Lecture 1 Fundamentals of grammar

3. Language means of expressing the theme and the rheme
Many languages, like English, resort to different means in order to signal a
new topic, such as:
- Stating it explicitly as the subject (which tends to be considered more topiclike
by the speakers).
- Using passive voice to transform an object into a subject (for the above
reason).
- Emphasizing the topic using clefting.
- Through periphrastic constructions like "As for...", "Speaking of...", etc.
- Using left dislocation (called topic fronting or topicalization, i. e. moving
the topic to the beginning of the sentence).
Examples:
The dog bit the little girl.
The little girl was bitten by the dog.
It was the little girl that the dog bit.
Speaking of the girl, she was bitten by the dog.
The little girl, the dog bit her.
Means to express the rheme include: a particular word order with a specific
intonation contour, an emphatic construction, a contrastive complex, intensifying
particles, the indefinite article, ellipsis, and graphical means.
Examples:
They found the report extremely valuable. – Extremely valuable they found
the report.
It is the report that I need.
I need the report, not the statistical data.
I need only the report.
The orchestra greeted the guests at the entrance. – There was an orchestra
greeting the guests at the entrance.
Where are you going? – To the movies.
Please be careful. – I am being careful.
Lecture 14
The Composite Sentence
1. The definition of the composite sentence.
2. Compound sentences.
3. Complex sentences.
4. Asyndetic sentences.
5. Transitional sentences.
6. Mixed types of composite sentences.
1. The Definition of the Composite Sentence
Unlike a simple sentence that consists of a single independent clause with no
dependent clauses, a composite sentence is built up by two or more predicative
lines. It can be defined as a structural and semantic unity of two or more