Seminar 5

ACTUAL DIVISION OF THE SENTENCE.

COMMUNICATIVE TYPES OF SENTENCES

Topics for Discussion

1. The notions of theme and rheme. The correlation of syntactical division and actual

division of the sentence.

2. Language means of expressing the theme and rheme.

3. The problem of classification of sentences according to the purpose of

communication.

4. Cardinal communicative types and mixed communicative types.

Topics for reports

1. The notions of topic, comment and focus in discourse (from T.A. van Dijk “Text and

context. Explorations in the semantics and pragmatics of discourse” in the book by

Blokh M.Y., Semionova T.N., Timofeyeva S.V. Theoretical English Grammar.

Seminars. Moscow, 2007, Pp. 274-293).

2. Non-sentence utterances (see: КобринаН.А.,КорнееваЕ.А.,ОссовскаяМ.И.,

Гузеева К.А. Грамматика английского языка. Морфология. Синтаксис. – СПб.,

1999. С. 300-313).

Literature

1. Blokh M.Y. A Course in Theoretical English Grammar. Moscow, 2006.

2. Blokh M.Y., Semionova T.N., Timofeyeva S.V. Theoretical English Grammar.

Seminars. Moscow, 2007.

3. КобринаН.А.,БолдыревН.Н.,ХудяковА.А.Теоретическаяграмматика

современного английского языка. Москва, 2007.

4. Кобрина Н.А., Корнеева Е.А., Оссовская М.И., Гузеева К.А. Грамматика

английского языка. Морфология. Синтаксис. – СПб., 1999.

5. Illyish B.A. The structure of Modern English. – M.-L., 1965.

6. Leech Y., Svartvik G. A Communicative Grammar of English. Moscow, 1986.

7.Бархударов Л.С. Структура простого предложения современного

английского языка. М., 1966.

8. Беседина Н.А. Системные и коммуникативные характеристики

восклицательных номинативных предложений в английском языке//

Исследования по синтаксису и стилистике романо-германских языков:

Выпуск 3. – СПб., 1996.9

9. Богданов В.В. Семантико-синтаксическая организация предложения. Л.,

1977.

10. Бодягина О.Л. Полифакторный подход к выбору актанта на роль

подлежащего. Автореф. дисс. на соискание уч. степени канд. филол. наук. Барнаул, 2003.

11. ТФГ–Теория функциональной грамматики. Субъектность.

Объектность.Коммуникативная перспектива высказывания.

Определенность\ неопределенность. – СПб.: Наука, 1992.

12. Худяков А.А. Семиозис простого предложения. Автореф. дисс. на

соискание уч. степени. докт. филол. наук. СПб, 2001.

Practical tasks

I. State the formal means of indicating the theme and the rheme in the given

sentences:

1. Fred stood on the platform. - On the platform stood Fred.

2. There came a loud sound.

3. It was Mary who noticed his absence.

4. The man came up to me.

5. A man came up to me.

6. Even Fred has come.

7. She was so furious.

8. Only then did she realize the situation.

9. The costume is meant not for you, but for your cousin.

10. Where did you say he came from? – France.

11.Did they receive him? – Yes. Coldly.

II. State the communicative types of the following sentences:

1. He didn’t know him pretty well.

2. Let’s go for a walk.

3. I wonder when they are going to come.

4. Can a leopard change his spots?

5. You must think about your future.

6. And if you’ll excuse me, I think it’s time we were going home.

7. You ought to get rid of him.

8. You will then allow me to say what I have to say on my part.

9. You can’t come in.

10. Live and learn.

11. Why don’t you get her to the hall?

12. Please tell me what I can do for you.