16. Verbals. The category of representation.

The verb system falls into two major subsystems:

Finite forms (conjugated):

• used in the function of the predicate (predicative forms);

• express the crucial categories of predication: mood, tense, person.

Non-finite forms (non-conjugated):

• cannot be used as predicates (verbals, verbids) – perform any other syntactic function;

• have no predicative categories.

The category of Representation

The opposition between finite and non-finite forms of verbs expresses the category of “finitude”. The grammatical meaning, the content of this category is the expression of verbal predication: the finite forms of the verb render full predication, the non-finite forms render semi-predication, or secondary (potential) predication.

FINITE FORMS

• Pure process

• Verbal representation

NON-FINITE FORMS

• nominalized process (process as substance or quality)

• Nominal representation

Substantival Adjectival

Gerund Infinitive Participle I & II

1. Lexico-grammatical meaning:

FINITE FORMS – pure process

NON-FINITE FORMS - combination of the meaning of the verb and the noun (Gerund and Infinitive) – process as substance; the verb and the adjective (Participle) – process as quality.

2. Stem-building patterns of the verb (both finite and non-finite):

• suffixes: -ize, -en, -ify, -ate, etc.

• prefixes: re-, under-, out-, sub-, mis-, etc.

• conversion: N V: master – to master, cloud – to cloud, house – house, etc.

• composition: V+postpositive adverb: go on, stand up, give in, pay off, etc.

• (only verbals): grammatical group suffixes: -ing, -ed, -en, to.

3. Morphological categories:

FINITE FORMS

• aspect, order, voice

• mood, tense, (posteriority), person (purely verbal syntactic, predicative categories);

• number – nominal categoriy reflected in the verb

NON-FINITE FORMS

• aspect, order, voice (all-verbal categories)

4. Syntactic functions:

FINITE FORMS - predicate

NON-FINITE FORMS

• those of the noun, the adjective or adverb

• «predicate» of secondary predicative groups:

23. Complex Sentence.Structural classification.

The Complex Sentence is a polypredicative construction built up on the principle of subordination. The Complex Sentence of minimal composition includes two clauses - a principal one and a subordinate one. Although the principal clause positionally dominates the subordinate clause, the two form a semantico-syntactic unity, in which they are interconnected.The subordinate clause is joined to the principal one either by a subordinating connector (subordinator) or asyndetically.

Structural classification of complex sentences

Takes into account

• the structure of the whole sentence;

• the closeness/looseness of connection between the clauses;

• the relative importance of the main and subordinate clauses.

I. Sentences with correlative elements in both the clauses: the subordinate clause is correlated with a word in the main clause:

Everything that I did that evening took a long time. (attributive restrictive)

The fact that you refuse will not change anything. (attributive appositive)

It is probable that you will very shortly hear from us again. (Subject clause)

II. Sentences with embedded clauses:

That was what I came to find out.

What you saw tonight was an ending.