Microsoft Word Theoretical Course of English Grammar

Nino Kirvalidze
86
4.
Directives are those kinds of speech acts that speakers use to get someone else to do 
something. They express what the speaker wants. Directives include commands, or-
ders, requests, suggestions, which can be positive or negative. In using a directive, the 
speaker attempts to make the world fit the words via the hearer. Cf.: 
Give me a cup of coffee. Make it black. 
Could you lend me a pen, please? 
Don’t touch that. 
5.
Commissives are those kinds of speech acts that speakers use to commit themselves 
to some future action. They express what the speaker intends. Commissives com-
prise promises, threats, refusals and pledges which can be performed by the speaker 
alone, or by the speaker as a member of a group. In using a commissive, the speaker 
undertakes to make the world fit the words via himself or herself. Cf.: 
I’ll be back in fife minutes. 
I’m going to get my money back right now. 
We will not do that.
Study Questions: 
1.
Discuss the communicative types of English sentences. 
2.
Comment on the main types of questions in English. 
3.
Give a general characterization of main structural types of sentences. 
4.
Describe a two-member sentence pattern according to structural types. 
5.
Give a linguistic description of one-member sentences. 
6.
Give a general characterization of the composite sentence. Define the notion of a clause 
and its functional-semantic types.
7.
Comment on the structural-semantic types of composite sentences. 
8.
Discuss the features of English main clauses (6 features). 
9.
Discuss the types of connection of clauses in a composite sentence (3 types). 

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Theoretical Course of English Grammar 
Script by prof.