ENGLISH SYNTAX

Lectured by : Drs. Surono, M.Hum

By :

1. Rizqi Imaniwati (09004210)2. Shofiana Dewi Astuti (09004203)3.

ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY OF AHMAD DAHLAN

YOGYAKARTA

2011

3. VERBAL PHRASE

A verbal phrase consists of a verbal and any objects or modifiers.

Remember:

A verbal is a verb form that does not serve as a verb in the sentence. Instead, it functions as a noun,

adjective, or adverb. There are three types of verbal: infinitive, participial, and gerund. Remember:

A modifier is usually an adjective or an adverb that limits, clarifies, of qualifies another element of

the sentence.

As there are three types of verbal, there are three types of verbal phrases:

1. INFINITIVE PHRASES

2. PARTICIPIAL PHRASES

3. GERUND PHRASES

Infinitive phrases

Infinitive phrases start with an infinitive which is followed by any objects, and/or modifiers.

Examples:

To tour Australia slowly is my dream.

infinitive: to tour

object: Australia (the direct object of the infinitive)

modifier: slowly (an adverb modifying the infinitive)

infinitive phrase: to tour Australia slowly

I must study to pass my winter exams with good marks.

infinitive: to pass

object: my winter exams (the D.O. of the infinitive)

modifier: with good marks (a prepositional phrase

modifying the infinitive)

infinitive phrase: to pass my winter exams with good marks

Participial phrases

Participial phrases consist of either a past or a present participle and any objects, and/or modifiers .

Participial phrases always function as adjectives within a sentence.

Examples:

That dog keenly hunting the ducks must be a thoroughbred.

participial: hunting

object: the ducks (the D.O. of the participial)

modifier: keenly (an adverb modifiying the participial)

participial phrase: keenly hunting the ducks

Hidden by the trees, Jerry waited to scare Mark.

participial: hidden

modifier: by the trees (a prepositional phrase

modifying "hidden")

participial phrase: hidden by the trees (an adjective

modifying "Jerry")

Gerund phrases

Gerund phrases consist of a gerund and any objects and/or modifiers . A gerund phrase can look

similar to a participial phrase because the gerund has the same form as the present participle. The

main difference is that the gerund (phrase) functions as a noun (ie. subject, object, subject

complement, appositive), and the participial phrase as an adjective.

Example:

I enjoy riding my bike in the evening.

gerund: riding

direct object: my bike

modifiers: in the evening

Verb Phrases

Verb phrases are groups of words that express action or state of being. They take on various forms.

The men live in the dormitory. (Single verbs)

He stayed at the Hi Hat Hotel. (Past tense verbs)

I am learning many new things. (Progressive verbs)

She has been there before. (Perfect verbs)

They have been working here five years. (Perfect progressive verbs)

I could use some assistance. (Verbs and modals)

The trip was approved by the professor. (Passive verbs)

Do you want some more pie? (Verbs in questions)

Other words can be added to enhance verb phrases:

The mayor works here. (adverbs)

Neil is not a candidate. (negatives)

They live in the suburbs. (prepositional phrases)

She'll leave whenever she wants. (adverbial clauses)

Don't talk while eating. (phrases)

A verbal is a verb form used as another part of speech. Like Gaul, verbal come in three varieties:

participles, gerunds, and infinitives. Each type has a different function in a sentence:

Participles function as adjectives.

Gerunds function as nouns.

Infinitives function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.

Although a verbal doesn't function as a verb in a sentence, it does retain two qualities of a verb:

A verbal is a verb form used as another part of speech.

A participle is a form of a verb that functions as an adjective.

A gerund is a verb form used as a noun.

A verbal can be described by adverbs and adverbial phrases.

A verbal can add modifiers to become a verbal phrase.

http://www.englishpage.com/prepositions/phrasaldictionary.html

4. PHRASAL VERBS

1. A phrasal verb is a verb plus a preposition or adverb which creates a meaning

different from the original verb.

Example:

I ran into my teacher at the movies last night. run + into = meet

He ran away when he was 15. run + away = leave home

2. Some phrasal verbs are intransitive. An intransitive verb cannot be followed by an

object.

