S changes:

The guests brought a present S/Topic

The present that the guests brought was very expensive.S/Topic

He said a few words. His words were well-chosen.S/Topic S/Topic

Elements of the clause – Subject – definition (SYNTACTIC PERSPECTIVE)

The S is the syntactic function which in English must be present in

declarative and interrogative clauses, but not in imperatives.

In declaratives the S is placed before the finite verb; in yes-no and

wh- interrogatives (except for “who”), after the finite operator

(Downing & Locke, chapter 1, p- 42)

Otto Loewi jotted down the idea on a sheet of paper.

Did Otto Loewi jot down the idea on a sheet of paper?

Jot down the idea on a sheet of paper.

Elements of the clause – Subject – recognition (Subject pronouns)

With some pronouns (the so-called Subject pronouns) their form reflects that they are the Subject (except for “you” and “it”)

I see what you mean. She saw me from a distance and greeted me.

He devised a new theory. They credit him with having devised a new theory.

I vs. mehe/she vs. him/herwe vs. usthey vs. them

Subject – probes to determine Subject

(1) The S-Verb agreement probe:

The S would be the word or group of words that agrees with the

verb in person and number. To test change the S in number and

check effect on verb

(i) Erosion depletes the grasslands.

(ii) All savanna lands experience a period of drought.

(iii) The failure of the rain brings disaster.

(iv) Rich pastures support more animals.


Problem with of S/V agreement probe:

English does not always display even these limited

distinctions. Modals and past tense main verb forms, for

example, do not vary to show person and number in this way.

Also if there are two Ngps in the Clause and both could in

theory agree with the V in person and number as in (iii) and

(iv) above, which one is the S?


(2) The Mood-tag probe:

The Subject is the word or group of words in the Clause that is

picked together with the Finite in the mood tag:

Your parents will buy a new house soon, won’t they?His sister was granted a scholarship, wasn’t she?

This probe also enables us to know the gender of the person

being referred to by the nominal group standing as S if the

gender is not explicitly signalled

The doctor prescribed those pills, didn`t she?


Problem of the Mood-tag probe:

Also not quite useful/reliable to determine S in the two cases pointed out as problematic before:

(iii) The failure of the rain brings disaster, doesn’t it?(iv) Rich pastures support more animals, don’t they?

Which is “it”, “the failure of the rain” or “disaster”? Which “they”, “rich pastures” or “more animals”?


(3) The Yes-No question re-expression probe:

To determine the S for a declarative clause we re-express

the declarative as interrogative, and the S is the element

that immediately follows the Finite operator (suggested

by Robin Fawcett, An invitation to SFG: the Cardiff Grammar).

(iii) Does the failure of the rain bring disaster?

(iv) Do rich pastures support more animals?

Subject – some special cases

The Subject in a Passive clauseIn passive clauses the S would be a C in the corresponding active clauses. It generally responds to all probes (S-V agreement, Tag-question probe and Yes-No re-expression probe). Generally, the S in the passive voice corresponds to the DO in the active voice.

Brutus killed Caesar (active)S F/P CCaesar was killed by Brutus (passive).S F/P A


The Subject in a Passive clause can also be the IO in the active voice

They gave my sister a grant.S F/P C(IO) C(DO)

My sister was given a grant. S F P C(DO)


The Subject in a Passive clause can also be, though very infrequently, the term of a preposition in a PP functioning as Circumstance:

Nobody has slept on this bed.S F P Acir (place)

This bed has not been slept on. S F P


Apposition as part of Subject

In some cases the nominal group functioning as S is a complex NGp, made up of two NGps with their own Head and (in some cases) pre- and/or postmodifiers. The second NGp in the complex is considered an Apposition, which specifies the first NGp further, and is also part of the S: “Otto Loewi, the Austrian physician, had jotted down

Subject ---------------------------------the idea on a sheet of paper”

Subject – Elements that can fill the position of Subject

Subjects can be filled (realized) by various elements:Pronouns (subject pronouns): They were very willing to cooperate.We usually meet on Tuesdays.NGps: Obama won the elections on the promise to bring about change.Cocaine can damage the heart as well as the brain.The precise number of heart attacks from using cocaine is not known.


