语法讲义

Lecture 28 Existential Sentence
Teaching objectives:
1.Getting to know the structural properties of existential sentences;
2.Getting to know the grammatical relationship in existential sentences; Lecturing:
1.Structural properties of existential sentences: There + be + NP + locative/
temporal adverbial
What we should pay attention to is the “notion al” or “real subject” that determines the number in verbs.
2.Notional subject is usually a noun phrase with indefinite specific reference.
3.Predicator in existential sentence includes forms of the verb “be”, finite or
non-finite, simple or perfective. Modals and semi-auxiliary can also be used in the predication. There are also semantically-related verbs that can act as predicator in an existential sentence, including “exist, live, stand, lie, come, go, walk, emerge, develop, happen, occur” , etc.
4.Non-finite existential clauses: There to be and there being.
There to be, used as prepositional complementation, especially after the word “for”; it can also be used after a certain verbs as object including “expect, mean, intend, want, like, prefer, hate”, etc.
There being, used as subject and adverbial.
Lecture 29 It-Patterns
Teaching objectives:
1.Getting to know types of It-patterns;
2.Getting to know the grammatical relationships in It-patterns.
Lecturing:
1. Empty “it”
Empty “it”does not refer to anything. It is meaningless and is chiefly used as formal subject in sentences denoting time, place, distance, and atmospheric conditions. And it is also used in sentences denoting a general situation. Besides, it can also be used in some idioms and idiomatic expressions.
2. Anticipatory “it”
Anticipatory “it” is used in sentences with a nominal clause as subject or object. To make the sentence balanced, the subject is usually shifted to the end of the sentence, and using formal subject to take its place. This kind of extraposition is more frequent than its natural position.
3.“It” as introductory word of cleft sentences
The general pattern of a cleft sentence is: It + be + focal element + that-/ who- clause
Generally speaking, except the predicator, almost all the elements of a statement can be singled out as the focal element of a cleft sentence. As to the predicator of a cleft sentence, it can be a simple form of the verb “be”; it may also be a complex verb phrase with a form of the verb be as headword, such as “ might have been”.
4.Pseudo-cleft sentences
When you want to single out the verb phrase as the focal element, you can use what is called “pseudo-cleft sentence”. It is essentially an SVC construction with a what-clause as subject, eg: I gave her a handbag.→What I did was (to )give her
a handbag.
The other types are “ what-clause + be + noun phrase” and “ noun phrase + be + what-clause”.
Lecture 30 Coordination
Teaching objectives:
1.Getting to know the types of coordination;
2.Getting to know coordinators and their usage
Lecturing:
1.Types of coordinate constructions
Coordination can be on different ranks in grammatical hierarchy. They may be a sequence of coordinated words, phrases, or clause. A coordinate construction can be formed with coordinating devices including coordinators and some punctuation marks. Two coordinated items can be interrupted by an insertion just to lend emphasis to the second item. We must pay attention to the symmetrical organization of coordinate constructions.
2.Coordinators semantically considered
Three basic coordinators: “and, or, but”. “yet, so, nor”can function both as conjunctions and as conjunctive adverbs. There are correlative pairs including “both…and, not only… but also, not… nor, neither… nor, either… or”, etc. There are quasi-coordinators like “as well as, as much as, rather than, more than”, etc.
They ranked between a coordinator and a subordinator or a complex preposition.
Besides, “for” can be used as a coordinator or as a subordinator.
Homework
Exercises in the book in the following two lectures.。