Example:

He suddenly showed up. "show up" cannot take an object

3. Some phrasal verbs are transitive. A transitive verb can be followed by an object.

Example:

I made up the story. "story" is the object of "make up"

4. Some transitive phrasal verbs are separable. The object is placed between the verb and

the preposition. In this Phrasal Verb Dictionary, separable phrasal verbs are marked

by placing a * between the verb and the preposition / adverb.

Example:

I talked my mother into letting me borrow the car.

She looked the phone number up.

5. Some transitive phrasal verbs are inseparable. The object is placed after the

preposition. In this Phrasal Verb Dictionary, inseparable phrasal verbs are marked by

placing a + after the preposition / adverb.

Example:

I ran into an old friend yesterday.

They are looking into the problem.

6. Some transitive phrasal verbs can take an object in both places. In this Phrasal Verb

Dictionary, such phrasal verbs are marked with both * and + .

Example:

I looked the number up in the phone book.

I looked up the number in the phone book.

7. Although many phrasal verbs can take an object in both places, you must put the

object between the verb and the preposition if the object is a pronoun.

Example:

I looked the number up in the phone book.

I looked up the number in the phone book.

I looked it up in the phone book. correct

I looked up it in the phone book. Incorrect

Reference : English syntax modul kulyah drs .surono ,m .hum

http://www.english-for-students.com/Adjective-Phrase.html

5. ADJECTIVE PHRASE

Adjective phrase as a verb complement.

Sometimes it appears that an adjective resides in the verb phrase as a complement to certain

verbs. Such a verb may also require one or two arguments (an object) as a verb complement. A verb with this

kind of complement is called transitive (with one) or ditransitive (with two). It is also possible that the verb

complemented with an adjective phrase be intransitive. However, the complements following the object or

normally interpreted as object complement. We consider these sentences as also containing a degenerate

clause of result, the subjects being the same as that of the main clause.

1. This soup tastes quite bitter.

2. My husband has worried himself sick over it.

With transitive verbs the adjective complement describes the object. With intransitive verbs it describes the

subject. All adjectives are descriptive or qualifying in a general sense rather than identifying or classifying.

Adjective phrase

Adjective clauses can be reduced to adjective phrases under certain grammatical conditions.  In the

examples below, you will see a noun modified by an adjective clause and then an example of the

same noun modified by the shorter adjective phrase.  The red dots indicate that the main clause is

incomplete as you are focusing only on clause-to-phrase reduction in these examples.  For such

reductions to occur, the relative pronoun must be a subject pronoun in all cases.

Grammatical Condition Clause Phrase

Verb in adjective clause is an

active verbPeople who live in large cities... people living in large cities...

Verb in adjective clause is

progressive

Students who are studying at

urban campuses...

Students studying at urban

campuses...

Verb in adjective clause is

passive

Children who are born with

congenital heart disease...

Children born with congenital

heart disease... (the preferred

style)

Adj. clause has the verb be +

adjective + infinitive

complement

Children who are most likely to

recover from serious illness...

Children most likely to recover

from serious illness...

Adj. clause has another name for

the modified noun (an

appositive)

Dr. Francisco Ramirez, who is

chief pediatric surgeon at

Children's Hospital,...

Dr. Francisco Ramirez, chief

pediatric surgeon at Children's

Hospital,... the appositive phrase

is preferred style and is non-

restrictive.

What Is an Adjective Phrase?

An adjective phrase gives more information about a noun or pronoun. Some also modify noun

phrases. A great way to understand adjective phases is to see them at work in a few sentences.

Understanding the Adjective Phrase

Adjective phrases act just like adjectives. They modify, describe, or give more information about a

noun or pronoun. Some examples are: without a penny, of great importance, devoid of life, covered

with dirt, running in the park, and man of the hour.

Some adjective phrases modify nouns or noun phrases. Following are some sentences with the

phrases underlined:

The very small kitten jumped at the big dog.

The cost of the car was way too high.

The man covered with sweat, trudged his way home.

