Simple sentence

The simple sentence is a sentence in which only one predicative line is expressed.

1. According to their structure all simple sentences of English should be divided into two-member (two-axis) constructions and one-member (one-axis) constructions (Fig. 112).

One-member and two-member sentences are distinguished by the num­ber of principal parts (positions) they contain: two-member sentences have two main parts – the subject and the predicate, while one-member sen­tences have only one principal part, which is neither the subject nor the predicate.

Fig. 112

One-member sentences in English are of two types: nominal sentences and verbal sentences. Nominal sentences are those in which the principal part is expressed by a noun. They state the existence of the things expressed by them. They are typical of descriptions. Verbal sentences are those in which the principal part is expressed by a non-finite form of the verb, either an infinitive or a gerund. Infinitive and gerundial one-member sentences are mostly used to describe different emotional perceptions of reality.

Two-member (two-axis) constructions can be complete and incomplete. They are distinguished by the presence or absence of word-forms in the principal positions of two-member sentences.

In a complete sentence both the principal positions are filled with word-forms.

In an incomplete (elliptical) sentence one or both of the main posi­tions are not filled, but can be easily supplied as it is clear from the context what is missing. Elliptical sentences are typical of conversational English. There exist several types of elliptical sentences (Fig. 113).

Fig. 113

Fig. 114

The semantic classification of simple sentences should be effected at least on the three bases: first, on the basis of the subject categorial meanings; second, on the basis of the predicate categorial meanings; third, on the basis of the subject-object relation.

2. According to the type of the subject simple sentences are divided into personal and impersonal (Fig. 114). The further division of the personal sentences is into human and non-human; human — into definite and indefinite; non-human — into animate and inanimate. The further essential division of impersonal sentences is into factual and perceptional. The differences in subject categorial meanings are sustained by the obvious differences in subject-predicate combinability.

3. According to the type of the predicate simple sentences are divided into process-featuring (“verbal”) and, in the broad sense, substance-featuring (including substance as such and substantive quality — “nominal”) (Fig. 115). Among the process-featuring sentences actional and statal ones are to be discriminated. Among the substance-featuring sentences factual and perceptional ones are to be discriminated.

Fig. 115

4. According to the type of the subject-object relation simple sentences should be divided into subjective, objective and neutral or “potentially” objective, capable of implying both the transitive action of the syntactic person and the syntactic person’s intransitive characteristic (Fig. 116).

Fig. 116

5. According to the presence of secondary parts simple sentences should be divided into unextended (unexpanded) and extended (expanded) (Fig. 117).

Fig. 117

An unextended sentence contains two main positions of the basic pattern, that of the subject and the predicate.

An extended sentence may contain various optional elements (including attributes, certain kinds of prepositional objects and adverbial modifiers).