Introducing English Linguistics

meaning
) but that the person uttering this sentence requests that the
heat be turned up.
pragmatics:
The study of principles specifying how language is used. Conventions of
politeness, for instance, are dictated by cultural norms having nothing to
do with grammaticality but rather with conventions for how specific
forms should be used. In English, a form such as Could you please help me?
is a polite form for making a request.
pre-closing sequence:
The part of a conversation in which one or both speakers signal that they
want to end the conversation. For instance, if a person says Well, it was
great talking to you, he or she is signaling that the conversation is coming
to a close.
predicate:
The part of the sentence following the subject. In the sentence The librari-
an shelved books for an hour, the predicate would be shelved books for an hour.
predicator:
A clause function, such as ran in The dog ran wild, that consists of a verb
phrase.
prescriptive rules:
Rules such as “Never end a sentence with a preposition” that tell people
how they should use language. Compare with grammatical rules.
prescriptivists:
People such as teachers, editors, and writers of usage handbooks who tell
people how they should use language. See also prescriptive rules.
primary auxiliaries:
The verbs do, be, and have used as auxiliary verbs, as in I