Something in the corner was moving.

The big bug under the blanket is moving towards me.

Other adjective phrases modify the predicate of the sentence. Here are some examples:

Extra buttons came with the coat.

Gremlins cause mischief inside of machines.

We were saddened by the news of his demise.

The brownies smell deliciously sweet.

I was delighted that he was chosen.

Adjective phrases can also modify objects and will follow the word they are modifying. Examples

are: 

She wanted to paint her room lemony yellow.

My new kitten makes me very happy.

I sometimes pity people living in large cities.

We are collecting money for children born with heart defects.

They were proud of their team winning the championship.

Famous Adjective Phrases

Here are some famous adjective phrases from William Shakespeare.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

And shining morning face, creeping like a snail unwillingly to school

Eaten out of house and home

Even at the turning of the tide

How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child

I will wear my heart upon my sleeve

Understanding Basic Adjectives

To better understand the adjective phrase, it might help you if you understand the basic functions of

adjectives.

Here are the basic categories of adjectives with a few examples:

Quantity - Adjectives can tell the quantity, like any, few, every, some, all, twenty, none, each,

and several.

Opinion - Adjectives that are based on opinion include: gorgeous, hideous, evil, angelic,

amazing, and important.

Descriptive - There are many descriptive adjectives that tell the size, age, shape, and color of

a noun or pronoun.  Some examples are: tiny, gigantic, svelte, huge, antique, youthful,

modern, recent, bumpy, smooth, oblong, round, pale, tanned, blue, and yellowish.

Origin - Where an object came from or where it is located would be an adjective of origin,

like: polar, northern, Mexican, or Swiss.

Composition - Words to describe the purpose and composition of an object would include:

hunting, cooking, racing, wooden, silk, or plastic.

Comparison - Some adjectives compare words like curlier, curliest, best, worse, least, most

beautiful, and less worrisome. Other adjectives like those that do not have two levels of

comparison and examples of these include: total, ideal, unique, fatal, chief, and unbroken.

Articles - The articles “a”, “an”, and “the” are adjectives.

Possessive - Adjectives can be possessive, like your, mine, or their; demonstrative, like that,

this, or those; and interrogative, like which or what.

Remember, the purpose of an adjective or an adjective phrase is to change the meaning of a noun or

pronoun or to describe it.

The functions of an adjective phrase

As a part of the verb phrase an adjective phrases is predictive. In the first case such an

adjective usually functions to attribute a particular quality to the subject. When there is an object

present the adjective phrase attributes the quality to the object as illustrated in (4) of the previous

paragraph.

(1) My cat is very curious. [COP + AJP]

It is also possible for the adjective to be a part of the argument in the predicate. This position is not

described in [P3]. An adjective which stands before the noun that it modifies is attributive.

(2) My cat is a very curious cat. [COP + [DTP + NOM + MDF] ARG]

An adjective within an argument usually (but not always) has a paraphrase that contains an adjective

clause instead (3).

(3) My cat is one which is very curious.

i. A cat may be very curious.

ii. My cat is of this kind.

The clause in (3) makes the adjective classifying. This is the function of the prepositional phrase

in the matrix (3m) and is commonly the function of a predicate noun (4).

(4) My cat is a mouser. [COP + ARG]

(5) My cat is of a certain kind. [COP + PAP]

As an attribute the adjective phrase may assign the reference of the noun it modifies to a particular

class. An attributive adjective may also be definitional. It is normal to interpret an adjective that is

definitional in the attribute position (6) as classificatory, but non-definitional when it appears in

predicate position (7).

(6) My cat is a Siamese cat. (of a certain kind) [ +Classificatory, +Definitional]

(7) My cat is Siamese. (from Siam) [+Classificatory, -Definitional]

But if the interpreter considers the noun in a particular context to be fully defined and classified, the

use of an adjective may be identifying. Classifying and identifying adjective are restrictive. This

means that their function is to restrict the possible interpretations of the noun phrase of which they

are a part. But when the interpretation of the noun phrase is already restricted, the adjective’s

function is non-restrictive.

