Syntax - přednášky

WORD ORDER

• It has a great impact on meaning - Grammatical device

Clause elements

1. The man finished the job – The job finished the man.

• The job is done x The man is totally exhausted

• The man – subject x object

1. Palm oil – oil palm, guest house – house guest, horse race – race horse

• Palmový olej x olejová palma, dům pro hosty x návštěvník, dostihy x závodní kůň

1. We will send him. – We will send him a letter.

• An object direct x an indirect object (pošleme ho x pošleme mu)

1. He grew corn. – He grew an old man.

• Zasadil kukuřici x vyrostl (grow – transitive verb x grow – intensive copular linking verb – resulting copular – kind of change)

1. He called him a taxi. – He called him a fool.

• Zavolal mu taxík x nazval ho bláznem

1. I found a suitable solution. – I found the solution suitable.

• S V O x S V O C (našel jsem vhodné řešení x shledal jsem toto řešení vhodným)

EXERCISE

1. Make sentences
in 1980 / happened / to her / rather interesting / something

• Something rather interesting happened to her in 1980.

at Newcastle University / English literature / she / from 1967 to 1970 / studied

• She studied English literature at Newcastle University from 1967 to 1970

as a lecturer / she / since 1974 / at Oxford Polytechnic / has worked

• She has worked as a lecturer at Oxford Polytechnic since 1974.

jobs and houses / for a year / she / with a lecturer / swapped / from a New York University

• She swapped jobs and houses with a lecturer from a NY University for a year.

he / late / to school / comes / every day

• He comes to school late every day. - it is not pattern SVOMPT but SVPM (verbs of motion, movement = exception place must follow the verb)

the room / he / in / out of / ran / a panic

• He ran out of the room in a panic – also different pattern – verb of motion

the morning of 16th June / he / 1832 / on / three o´clock / died / at

- He died at three o’clock on the morning of 16th June 1852 (goes from the most detailed to the least detailed)

2. Correct the mistakes of Word Order

1. Always I get at Christmas the same presents.

- I always get the same presents at Christmas.

2. A pair of socks sends me my aunt Frieda.

- My aunt Frieda sends me a pair of socks.

3. I last year got from my relatives ten pairs of socks.

- Last year I got from my relatives ten pairs of socks.

4. I like very much reading.

- I like reading very much.

5. I don´t know why doesn´t somebody buy me a book.

- I don’t know why somebody doesn’t buy me a book.

6. I used often to read in bed a book before going to sleep.

- I often used to read a book in bed before going to sleep. → “often” – adverb of frequency – we put them after “to be”, after the first auxiliary verb (when there are two – for example “I would (NEVER) have bought it.”), before the main verb

- He is ___ late.

- I would ___ have bought it.

Sentence types

1. The matter is urgent. – Is the matter urgent?

2. May you succeed in your endeavour! – You may succeed in your endeavour.