20. The phrase. Types of p.

Phrase-every combination of two or more words which is a gram. unit but is not an analytical form of some word. The constituent elements of a p. may belong to any part of speech. A notion of a p. is not limited that a p. must contain at least two notional words.

The difference between a p. and a sentence is a fundamental one. A p. is a means of naming some phenomena or processes, just as a word is. Each component of a p. can undergo gram. changes in accordance with gram. categories represented in it, without destroying the identity of the p. For instance, in the p. write letters the first component can change according to the verbal categories of tense, mood, etc., and the second component according to the category of number. Thus, writes a letter, has written a letter, would have written letters, etc., are gram. modifications of one p. With a sentence things are entirely different. A sentence is a unit with every word having its definite form. A change in the form of one or more words would produce a new sentence.

A p. has no intonation, just as a word has none. Intonation is one of the most important features of a sentence, which distinguish it from a p.

Types of phrases:

1.The type "noun + noun" is a most usual type of p in English. It must be divided into two subtypes, depending on the form of the first component, which may be in the common or in the genitive case.

2. "adj + noun", which is used to express all possible kinds of things with their properties.

3."verb + noun" -may correspond to two different types of relation between an action and a thing. In the vast majority of cases the noun denotes an object of the action expressed by the verb, but in a certain number of p. it denotes a measure, rather than the object of the action( walk a mile, sleep an hour)

Among the other types of phrases are: "verb + adverb", "adverb + adj", "adverb + adverb", "noun + preposition + noun", "adj + preposition + noun", "verb + preposition + noun", etc.

21.The Verb Voice

As a grammatical category voice is the form of the verb which shows the relation between the action and its subject indicating whether the action is performed by the subject or passes on to it. Accordingly there are two voices in English: the active and the passive. The active voice shows that the action is performed by its subject, that the subject is the doer of the action. The passive voice shows that the subject is acted upon, that it is the recipient of the action, e.g.:

I wrote a letter. A letter was written by me.

As to the definition of the category of voice, there are two main views. According to one of them this category expresses the relation between the subject and the action. According to the other view, the category of voice expresses the relations between the subject and the object of the action.

The category of voice is realized through the opposition Active voice: Passive voice. From the point of view of form the passive voice is the marked member of the opposition: its characteristic is the pattern "be + second participle", whereas the active voice is unmarked: its characteristic is the absence of that pattern.

It should be noted that some forms of the active voice find no parallel in the passive, viz. the forms of the future continuous, present perfect continuous, past perfect continuous, and future perfect continuous.

It is evident that the problem of voice is very intimately connected with that of transitive and intransitive verbs. It is far from clear whether transitivity is a grammatical notion, or a characteristic of the lexical meaning of the verb.

In view of such constructions as he was spoken of, he was taken care of, the bed had not been slept in, etc., we should perhaps say that the vital point is the objective character of the verb, rather than its transitivity: the formation of a passive voice is possible if the verb denotes an action relating to some object.

Some scholars admit the existence of Middle, Reflexive and Reciprocal voices. Middle Voice - the verbs primarily transitive may develop an intransitive middle meaning: That adds a lot; The door opened; The book sells easily; The dress washes well. Reflexive Voice: He dressed; He washed - the subject is both the agent and the recipient of the action at the same time. It is always possible to use a reflexive pronoun in this case: He washed himself. Reciprocal voice: They met; They kissed - it is always possible to use a reciprocal pronoun here: They kissed each other