The three uses of an attributive adjective

The attributive adjective is the post-positive limiter or modifier in [P20].

20 Determiner Phrase Prepositive Quanter Phrase + Determiner + Post-Positive Limiter

This element is further developed in [P28]. Besides being an adverb of extent (possibly gradable), it

may also be a clause (AdjC).

28 Post-Positive Limiter negative particle + Approximetive Phrase + Adverb of Extent

Specifier Phrase

Emphatic particle + Adjective Clause

Compare this three uses of the attributive adjective. The adjective in (1) is restrictive (and also

classifying).

(1) Fido is very curious cat.

i. A cat may be very curious.

ii. Fido is a cat of this kind.

The adjective in (2) is restrictive (and also identifying), provided I have other not so curious cats.

The “C” is the paraphrase with the adjective phrase reformulated as a clause.

(2) Fido is my very curious cat.

i. Fido is the cat of mine which is very curious.

ii. One of my cats is very curious.

iii. Fido is that cat of mine.

If I have but one cat, the interpretation is that its being curious is non-restrictive and hence only

qualifying or descriptive.

(3) Fido is my very curious cat.

i. Fido is my cat, which cat is very curious.

ii. Fido is very curious.

iii. Fido is my cat.

Reference : English syntax modul kulyah drs .surono ,m .hum

http://www.yourdictionary.com/grammar/verbs/verb-phrase-examples.html

6 . ADVERB PHRASE AND ADVERBIAL PHRASE

a.) what is a adverb phrase?

An adverb is a word, which modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb.

Example : he laughed very loudly

(the adverb very modifies the adverb loudly , which modifies the verb “laughed”)

And also the work of an adverb can be done by a group of words which is called “adverb

phrase”

Adverb are used to tell time (when), place (where) , reason (why) , manner (how) ,

degree (how much) ,to what extent and frequency (how often).

Example : a.) they will leave soon ( time )

b.) he will wait here ( place )

c.) therefore he always punished ( reason )

d.) the boys played well ( manner )

e.) they were quite satisfied ( degree )

f.) she is always late ( frequency )

many adverb are formed from adjectives , with the addition of the suffix “ly”

example : busily , greatly , happily , slowly , softly , quietly

reference : maufur , mustolah , English grammar , gontor ,Darussalam , press, 1993

b.) what is adverbial phrase?

Adverbial phrase is a linguistic term for a group of two or more words opening operating adverbially

, when viewed in terms of their syntactic function.

.) Since + a point of time .we use since with the present perfect to mark a period lasting

till now : I haven’t seen him since January

.) for + period of time answer how long? We use for to refer to periods of time ;

- in the past : my wife and I worked in America for five months.

- in future : john will be staying in new York for two weeks

.) period of time + ‘ago’ answer how long ago? We use ago with the simple past < I

arrived here two months ago

Reference : longman English grammar practice for intermediate students , L .G .Alexander.

c.) building adverb phrase and adverbial phrase?

I will be very grateful if someone makes this clear to me:

when adverbs are built by adding a suffix –l y, when do we write single l and when

double (when the word finishes with l )

eg . Traditional + ly = traditionally

Logical + ly = logically

http://www.google.co.id/#hl=id&q=building+adverb&oq=building+adverb&aq=f&aqi

The building of adverbial phrase :

An 'adverbial' or 'adverbial phrase' is a word or expression in the

sentence that does the same job as an adverb; that is, it tells you

something about how the action in the verb was done.

For example:

I sometimes have trouble with adverbs.

He spoke very quietly.

I've read that book three times.

She's gone to the bank.

The first tells us the frequency of the action (sometimes), the second how he carried out the

action (quietly), and the third how many times the action has happened (three).

The fourth is a little different, as in this case the adverbial (gone to the bank) is more or less

demanded by the verb (has).

To remember the form of such verbs use your notebooks to write down the different

forms.

For example:

to go [somewhere]

to put [something][somewhere]

This information is also useful when deciding the order of adverbials in a sentence.

