Linguistics: Understanding Constructions

Ascriptive copula clauses = Used to ascribe a property to an entity Equative copula clauses = Used to state that one entity is identical or equal to another Locative copula clauses = Used to state where some entity is located Passive copula clauses = Used to express an action received by the subject

YES–NO interrogatives = Questions that can be answered with yes or no WH interrogatives = Questions that require more detailed responses Declarative interrogatives = Statements that imply a question Rhetorical interrogatives = Questions asked for effect rather than answers

Cannot be passive = Copula clauses do not allow passivization Do not have double objects = Only link subject and predicate elements Allow adverbs in clauses = Can include adverbial phrases such as immediately Can be modified by negation = Allow forms like 'is not' or 'isn't'

<p>Declarative clauses = State a fact or opinion Interrogative clauses = Request information Imperative clauses = Give commands or requests Exclamatory clauses = Express strong feelings or reactions</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Subject noun phrase = The main entity being discussed Linking verb = Connects the subject to the complement Adjective phrase = Describes the subject's properties Prepositional phrase = Indicates the subject's location or direction</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Declarative = Used to make a statement or declaration Interrogative = Used to ask a question Complex Clause = Includes a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses Simple Clause = Contains a subject and a predicate</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Did the wealthy young man buy that piano for his secret fiancée? = Interrogative Construction The wealthy young man bought that piano for his secret fiancée. = Declarative Construction Who bought that piano for his secret fiancée? = Interrogative Construction What did the wealthy young man buy for his secret fiancée? = Interrogative Construction</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>-ed = Indicates past tense -er = Indicates a person or agent -ion = Indicates a process or action -al = Indicates related to or of the kind</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Semantically Related = Terms that share the same situation or meaning Lexical Items = Words that have meaning in a particular context Participants = Individuals involved in the event or action Utterance = A spoken or written statement</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Main Clause = Can stand alone as a complete sentence Subordinate Clause = Cannot stand alone and depends on a main clause Relative Clause = Provides additional information about a noun Conditional Clause = Expresses a condition for another event</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Who = Replaces someone in direct questions What = Replaces something in direct questions Active clauses = Start with the participant who carries out the action Passive clauses = Start with the participant who suffers the action</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Overlook = To fail to notice something Educational = Pertaining to education Fielded = Played or participated in a game Fielder = A player positioned to field the ball in cricket</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Long passive = Includes an agent noun phrase Short passive = Omitted agent noun phrase Declarative clauses = Make statements Interrogative clauses = Ask questions</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Who did the wealthy young man buy that piano for? = Identifying an unknown participant The wealthy young man bought that piano. = Declaring an event Did the wealthy young man buy that piano? = Asking about the occurrence of an event What did the wealthy young man buy? = Inquiring about an object</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>YES–NO interrogatives = Answers can only be yes or no WH interrogatives = Ask about specific details of a situation Active constructions = Use an ordinary verb Passive constructions = Use the verb BE or a form of it</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Field = A root word that can take on various forms Stem = The core part of a word that carries meaning Prefix = An affix attached to the beginning of a word Suffix = An affix attached to the end of a word</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The wealthy young man = Buyer in a passive clause That piano = Passive participant in a passive clause Someone = Subject in an active clause His secret fiancée = Recipient of the action</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Active to Passive = Changes the perspective from actor to acted upon Passive to Active = Reverses the order of the participant Interrogative to Declarative = Alters a question into a statement Declarative to Interrogative = Turns a statement into a question</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Did he phone? = YES–NO interrogative What did he say? = WH interrogative That piano was bought for his secret fiancée. = Passive clause The wealthy young man bought a piano. = Active clause</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Subject of active clauses = Carries out the action Subject of passive clauses = Receives the action Copula constructions = Use the verb BE Non-copula constructions = Use an ordinary verb</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Passive = Derived from Latin verb patior Declarative = Statements about a situation Interrogative = Questions about participants Active = Focuses on the doer of the action</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Did Frank buy Jane the piano? = Interrogative Double Object The piano was bought for Jane by Frank = Declarative Passive Frank bought the piano for Jane = Declarative Active Did Frank buy the piano for Jane? = Interrogative Oblique</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Oblique Object Construction = Can be active or passive Double Object Construction = Involves two noun phrases Declarative Construction = Can include multiple modifications Interrogative Construction = Asks a question about an action</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Frank bought Jane the piano = Double Object Construction Jane was bought the piano by Frank = Passive Construction The piano was bought for Jane by Frank = Oblique Object Construction Did Frank deceive Emma? = Interrogative Active</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Adverbs = Widest range in Declarative Active Prepositional Phrases = Key feature in Oblique Object Noun Phrases = Necessary in Double Object Interrogative Syntax = Used to frame questions</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Interrogative Active = Expresses a question about an action Declarative Active = Most common construction form Declarative Passive = Places focus on the action's recipient Oblique Object = Includes a verb and a prepositional phrase</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The piano had been being bought by Frank = Awkward Passive Frank had been buying the piano for Jane = Complex Declarative Did Frank buy the piano for Jane? = Oblique Interrogative Frank didn’t deceive Emma = Negative Interrogative</p> Signup and view all the answers

General patterns of language, used to build words, phrases, clauses, and sentences. They exist at all levels of grammar.

Different patterns in clauses that help speakers express their meaning. Example: declarative clauses state something, while interrogative clauses ask questions.

A construction that states a fact or belief.

A construction that asks a question.

The similarity in meaning between different constructions.

Words or phrases in a construction. The similar words in the declarative and interrogative structure.

In interrogative constructions, a participant is missing or unknown, the speaker is asking 'who' or 'what'

The interconnected system of clauses and constructions, showing how basic and complex clauses relate.

A clause where the receiver of an action is emphasized, rather than the actor. The focus is on the recipient of the action, who is typically placed at the beginning of the clause.

A clause where the person or thing performing the action is emphasized.

A verb that links a subject to a predicate (e.g., 'to be').

Any verb that isn't a copula verb; it expresses an action or state of being directly.

A type of sentence that makes a statement; it's used to convey information.

A type of sentence that asks a question.

A question that can be answered with a 'yes' or 'no'.

A question that asks for specific information about a person, thing, or time.

A construction in English where the verb is directly followed by two noun phrases: a direct object and an indirect object. For example, "Frank bought Jane the piano."

A construction in English where the verb is followed by a noun phrase and a prepositional phrase. For example, "Frank bought the piano for Jane."

A construction where the subject of the sentence performs the action. For example, "Frank bought the piano for Jane." The subject, Frank, is doing the buying.

A construction where the subject of the sentence receives the action. For example, "The piano was bought for Jane by Frank." The piano is receiving the action of being bought.

The most frequent and fundamental construction in a language. In English, the declarative active construction is considered basic. For example, "Frank bought the piano for Jane."

The interconnected network of constructions in a language. Different constructions share properties and relationships with each other.

A grammatical construction where a verb like 'be' connects the subject to a description, attribute, or location.

Copula clauses can be ascriptive (describing something), equative (stating equality), or locative (showing location).

Grammatical structures that don't use a linking verb like 'be' to connect the subject and its description.

The different patterns or structures that sentences can take to express various meanings.