What is English Grammar?

What is English Grammar?

Grammatical Hierarchy —An overall view of English Grammar

句子

sentence

从句Clause

短语phrase

单词word

词素morpheme

1. Morphemes(词素)

• free morphemes (自由词素) • bound morphemes (粘附词素)

• Free morphemes（自由词素）

• Examples: boy run flower now live but... more?

•Bound morphemes （粘附词素）

•Examples :

•anti-war Marxist unlucky postwar movement co-existence pan- African careless inappropriateness

• Exercises: • girl Marxist desk

postwar kind give movement take

co-existence

textbook(页码)

1) Classified in terms of word-formation

simple words(简单词)

derivatives(派生词)

compounds(复合词)

2. Words(词)

at, by, foot, take, make

unfair, nonsmoker, misjudge, overeat, international

deadline, handbook, driveway, toothpick, downfall

2) Classified in terms of parts of speech

• The way a word is used in a sentence determines which part of speech it is. For example:

• I ate a fish for dinner. • We fish in the lake on every Tuesday.

• 1. The outside of the boat needs scraping.• (a) Noun (b) Adjective• (c) Adverb (d) Preposition

• 2. You should scrape the boat without outside help.

• (a) Noun (b) Adjective• (c) Adverb (d) Preposition

(a)

(b)

• 3. Let’s sit outside and laugh at you as you work in the blazing sun.

• (a) Noun (b) Adjective• (c) Adverb (d) Preposition

• 4. The ambulance is parked right outside the yard, next to the beehive.

• (a) Noun (b) Adjective• (c) Adverb (d) Preposition

(c)

(d)

• 5. The politician repented of his past mistakes.

• (a) Noun (b) Adjective• (c) Adverb (d) Preposition

• 6. Turn right past the store with the neon sign in the window.

• (a) Noun (b) Adjective• (c) Adverb (d) Preposition

(b)

(d)

• 7. Did you hear that song before?• (a) Conjunction • (b) Adjective• (c) Adverb • (d) Preposition

• 8. Always follow through with what you start.• (a) Interjection (b) Conjunction• (c) Adverb (d) Preposition

(c)

(c)

3. Phrases

The phrase is composed of one or more than one word. Generally, the phrase is a group of words organized in a specific way with a key word as its head(中心词).

1) The noun phrase• The general pattern of a noun phrase is:

• (determiner ) + (premodifier ) + noun+ (postmodifier)

• 限定词 + 前置修饰语+名词 + 后置修饰语

• Exercise: tall, boy, the, sitting in the corner

• the tall boy sitting in the corner

2) The Verb Phrase

A simple verb phrase is just a main

verb or “modifier + main verb”.

A complex verb phrase is a main verb preceded by an auxiliary.

A verb phrase can be simple or complex.

• She looks pale.• We utterly detested him. • She ought to have told him about it.

2) The Verb Phrase

A finite verb phrase is initiated by a finite form, that is, a verb form that changes according to tense or subject.

A nonfinite verb phrase is a phrase initiated by a nonfinite form, that is, a verb form that does not change according to tense or subject.

A verb phrase can be finite or nonfinite.

• Sue likes black coffee.

• We went there to see a film.

3) The adjective phrase

The adjective phrase is a phrase withan adjective as its head. The general pattern of an adjective phrase is:

(modifier) + adjective + (postmodifier/complementation)

You are not careful enough.

• 4) The adverb phrase 副词词组

• The adverb phrase is a phrase with an adverb as its head. The general pattern of an adverb phrase is:

• (modifier)+ adverb +(postmodifier)

• He speaks very clearly indeed.

• 5) The prepositional phrase 介词词组

• The prepositional phrase is a phrase with a preposition as its head. The general pattern of a prepositional phrase is:(modifier)+ preposition + complementation （补足成分）

• They followed close behind me.

Clauses 分句• A full-fledged(完整的) clause is structurally a

sequence of phrases and logically a construction of “subject + predicate”.

• The producers are able to supply a small part of our needs.

• Subject predicate

Clauses

An independent clause is a clause that can stand by itself and act as a complete utterance.

A dependent clause forms only part of another clause or of a phrase.

In terms of grammatical function, a clause can be independent or dependent.

• He knows everything about it.

• I don’t think he knows everything about it.

独立分句

从属分句

• 2) Main and subordinate clauses主句和从句

• In a complex clause, the clause that takes another clause as its element is the main clause, while the clause that forms part of the main clause is a subordinate clause.

• He complained that what you said was not true.• └─┴─┘ • 从句 • └──主句───• ──────从句───┘• ──────主句─────────┘

• 1. What is the independent clause in this sentence?

• If work is so terrific, how come they have to pay you to do it?

• (a) How come they have to pay you to do it• (b) If work is so terrific• (c) How come they have• (d) To pay you to do it

(a)

• 2. What is the dependent clause in this sentence?

• If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

• (a) If all the world is a stage• (b) If all the world• (c) Is a stage• (d) Where is the audience sitting

(a)

Sentence

• The sentence is the highest rank of grammatical unit. Based on one or more than one clause, the sentence is also the basic linguistic unit of connected discourse.

• Sentences can be classified in various ways:

• (1) simple, compound, complex; （简单句，并列句，复合句）

• (2) statement, question, imperative, exclamative;

• (3) active, passive.

What is Grammar

• Language: a tool used to communicate with others.

• An example for language usage:

• This is 2680239. We are not at home right now. Please leave a message after the beep.

对词素顺序的限定

• • Marxist postwar

movement co-existence

对单词顺序的限定

• Please leave a message after the beep.

• Beep after a leave the please message.

对短语顺序的限定

对分句顺序的限定

• morphemes

sentence

words

语法研究就是研究安排和构建这些形式的方法。

phrases

clauses

从对“吃饭了么？”的回答来看英汉语法规则的不同

• SVO• OVS• OSV• VOS• OV• VO

我吃了饭。

饭吃了么你？

饭我吃了。

吃了饭了我。

饭吃了。

吃饭了。

I’ve had my dinner.

英语思维与汉语思维

• English: there is difference between action and state

• Chinese: there is no difference between action and state

• Eg: 我已经结婚了。

• I am married. I have married. I have been married. I got married. I married. I had married.

英语思维与汉语思维

• 我已经结婚了，去年结的婚，到现在结婚有一年多了。

• I am married, I got married last year. I have been married for over a year.

句子与语境

• Do you drink?• Father: Do you drink? Young man: No, thanks. I am cool. Father: I am not offering, I am asking IF

you drink. Do you think I’d offer alcohol to teenage drivers taking my daughter out?

How to learn English Grammar?

• 1. learning through comprehension and summarizing

• 2. learning from errors

• 3.learning through communication

• 4. Think much and practice much

• 5.Grammar is a tool instead of final goals

Misleading

• 不归纳，不总结，语法知识缺乏系统性。

• 死记硬背语法规则。

• 完全依靠老师或书本，缺乏积极主动性。

• 脱离语境学习语法。

• 不懂将语法知识转化为语言技能。

Requirement

• Participation

• No late work and plagiarism

• Notebooks

Grading

• Participation: 20% For attendance, being on time, and participating in discussion and interacting positively with fellow classmates.

• Assignment: 20% Assignment might take forms of the following ways: Exercises from the end of each textbook chapter, word studies, short essays, etc.

• Final Exam: 60%

Summary

• 重点：Grammatical Hierarchy

• Q: could you list English Grammatical structure? (orally)

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Homework

1. Reviewing chapter one in the textbook, and try starting to build a grammar system.2. Preview chapter two and three hence our first focus is words.