Functions and Modes of Classification in English Sentences
A. Functions
Each position in the nine basic sentence patterns plays two roles:
First, it is the place for a particular part of speech, i.e. noun, verb, adjective, or adverb. This was shown by the abbreviations N, V, Aj, and Av. For example, let us consider a Pattern 7 sentence:
N1 TrV N2
The girl ate an apple.
In this sentence, the N1 and N2 positions are characteristically occupied by nouns. We can replace girl and apple by many other nouns. Likewise, the TrV position is characteristically occupied by transitive verbs, i.e. those that are followed by noun-objects. In other words, each position is a part-of-speech habitat / home.
Second, the other role each position plays is to signal the grammatical meaning of the word / phrase that occupies it. This grammatical meaning is called function. For example, in the sentence above the occupant of the N1 position has the function of performer / doer of the action indicated by the verb, i.e. it is the girl who ate the apple. This function of performer is called subject of the verb, and is acronomized as SV.
In the same sentence we have N2, which is another place for nouns, but the noun here has a different function, namely the undergoes of the action of the verb. It is the apple that underwent the eating. This function of undergoing is called direct object of the verb, and is acronomized as DO.
Let us consider another example, this time of a Pattern 1 sentence:
N be Aj
The cake is sweet.
The first role of the Aj position is that it houses adjectives, e.g. good, hard, soft, and the like. The second role of this Aj position is that it signals the function of the word / phrase that occupies it. The function here is to modify, i.e. sweet modifies cake. We should also note that any adjective in the third position of the sentence will modify any noun in the first position.
To sum up, function is the grammatical job that any word or word group does in the particular position it occupies. In other words, function is the grammatical manning.
Following is a list of all the functions that this book deals with, with a simple note on the job which each one of them does. After the name of some of them there is an acronym that is used to identify these functions.
1. Subject of Verb (SV)
that who / which performs the action of the verb, as in Patterns 6, 7, 8, and 9.
2. Verb / Predicator (V)
a. That which asserts an action or a state, as in
Patterns 2, 6, 7, 8, and 9.
b. "May be described as," as in Patterns 1 and 4.
c. "May be identified as," as in Patterns 3 and 5.
3. Subjective Complement (SC)
that which tollows be or a linking verb like seem and identifies the subject.
4. Direct Object (DO)
that which undergoes the action of the verb.
5. Indirect Object (IO)
that who / which or for whom / which an action is performed.
المادة المعروضة اعلاه هي مدخل الى المحاضرة المرفوعة بواسطة استاذ(ة) المادة . وقد تبدو لك غير متكاملة . حيث يضع استاذ المادة في بعض الاحيان فقط الجزء الاول من المحاضرة من اجل الاطلاع على ما ستقوم بتحميله لاحقا . في نظام التعليم الالكتروني نوفر هذه الخدمة لكي نبقيك على اطلاع حول محتوى الملف الذي ستقوم بتحميله .
ارجوع الى لوحة التحكم
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