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Федеральное агентство по образованию

Theoretical english grammar part 2. Syntax

Study guide for third year students

Учебно-методическое пособие

для вузов

Составитель:

М.В. Бочарова

Воронеж 2007

Утверждено Научно-методическим советом факультета романо-германской филологии 3 апреля 2007г., протокол № 4.

Научный редактор: Л.В. Цурикова

Рецензент: Т.М. Ломова.

Учебно-методическое пособие подготовлено на кафедре английской филологии факультета романо-германской филологии Воронежского государственного университета.

Рекомендуется для студентов 3-го курса факультета РГФ дневного и вечернего отделений.

Для специальностей 031000 (520300) «Филология», 031201 (022600) «Теория и методика преподавания иностранных языков и культур».

Contents

PREFACE …………………………………………..…………………. PART 1. PHRASE SYNTAX 1.1. TOPIC OUTLINE …………………………………………………. 1.2. TASKS FOR PRACTICAL CLASSES …………………………… PART 2. SIMPLE SENTENCE SYNTAX 2.1. TOPIC OUTLINE ……………………. ………………………….. 2.2. TASKS FOR PRACTICAL CLASSES …………………………… PART 3. COMPOSITE SENTENCE SYNTAX 3.1. TOPIC OUTLINE ……………………….………………………… 3.2. TASKS FOR PRACTICAL CLASSES ……………………………. THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF THE COURSE . SYNTAX ………….. REFERENCES ……………….………………………………………….

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Preface

The Study Guide is intended for third year students majoring in Linguistics. It aims to help them understand and use the fundamental principles of Theoretical English Grammar, as well as organize their self-study sessions in Theoretical Syntax of the English Language.

This is achieved in various ways. First, the Study Guide provides an outline of the topics discussed in lectures and those for self-study. Students are required to be able to expand on every aspect mentioned and to illustrate it with examples. Second, the Guide contains a variety of exercises to be done in practical classes. You will also find a list of the theoretical aspects of the course and a list of recommended textbooks and other reference materials.

Part 1. Phrase syntax

1.1. Topic outline

Syntax as a branch of linguistics

• Syntax as part of grammar

• The subject matter of Syntax. Syntax deals with combinability of words, i.e. how words are combined to make meaningful utterances, what patterns they combine on, and what abstract grammatical meaning they express.

• The main objectives of Syntax are

(1) to study relations between words within word combinations;

(2) to study the sentence as a structural unit which communicates a message in a definite situation.

• The units of syntactic analysis are the sentence and the phrase. They represent different levels of a hierarchy.

• From the constructive point of view both the sentence and the phrase are groups of elements related with each other and organised in a definite way.

• In most respects, however, the sentence and the phrase differ:

the sentence	the phrase
expresses a ‘complete thought’ Has a nominative function – is a name of a type of real life situations/ events Has a certain intonation pattern Is a minimal communicative unit of speech Realises Predication (Modality, Temporality, Personality)	Doesn’t express a ‘complete thought’ Has a nominative function – is a complex name of discrete objects of reality or of elements of real life situations Does not have intonation Is part of a communicative unit of speech Doesn’t realise Predication