Non-finite Clauses (To-infinitive or –Ing Clauses). These are included between double brackets and can have their own Ss, in bold below. In the case of To-Infinitive clauses, the alternative form with anticipatory “it” and postponed S is more frequent (see next slide):

[[To take such a risk]] was rather foolish.

[[For the children to escape]] was impossible.

[[Where to leave the dog]] was a problem.


Non-finite Clauses, continued:[[Having to go back for the tickets]] was a nuisance.[[His/Him/Sam/Sam’s having to go back for the tickets]] was a nuisance. (somewhat obsolete)[[Move the car]] was what he did.

Finite Clauses (also included between brackets):[[What he said]] pleased me/was unacceptable.[[That he did not pass the test]] surprised everybody.[[Why the library was closed for a month]] was not explained.

How can we decide how far the Clause functioning as S extends

We replace what we think is a clause functioning as S by the pronoun “it”, the demonstratives “that” or “this” or a Ngp comparable to the Clause in meaning. This helps confirm the clause is functioning as S and its extension:Non-finite clauses:[[To take such a risk]] was rather foolish.That/His attitude was rather folish.

Finite Clauses :[[What he said]] pleased me/was unacceptable.It/that/his words pleased me.


Anticipatory “it”. The real Subject in italics below. The “it” has no reference and is only a place-holder. The fact that the real S can be placed in initial position instead of “it” confirms its status as S, though the resulting clause does not always sound idiomatic or natural. These clauses would be analysed as shown in the first example:

It is easy to forget your keys. S (ant) F/P C(SC) S (real)

It was difficult for everyone to escape.It surprised everyone that he did not pass the test.


Anticipatory “it” continued. Real S in italics. It is not always possible to place the real S in initial position (*) or it’s only possible with changes in expression:*It is (high) time he stopped fooling around. *It is time to leave.It is a pity that you are leaving the firm.It seems that you were right after all. (That you are right seems to be the case; no C).It so happened/came to happen that the driver lost control. (That the driver lost control was what happened; no C)


Dummy “it” (in expressions of ‘time’, ‘weather’ and ‘distance’) It is nearly 6 o’clock.S F/P C(SC)It is raining.S F PIt is six hundred Kms from Madrid to Barcelona.S F/P C(SC) AcirUnstressed “there”Waiter, there is a fly in my soup.Amod S F/P CThere are many species of whales.

Elements of the clause – the Finite

Element of the clause that relates it/the event to

the here and now of the speaker (by signalling

modality and tense)

“He is calling you.” (simultaneous w/ time of speaking).“He was calling you.” (non-simultaneous time/ previous time to time of speaking).“He will be calling you.” (non-simultaneous time = time forecast to occur).“He may be calling you.” (= modality = attitude of speaker).

Elements of the clause – the Predicator

Element of the clause that determines the

structure of the rest of the clause, in bold below:

The guests had left (“left” P; it determines there is no further participant except for the S).The guests will bring a present (“bring” P; it determines there is one more participant apart from the S).They gave my sister a grant. (“gave” P; it determines there are two more participants, apart from the S).

Elements of the clause – the Finite and the Predicator – Realization of Finite &

Predicator

Finite and Predicator are realized by a verbal group

The F is realized by the operator; the Predicator by Aux(s) and Lexical Verb

“He had jotted down the idea on … paper.”

F P::::::::::::::::“He will/may/could be jotting down the idea …”

F P ::::::::::::::::::

Elements of the clause – the Finite and the Predicator – Realization of Finite &

Predicator

F fused with P when the VG is made up only of a lexical verb (single/non-extended VGp). What this means is the lexical items that fuses F and P performs two functions simultaneously (indicating time, person, number and also determining the structure of the clause)

He jotted down the idea on a sheet of paper.

F/PHe is/seems a bit absent-minded.

F/P

Elements of the clause – the Complement

The C can also be defined semantically and syntactically, like the S:

Semantically, the C is the element that usu. realizes minor participants in the event or action (experiential perspective) and

the element that is not the topic; element that contains new information about the topic (textual perspective)

Syntactically, any element, usually nominal or pronominal, that is obligatory but is not the S.


It can be realized by

Pronouns (object pronouns):We did not see him.We invited them to go with us.They granted him the credit.NGps: They gave the poor child some food.They took the house with a balcony.They rented the flat that had a wonderful view onto the sea.


