Билет №2 The Principal Parts of the Sentence

In a sentence we distinguish the principal parts, the secondary parts and the independent elements. The principal parts of the sentence are the subject and the predicate.

The subject

The subject is the principal part of a two-member sentence which is grammatically independent of the other parts of the sentence and on which the second principal part (the predicate) is dependent. The subject denotes a living being, a thing or an idea. It can be expressed by:

1. a noun (N) in the common case

• The waiter brought my tea.

Occasionally a N in the possessive case is used as the subject:

• Ada’s is a noble heart.

2. a pronoun – personal, demonstrative, defining, indefinite, negative, possessive, interrogative.

• Everyone was silent for a minute.

• Who tore this book?

The subject is often expressed by the indefinite pronoun one or the personal pronouns they, you, we, which refer not to any particular person or thing but to people in general:

• Life is beastly short. One wants to live forever./….Хочется жить вечно.

• They say he’s clever./Говорят, ….

3. A substantivized adjective or participle:

• The wounded were taken good care of.

4. a numeral (cardinal or ordinal):

• The two were quite unable to do anything.

5. an infinitive, an infinitive phrase or construction;

• To live is to work.

6. a gerund, a gerundial phrase or construction:

• Lying doesn’t go well with me.

7. Any part of speech used as quotation:

• On is a preposition.

8. a group of words which is one part of the sentence:

• The needle and thread is lost.

It as the subject of the sentence

Notional subject – when it Formal subject – when it

represents a living being or a thing. doesn’t represent a living being

or a thing and performs purely

grammatical function.

When it is a notional subject the pronoun it has the following meanings:

1. The personal it - It stands for a definite thing or some abstract idea

• The door opened. It was opened by a little girl.

2. the demonstrative it - It points out some person or thing expressed by a predicate, or it refers to the thought contained in the preceding statement

• It is John.

• It was a large room with a great window.

As a formal subject it has the following meanings:

1. the impersonal it is used –

1. to denote natural phenomenon (state of weather, etc.) or that which characterizes the environment:

• It is cold in winter.

The state of weather can be also expressed by meant of there is construction. In such sentences the N introduced by there is is the subject:

• There was a heavy frost last night.

2. to denote time and distance:

• it is 5 minutes past 6.

• It is along way from the station.

2. the introductory/anticipatory it introduces the real subject:

• It’s no use disguising facts.

3. The emphatic it is used for emphasis:

• It was he who won the race.

The Predicate

The predicate is the second principal part of the sentence which expresses an action, state, or quality of the person or thing denoted by the subject. It is grammatically dependent on the subject. According to the structure and the meanings of the predicate we distinguish 2 main types of predicate: the simple predicate and the compound predicate.

The Simple Predicate

It is expressed by a finite verb in a simple or a compound tense form. There is a special kind of simple predicate expressed by a phraseological unit (to get rid, to take care, to pay attention, to have awash, to lose sight…) – phraseological predicate: the 1^st component –the finite verb has lot its concrete meaning to a great extent and forms one unit with the N, consequently the N cannot be treated as an object to the verb.

• The man gave a violent start.

We distinguish 2 types of phraseological predicates:

1. word combinations of the following type to have a smoke, to have a run, to take a look, to give a laugh, to make a move, to give a push (finite verb + N formed from a verb (V) and mostly used with the indefinite article).

• He had a smoke.

2. word combinations of the following type to get rid, to get hold, to make use, to take care, to lose sight, to make fun, to pay attention, to change one’s mind… (the 2^nd component of these combinations is in most cases an abstract N used without any article.)

• You were making fun of mother just now.

The Compound Predicate

It consists of 2 parts: a finite verb + some part of speech (N, ProN, Adj.,Verbal). It can be nominal or verbal.

The Compound Nominal Predicate

It denotes the state or quality of the person/thing expressed by the subject, or the class of persons/things to which the person/thing belongs. The compound nominal predicate consists of a link verb + a predicative (the nominal part of the predicate).Most link verbs, except be, to some extent preserve their meanings: to appear, to get, to grow, to continue, to feel, to keep, to look, to turn, to prove. to remain, to fall, to go, to seem, to smell.

• He grew more cheerful.

There are some verbs which, though fully preserving their concrete meaning, perform the function of a link verb: to lie, to sit, to die, to marry, to return, to leave, to come, to stand, to fall…

• The poor woman sat amazed.

According to their meaning link verbs can be divided into 2 large groups:

1. link verbs of being and remaining (to remain, to keep, to continue, to smell, etc.)

• The door remained wide open.

2. link verbs of becoming ( to become, to get, to leave, to run, to turn, to make, etc.)

• this becomes uninteresting, however, after a time.

The predicative can be expressed by:

1. N in the common case

• She’s a pretty child.

2. adjective

• He’s awfully selfish.

• It tastes delicious.

3. ProN

• It’s me.

4. word of category of state

• But I’m afraid I can’t keep the man.

5. numeral

• He was the first to break the silence.

• I’m only 18.

6. prepositional phrase

• The things were outside her experience.

7. infinitive, inf. phrase/construction

• Her 1^st thought was to go away.

8. gerund, gerundial phrase/construction

• My favorite sport is swimming.

9. Participle II

• He was surprised at the sound of his own voice.

10) Adverb