Syntax- přednášky

V TESTU:

Kinds of finite/non-finite clauses

Noun phrases – pre-modifications, post-modifications

Kinds of infinitives

Kinds of participles

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Functional Sentence Perspective

Czech: FSP – the most decisive factor influencing WO (synthetic language)

English: fixed WO. It sometimes works against the linear distribution of communicative dynamism (low – high) (analytic language)

Nastala obleva. A thaw has set in. (English: It must start with subject. Even if it is a new piece of information. )

Nad jezerem se vznášela helikoptéra. A helicopter hovered over the lake.

V noci vypukl požár. A fire broke out during the night.

Požár vypukl v noci. The fire broke out during the night.

Syntactic means of FSP in English

Passive

Tento román napsal můj strýc. The novel was written by my uncle.

O-S transposition – tough movement

Bylo hezké ji poslouchat. It was a pleasure to listen to her.

She was a pleasure to listen to.

Subject construction of an adverbial element.

Při pouhém pomyšlení na jídlo se The mere thought of food turned her stomach.

jí zvedal žaludek. Her stomach turned at the mere thought of food.

Existential construction

V knize chybí několik stránek. Some pages are missing in the book.

The book has some pages missing.

There are some pages missing in the book.

Verbo-nominal predication

Vykonal jsem u něj návštěvu. I visited him.

I paid him a visit.

FRONTING

= Moving into initial position an item which is otherwise unusual there

Reasons:

• to echo thematically what has been contextually given

You should take up swimming for relaxation.

Relaxation you call it.

• the item fronted may be the one contextually most demanded

Wilson his name is.

• fronted item provides direct linkage with what has preceded. End focus falls on the most important part of the message.

To this list may be added other items of importance.

With averbials in front position we often find:

SUBJECT – VERB INVERSION

Here comes the milkman.

Here he comes.

• The limitation is that if the subject is expressed by pronoun, the inversion is not used

Where a phrase of negative form or meaning is fronted we find:

SUBJECT OPERATOR INVERSION

I little expected such enthusiasm.

Little did I expect such enthusiasm.

theme (topic) rheme (comment)

1. I ´m sitting here ...

2. Outside my window is a big lawn ... – “a” = non-generic article (new information)

3. In the middle of the lawn is a flower bed.

4. This bed was full of daffodils ...

5. You ´d love it here.

6. You must come and stay;

7. We ´ve got plenty of room.

Option (a): theme1 rheme1

theme2 rheme2

theme3 etc.

Option (b): theme1 rheme1

theme1 rheme2

theme1 etc.

As you will no doubt have been told, we have our own photographic club and darkroom. The club is called ´Monomanor´ and there is an annual fee of £5. The money goes towards replacing any equipment worn out by use, or purchasing new equipment. Monomanor runs an annual competition with prizes, judging being done and prizes awarded at the garden party in the summer term. Besides the competition, we also have talks and/or film shows during the other terms.