Module
5. Structural and functional grammar
Lesson 19
SENTENCE
STRUCTURE
19.1
Introduction
One of the keys to good
writing is to understand the countless ways in which basic sentence structures
can be combined and arranged. A sentence consists of
words correctly arranged to form a complete statement or idea. There are many different ways of organizing words
into sentences. As we work to improve our writing,
it is important to understand what these basic structures are and how to use
them effectively. Different parts of speech have specific tasks to
perform when they are put together in a sentence.
19.2
Basic Units of Writing
Even at the advanced level of learning,
it is useful to recapitulate one’s previous knowledge and form a clear idea of
these units. The basic units of writing are
·
Words
·
Phrases
·
Sentences
·
Clauses
19.2.1 Word
·
A word is a combination of speech sounds for
conveying the desired meaning.
·
Sounds are denoted by different letters of alphabet.
·
A word may be divided into several speaking units.
·
The minimum speaking unit in a word is called a syllable.
·
Mono-syllabic words: A word may have only one syllable, e.g., come, sit,
love, speak etc.
·
Multi-syllabic words: A word may also have two or more syllables, e.g.,
lovely, speaker, quality, democracy, responsibility etc.
19.2.2 Phrase
·
A Phrase is a group of words conveying some sense.
·
It does not contain a complete verb though it may have
a participle or an infinitive.
·
Ordinary phrases e.g., in the room, on the table, a bunch of flowers’
reading a book.
·
Some phrases are idiomatic phrases, e.g. at the
eleventh hour. A red-letter day.
19.2.3 Sentence
·
A Sentence is a group of words making a complete sense.
19.2.4 Clause
·
A clause is a sentence within a sentence
dependent on the main clause.
19.3
Parts of Speech
Words are divided into different kinds
or classes, called Parts of Speech, according to their use; that
is, according to the work they do in a sentence. The parts of
Speech are eight in number:
Table
19.1 Parts of speech
|
1.
Noun |
2.
Adjective |
|
3.
Pronoun |
4.
Verb |
|
5.
Adverb |
6.
Preposition |
|
7.
Conjunction |
8.
Interjection |
·
A Noun is a word used as the name of a person, place or thing; as
Ram is my elder brother.
Delhi is the capital of India.
The rose smells sweet.
The sun shines bright.
Mohan was carried away by her beauty.
Note:
The word things includes (i) all objects that
we can see, hear, taste, touch, or smell and (ii) something that we can think
of, but cannot perceive by the senses.
·
An Adjective is a word used to add something to the meaning of a noun;
as
She is a beautiful girl.
There
are fifty boys in this class.
·
A Pronoun is a word used instead of a noun; as,
The principal is absent, because he
is ill.
She
went to Mumbai to make presentation of her work.
·
A Verb is a word used to say something about some person, place, or
thing; as,
The
girl wrote a letter to her brother.
They are playing in the garden.
There are many students in the
class.
·
An Adverb is a word used to add something to the meaning of a
verb, an adjective, or another adverb; as,
He solved the problem quickly.
He walks slowly.
·
A Preposition is a word used with a noun or a pronoun to show how the
person or thing denoted by the noun or pronoun stands in relation to something
else; as,
There is a peacock in the
garden.
The girl is fond of dancing.
The group consists of twenty boys.
·
A Conjunction is a word used to join words or sentences; as,
Rama and Shama
are sisters.
Two and two make four.
We tried our best, but lost the match.
·
An Interjection is a word which expresses some sudden feeling; as,
Hurrah!
We have won the lottery.
Alas!
She has lost the game.
19.4 Word
Order
In the English
language there are no different forms for subjects and objects. To keep subject
and object apart, however, we have to stick to the word order.
In
English, Grammatical meaning is largely determined by word order.
Blue
sky
and sky blue mean different things.
In
the first, blue describes the sky
In
the second sky describes the blue.
Tile
floor and Floor tile
In the first one, tile
describes the floor whereas in the second one floor describes the
tile.
·
Our new neighbors bought an old house.
·
Our old neighbors bought a new house.
19.5
Function Words
Function words,
sometimes called grammatical words, are words such as the, and, but, in, to,
because, while, ought, and must. The main use of function words is to
express relationships among other words. Compare the following
·
The cook prepared a rich feast.
·
The cook prepared the rich a feast.
19.6
Inflections
Inflections are
changes in the form of words that indicate differences in grammatical
relationship.
·
Stop bothering me.
·
Stops bother me.
We should be
able to control these grammatical devices –word order, functional words, and
inflections. All this is essential to writing clearly.
19.7
Sentence Structure Analysis
A sentence is a
group of words making complete sense. It may be a single sentence with a
complete verb or may comprise two or more clauses. In imperatives, even a verb
can make a complete sense and thus, may be considered a sentence. A clear
understanding of the various kinds of sentences is necessary for effective
writing.
19.7.1
Kinds of sentence (Classification by function)
Assertive
sentences
These sentences contain statements
and are used for conveying information, e.g.
She has gone to Germany for a week.
Pattern:
Subject + Verb + Object (SVO)
Interrogative
sentences
These sentences contain questions which
may begin with a helping verb or an interrogative word like What, When, Which,
How, Who, Whose, Whom or Where, e.g.,
How did you go there?
Do they want to see the movie?
-Pattern: Verb + Subject + Object (VSO)
Imperative
sentences
These sentences contain commands,
requests, advice, suggestions, orders etc.
Let us go for a walk.
Pattern: Verb + Object (VO)
Exclamatory sentences
These
sentences contain emotional outbursts and describe feelings of joy,
sorrow, or wonder, e.g.
Aha! How lovely this frock is!
What a beautiful piece of art!
19.7.2
Kinds of sentence (Classification by structure)
Simple sentences
A
simple sentence is a sentence with one finite or complete verb, e.g.,
I go to school.
Hard work is the
key to success in life.
Compound
sentences
A compound sentence is made of two or
more simple sentences combined with co-ordinating
conjunctions like and, but, or, for, either…or, neither…nor, both…and, not
only…but also, etc. The clauses in a compound sentence are called
co-ordinate clauses. e.g.
I go to college and learn Physics.
He tried his
best to win the race but failed.
Complex
sentences
A complex sentence is made of an
independent clause known as the main or the principal clause and one or more
dependent clauses known as subordinate clauses. Subordinating
conjunctions like when, where, while, so that, if, unless, although, until,
that etc., are used to join the subordinate clause with the principal
clause which does not require any conjunction for itself. e.g.
I go to college
so that I may learn Physics.
If the rain
continues, the crop will be damaged.
Wait here until
I come.
We hope that we
shall be able to complete the task.
Multiple
sentences
A multiple sentence, also known
as a compound-complex sentence, involves the use of both the compound
and the complex sentences. It contains one or more principal clauses, one or more
subordinate clauses, and one or more co-ordinate clauses, e.g.,
If
it continues to rain, we shall not go to office and work at home.