It can also be realized by Clauses (non-finite):

I enjoy [[playing the piano]]. C = DO

He regretted [[having said that]]. C = DO

My advice is [[to refrain from investments]]. C = SC


It can be realized by Clauses (finite):

He feared [[what was to come]]. C = DO

He took [[what he wanted]]. C = DO

I will always give [[whoever comes before this court]] the benefit of the doubt. C = I O

This is [[where we keep our money/what I would do/how I would go about it]]. C = SC


Also for clauses (both Non-Finite and Finite) functioning as C we can use the replacement test (replacing them by “it”, “this/that” or a Ngp comparable in meaning to confirm their function as C and their extension, as for clauses functioning as S:

My advice is [[to refrain from investments]]. My advice is this.

He feared [[what was to come]]. He feared the future/that.

Elements of the clause – the Adjuncts

Non-obligatory/peripheral/optional elements of the clause = They can be left out without affecting the core meaning of the proposition being made

The fall into three subtypes:CircumstantialConjunctiveModal

Elements of the clause – Circumstantial Adjuncts (Acir)- Meaning

They express the circumstances concommitant

to (= that accompany) the events or actions

being represented. Experiential in nature. We

will be looking at them in more detail in unit 2.

In the next three slides, there is a provisional

simplified classification of them, with

illustration of the different types:


“He jotted down an idea on a slip of paper.” (Acir = place/spatial location)

That night he jotted down an idea on … (Acir = time/temporal location)

He wrote down the idea very quickly. (Acir = manner)

He took cover out of fear. (Acir = cause)


He saved money for college. (Acir = purpose)He went to school by bus. (Acir = manner, means)He travelled with his sister. (Acir = accompaniment)According to Obama/In Obama’s opinion/words, the republicans are to blame for the crisis. (Acir = angle)


They disagreed about the reasons for the crisis. (Acir = matter)

In spite of serious disagreements, they still decided to form a coalition. (Acir = concession)

In the event of fire, leave the room immediately. (Acir = condition)

Elements of the clause – Circumstantial Adjuncts - realization

Ascir are realized by means of AdvGps, PPs and occasionally NGps. In italics below:“He jotted down an idea on a slip of paper.” PP“That night he jotted down an idea on …” NGp

“He wrote down the idea very quickly.”AdvGp

Elements of the clause – Modal Adjuncts Amod

They express some aspect of the speaker’s attitude

to or interpretation or evaluation of the message

(his comments on the validity of his statements, his

emotions towards what he is saying or his

judgement of what he is presenting, etc.). They fall

into two major groups and some minor groups:

Mood Adjuncts, Comment Adjuncts, Vocatives and

Politeness Adjuncts. See next slide for examples


1) Mood Adjuncts fall into two subgroups; frequency and

probability adjuncts

Frequency Adjuncts (always, frequently, generally,

never, occasionally, often, seldom, sometimes, usually,

etc.) expressing our interpretation of time as opposed to

circumstances of time that are more experiential/factual


1) Mood Adjuncts:

Probability adjuncts = perhaps, maybe, probably,

possibly, certainly, definitely (expressing low and

high probability/certainty). They express the

attitude of the certainty or uncertainty of the

speaker with respect to what’s being said.


2) Comment Adjuncts:

They express the emotions or judgement of the the

speaker in connection with what he is saying. Among

them we can mention: clearly, evidently, obviously

(evidentiality); honestly, frankly, to be honest

(sincerity); happily, (un)luckily, (un)fortunately,

regrettably, sadly (emotions); oddly enough, strangely

enough (unexpectedness), etc.


3) Vocatives (they do not express anything about

experience, but serve to establish and signal

interpersonal relations)

Mary, tell me what you think.

Mr. Smith, what’s your opinion on this?

4) Politeness expressions

Please, let me know your decision.

Excuse me, where is Buckingham Palace?

Circumstantial Adjunct or Modal Adjunct?

Frankly, darling, I don’t give a damm.

A mod

He spoke frankly

Acir

Regrettably, we had no time to help him.

A mod

He spoke regretfully.

