Examples of comments: the sentence
1. The child laughed merrily.
It is a simple, two-member, complete sentence. It is extended. According to the communicative type the sentence is declarative.
2. English spring flowers!
It is a simple, one-member, nominal sentence. It is extended. According to the communicative type the sentence is exclamatory.
3. “Where are you going?” ― “To the library”.
“Where are you going?” is a simple, two-member, complete, extended sentence. According to the communicative type, the sentence is interrogative. It is a special question.
“To the library” is a simple, two-member, elliptical sentence. The subject and the predicate are omitted. The sentence is extended.
The subject
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Two thousand passengers were believed to be injured.
Two thousand passengers is phrasal subject, expressed by a phrase with a numeral.
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To understand is to forgive.
To understand is a simple subject, expressed by an Infinitive.
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Your doing this is very strange.
Your doing this is a complex subject, expressed by a gerundial construction.
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What he expected began.
What he expected is a clausal subject.
The noun. Number
1. All children like ice-cream.
Children is a common, countable, concrete, animate noun. The noun is used in the plural. The plural form is built in an irregular way.
Ice-cream is a common, uncountable, material noun.
2. Measles is a very catching disease.
Measles is a common, invariable singular noun.
3. Will you comment on these grammar phenomena?
Phenomena is an irregular plural form of the common noun ‘phenomenon’.
The genitive case
1. Many people like Byron’s poems.
Byron’s poems is a dependent specifying genitive case, it denotes authorship.
2. Far in the distance she saw a child’s figure.
A child’s figure is a dependent classifying genitive case.
3. Whose hat is that?” — “Virgina’s”.
Virgina’s is an absolute (independent) genitive case. It is used to avoid the repetition of the noun ‘hat’
4. We hold a lovely evening at Peter’s.
At Peter’s is an absolute (independent) genitive case. It is used to indicate a place of residence.
5. They met at the hairdresser’s.
At the hairdresser’s is an absolute (independent) genitive case. It is used to indicate a place where business is run.
6. She is a pupil of my father’s.
A pupil of my father’s is the double genitive.
The article
1. I’ve read a very interesting novel.
The indefinite article is used before the noun ‘novel’ in its classifying function. The noun is premodified by a descriptive attribute.
2. A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines
The indefinite article is used before the noun ‘sonnet’ in its generic function. The article has the meaning of ‘any’, ‘every’.
3. I won’t say a word.
The indefinite article is used before the noun ‘word’ in its numerical function. The article has the meaning of the cardinal numeral ‘one’.
4. The whale is in danger of becoming extinct.
The definite article is used before the noun ‘whale’ in its generic function. It refers to the whole class of objects of the same kind.
5. Are we on the right road?
The definite article is used before the noun ‘road’ in its specifying function. The specification is provided by the premodifying restrictive attribute ‘right’.
6. The students of our institute are taking their exams in June.
The definite article is used before the noun ‘students’ in its specifying function. The specification is provided by the postmodifying restrictive phrase ‘of our institute’.
7. The sun sank below the horizon.
The definite article is used before the noun ‘sun’ in its specifying function. The specification is provided by the meaning of the noun, which indicates a unique object.
8. Go to the kitchen.
The definite article is used before the noun ‘kitchen’ in its specifying function. The specification is provided by the situation.
9. Knowledge is power.
The zero article is used before the abstract noun ‘knowledge’ to indicate a generic reference.
10. I would rather have a whisky.
The indefinite article is used before the material noun ‘whiskey’ to indicate a portion of drink.