Unlike the previous parts of the sentence, a sentence can contain an indefinite number of

adverbials, although in practice it's a good idea to keep them few in number.

http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/sentencetext.htm

d.) functions of an adverb phrase and adverbial phrase

- as modifiers of verbs

- as modifiers of adjectives

- as modifiers of another adverb

- as modifiers of the whole sentence

For example : fortunately , the very small boy threw the ball very quickly

: the boy quikly threw the ball there twice yesterday

- adverbial in final position : ( the order : adverbs of place , manner , time )

- eg . the witness walked to the stand hesistenly when he was called

- other complex structures that function as adverbial :

- he put the book on the table ( prepositional phrase )

- I’ll do it when I have time ( adverbial clause )

Reference : English syntax modul kulyah drs .surono ,m .hum

7.) PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE

a.) what is prepositional phrase ?

A prepositional is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to show its relationship

to some other words in a sentence.

Example : the flies crawled on the refuse heap

My sister sat beside him

In a sentence prepositions show the relation of one word to another word.

Prepositions require an object to complete them, typically a noun or a pronoun. A

preposition and its object is called a prepositional phrase.

The Prepositional Phrase: If a word in the table below does not have an object,

then the word is not functioning as a preposition.

b.) building prepositional phrase

Building Sentences with Prepositional Phrases

Prepositional phrases may do more than just add minor details to a sentence: they

may, in fact, be needed for a sentence to make sense. Consider the vagueness of

this sentence without prepositional phrases:

The workers gather a rich variety and distribute it.

Now see how the sentence comes into focus when we add prepositional phrases:

From many sources, the workers at the Community Food Bank gather a rich

variety of surplus and unsalable food and distribute it to soup kitchens, day-care

centers, and homes for the elderly.

Notice how these added prepositional phrases give us more information about

certain nouns and verbs in the sentence:

Which workers?

The workers at the Community Food Bank.

What did they gather?

A rich variety of surplus and unsalable food.

Where did they gather the food?

From many sources.

Who did they distribute it to?

To soup kitchens, day-care centers, and homes for the elderly.

Like the other simple modifiers prepositional phrases are not merely ornaments;

they add details that can help us understand a sentence.

Building with Simple Modifiers

Use adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases to expand the sentence below.

Add details that answer the questions in parentheses and make the sentence more

interesting and informative. Jenny stood, raised her shotgun, aimed, and fired.

(Where did Jenny stand? How did she aim? What did she fire at?)

http://grammar.about.com/od/basicsentencegrammar/a/prepphrases.htm

there are many ‘small words ‘ in English such as up , down , and by which we call

prepositional in fact , we use these prepositions or adverb particles.

Understanding the difference between the two will help us to understand ‘phrasal

verbs’

a preposition must have an object ( a noun , or a pronoun ) , so it is always related

to a noun : across the road , over the wall , up the hill, down the mountain.

Example : we drove round the city ( round has a noun object , so it’s a

preposition )

(we drove round ( round has no abject , so it’s an adverb particle )

c.) functions of a prepositional phrase

- that in the above example the prepositions express a relationship of place ,

prepositions can show a relationship of time :

Example : we shall meet at three o’clock.

Please complete your report by Monday

We are leaving on Sunday

Prepositional can also be used to show a relationship of manner.

Example : please handle this vase with care

He did the planning in an efficient manner

Their behavior is above reproach

- while prepositions are used most commonly to show relationship of place, time , and

manner , they may also be used for other functions , as indicated below

Example : a.) we did it for him ( purpose )

b.) this machine is worked by hand ( means )

c.) she fainted from exhaustion ( reason )

here is a list of some of the more common prepositions :

of , in , on , up , into , for , with , by , from , till , after , before , near , against , across , behind , below , beneath , above , over , about , between , through , under , around , upon

- there is another functions :

a.) prepositional object ,eg:

the mother looked at her child tenderly

all the children were laughing at the jokers

b.) object + prepositional object ,eg:

please remind me of ( about ) the time of the meeting

I have consulted my lawyer about the will

c.) subject, eg:

over the fence is out

from ten to two is a good time to find me in the office

references : Darussalam press book , gontor ponorogo