A cir

Elements of the clause – Conjunctive Adjuncts (Acon)

They express links among sentences and signal

rhetorical organization:

However/Nevertheless/though (concession)Consequently/Therefore (cause-effect)Moreover/Furthermore/Besides (extension/addition)Afterwards/then/next (chronology)Firstly/Secondly/Finally (sequence)

Elements of the clause – Differences between Conjunctive Adjuncts (Acon) and

Conjunctions

Conjunctive Adjuncts link sentences or sections of

a text, whereas Conjunctions link clauses in

clause complexes. Conjunctive Adjuncts are an

element of the clause and can be moved around

in it; conjunctions are not an element of any of

the clauses they link and cannot be moved

around.

Elements of the clause – Conjunctive Adjuncts (Acon) and Conjunctions

exemplified

“He sensed he had written something of the utmost importance, but now he could not decipher his own scrawl.” Conjunction; not an element of any of the clauses; not capable of being moved around (remains unanalysed)

“He sensed he had had an idea of the utmost importance. (However,) he could not remember it, however.” Conjunctive adjunct; an element of the second clause; can be moved around.

Elements of the clause – Conjunctive Adjuncts (Acon) and Conjunctions

exemplified

“He was not yet at safe distance from his persecutors, but he decided to leave the place where he was taking cover and run as fast as he could.”“He was not yet at safe distance from his persecutors. However, he decided to leave the place where he was taking cover and run as fast as he could.” “He was not yet at safe distance from his persecutors. He decided(, however,) to leave the place where he was taking cover (, however,) and run as fast as he could.”

Analysing the structure of the clauses in a text (Practice). Analyse and check with

keys in slides 54-62

The night before Easter Sunday, 1920, Otto

Loewin, an Austrian physiologist awoke in the

middle of the night with an idea that he jotted

down on a tiny slip of paper //and then he went

back to sleep. /// When he awoke again about

six, // he remembered //he had written something

of the outmost importance, // but he could not

decipher his own scrawl.

Analysing the structure of the clauses in a text (Practice) – Text 2 – To be reviewed in class

There is a growing risk of a large volcanic explosion on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. /// Salem, the largest town, is going to be evacuated. /// The decision was made by Bertrand Osborne, the UK’s minister of the island. /// It came // after a new warning had been given by scientists at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory. //They believe // there will soon be a large explosion// and the safety of the local people cannot be guaranteed.

Analysing the structure of the clauses in a text (Practice) – Text 2

Yesterday people were being moved to a safe zone in the North of the island. /// Financial help for the islanders will be announced later this week, // Mr. Osborne said. However, local residents have criticized the government. /// They say // that the government knew about the danger a week ago // but no action was taken. /// They also claim // that people are being evacuated to areas that are still dangerous. /// “The situation has not been improved”, // said a local activist. [Harris, Michael et al. (2000) Opportunities Intermediate. England: Longman, p.48.]

Analysing the structure of the clauses in a text (Practice)

The night before Easter Sunday,1920,

Otto Loewin, the Austrian physiologist

awoke

in the middle of the night

with an idea that he jotted down on a tiny slip of paper




awoke

Adjcir S F/P



Adjcir Adjcir




awoke

Adjcir (NG) S (NG complex)

F/P (VG single)



Adjcir (PP) Adjcir (PP)


and then went back to sleep

When he awoke again about six



Adjcon F/P Adjcir


S F/P Adjcon Adjcir



Adjcon

(Adv)F/P (VG single)

Adjcir (PP)


S (Pr) F/P (VG single)

Adjcon

(Adv)Adjcir

(PP)


he remembered he had writtten sth. of the utmost importance

but he could not decipher

his own scrawl



S F/P C

but he could not decipher

his own scrawl

S F P C



S (Pr)

F/P (single VG)

C (embedded clause)

but he could not

decipher his own scrawl

S (Pr)

F (o in ext. VG)

P (v in extended VG)

C

STRUCTURE OF THE CLAUSE – UNIT 1 Topics covered so far in Unit 1: Nominal group (NGp), verbal group (VGp), adjectival group (AdjGp), adverbial group (ADvGp)

Documents

clause subject definition

subject probes

subject problem

clause unit

clause obligatory

clause clauses

stopic slide

socalled subject pronouns