Вопросы для текущего контроля по теоретической грамматике английского языка
Introduction to the theory of English Grammar
What Grammars do you know? What does Grammar study? Do practical and theoretical grammars study the same?
How do we divide Grammar into Morphology and Syntax? What makes us say that they are interconnected?
What grammatical units do you know? Why don’t we consider a phoneme a grammatical unit?
What is a hierarchy? How can you arrange grammatical units into a hierarchy? Can you reproduce a hierarchy without looking into your notes?
What principles hold the grammatical hierarchy together? What are the distinguishing features of each level? Why is it difficult to define the text? Why is the status of the phrase in the hierarchy debatable?
Can you explain the difference between approaches and methods? Why do we need both methods and approaches for studying Grammar? Are they related in any way?
Make sure you can list all the approaches and methods without looking into your notes.
Characterize each method and approach shortly. Can you show how we apply them in studying English Grammar?
Which methods of analysis are more useful in morphology, which in syntax?
Major issues of morphology
What makes grammatical and lexical meaning different? How are grammatical meanings realized through the opposition of language units?
Why do we speak about marked and unmarked forms? Which are more difficult for Russian pupils and why?
What is a grammatical category? Why is it difficult to define it?
Name the 3 key notions you should keep in mind while speaking about categories and try to give a reasonable definition of the category. What categories in English morphology and syntax do you know?
What is the morpheme’s distinguishing feature? Can you see or hear a morpheme? If not, what do you hear in speech and see while reading?
Is any morph an allomorph? What turns a morph into an allomorph? What relations exist between allomorphs?
How can you classify morphemes using the following as criteria: a) Meaning they express; b) Function and position; c) The changes they produce; d) Independence of functioning; e) Visual form; f) Composition.
Parts of speech
What do we divide words into groups for? And why is it difficult? Why are different approaches possible? Should our pupils know how English words can be grouped?
What groups of words are called parts of speech? Is it a good name?
Comment on the criteria you use when describing parts of speech.
What lexical meaning do we take into account dividing words into parts of speech? Why do we take into account lexical meaning in grammar?
What is a paradigm? Why do we mention it while classifying words? How is a paradigm connected with grammatical categories?
Do all the words in a class have similar forms? If not, what does it show?
What’s the use of listing the typical affixes of any part of speech? Do you think it’s going to help you teach English?
Why should we speak about open and closed classes of words? What is meant by a closed class? What closed and open classes do you know in English?
Why is it so important to know the rules of combining words? Why is combinability important for distinguishing parts of speech? Does the knowledge of the Russian rules of combinability help or interfere?
Why do we use the term ‘sentence parts’ to characterize parts of speech? Do function and position completely coincide?
What two major groups of words do we get after distinguishing parts of speech? What classes does each of these two major groups comprise?
Can you comment on the differences between notional and functional words?
Pronouns and numerals are not in the least similar and are different from nouns and verbs. Why do grammarians call these two classes notional?
Why is it difficult to draw a strict borderline between notional and functional parts of speech? Is it easy to place interjections? And what about such words as “yes”, “no”, “please”?
What’s a field structure? What does it look like? How do we arrange units inside the structure (in each circle)? Where and what for can we use a field structure speaking about parts of speech? Could you illustrate it?
Characterize shortly nouns as a part of speech using the scheme.
Characterize shortly verbs as a part of speech using the scheme.
Characterize shortly adjectives as a part of speech using the scheme.
Characterize shortly adverbs as a part of speech using the scheme.
Characterize shortly particles and interjections as parts of speech.
Characterize shortly numerals as a part of speech using the scheme.
Characterize shortly pronouns as a part of speech using the scheme.
Characterize shortly articles as a part of speech using the scheme.
Characterize shortly prepositions as a part of speech using the scheme.
Characterize shortly conjunctions as a part of speech using the scheme.
Characterize shortly as a part of speech using the scheme.
What peculiarities of English parts of speech attract your attention? Why should we take them into account while teaching?
Talking about parts of speech, how can you make use of your knowledge of approaches and methods?