U N I T 1

CLAUSES
BASED ON GEROT

Clauses
They are the higher units on the rank-scale and they are made up of lower rank units that perform different functions within them:
Today, curiously, origami is practised all around the world

In fact, curiously, origami

Acon PP Amod AdvG S NG

is practised all around the world

F P Acir
PP VG:::::::::::::

TYPES OF CLAUSES
MAJOR
They have predicator

MINOR
They do not have predicator
ALARMS CALLS GREETINGS CONTINUITY

EXCLAMATIONS

EXAMPLES OF MINOR CLAUSES

Fire! Help!

Willy! Mom!

Hello!! Good Morning!!

Oh, Lord! My dear! Wow!

(they arrived last night)

Uhuh.

EXAMPLES OF MAJOR CLAUSES

Shut up! She will probably come. He was willing to stay as he liked it so much there He gave us a poor excuse

MAJOR CLAUSES
Ranking clauses Clauses that function as clauses, i.e. that convey messages or extend messages ranking independent ranking dependent

Non-Ranking/Rankshifted Downranked/Embedded clauses Clauses that have been brought down to the lower rank of group/phrases and are embedded in other clauses or in elements of other clauses as if they were a group or phrase. They do not convey messages or extend them, but are only part of them.

RANKING CLAUSES
INDEPENDENT DEPENDENT

They can stand alone. They are always finite. They choose their own mood.

They cannot stand alone.

They may be F or NF They pick up the mood of the independent clause

They can be suppressed or moved around

RANKING CLAUSES
Independent Dependent

clauses
Single clauses A Clause in paratactic clause complex The Main/Dominant clause in a hypotactic clause complex

clauses

The dependent/hypotactic clause in a hypotactic clause complex

RANKING CLAUSES
A paratactic clause complex
Paratactic clause Paratactic clause

A hypotactic clause complex

Dominant clause Hypotactic clause

E X A M P L E S
Single clauses
He was appointed president on account of his experience. He had to stand in a queue all morning.

Clauses in a paratactic complex

He was very understanding and he let us stay. Stay quiet or Ill send you out.

He is very hardworking; he does his job very well and helps others do theirs.

E X A M P L E S
Clauses in a hypotactic complex
When elections were held he was appointed president.

I queued up to recharge my bus-card but after a few minutes I left as I dont enjoy standing in queues.
As I was coming home, I met Laura. Since their granny died, the kids have been very sad.

I got very angry because the plumber didnt finish his work on time.
If it gets late, well have to finish the work tomorrow. She usually wakes him up just by shaking him softly.

NON - RANKING CLAUSES RANKSHIFTED CLAUSES

DOWN -RANKED CLAUSES

EMBEDDED CLAUSES

EMBEDDED CLAUSES
Definitions
it is a process whereby a clause comes to function within the structure of another clause.
it is a clause that is part of a group which in turn is part of a clause. it is a unit that functions as part of another unit at the same or lower rank.

EMBEDDED CLAUSES
Distinctive features
They cant stand alone They pick up the mood from an independent clause they are part to They cant be suppressed

They cant be moved around.

They can be F or NF They can realise functions like: S O C q

E X A M P L E S
SUBJECT:
[[What I dont enjoy]] is standing in queues. [[What most people prefer]] is others doing the work. It doesnt matter [[where you sit]]. [[To take such a risk]] was rather foolish. [[Travelling by bus]] is cheaper than travelling by car. [[To err]] is human; [[to forgive]] is divine. [[What we need]] is change.

E X A M P L E S
COMPLEMENT (Od):
I brought [[what I could buy]].

I ate [[what was there]].

I hate [[travelling by bus]].

COMPLEMENT (Oi):
I gave [[whoever was there]] a present. Save [[whoever comes]] the trouble of waiting. Give [[whatever you think]] best priority.

E X A M P L E S
COMPLEMENT (Oprep):
I strongly object to [[what youre insinuating]]. The party will have to draw on [[whatever resources it can]]. They are all arguing about [[how much to charge for admittance]]. They stand below [[where we would like them to be]].

He was not sure about [[how he should treat him/how to treat him]].

E X A M P L E S
COMPLEMENT (Cs):
What I dont enjoy is [[standing in queues.]]

My advice is [[to withdraw.]]

To know him is [[to love him.]]

My main problem is [[standing in queues.]]

This is how you should do it.

E X A M P L E S
COMPLEMENT: (Co) Our supporters enthusiasm has made the club [[what it is today.]] Dye your shoes [[whatever colour you want.]]

Wed better not leave the children [[playing in the garden.]]

E X A M P L E S
QUALIFIER OF A NOUN GROUP:
The fact [[that inflation is going down]] is a sign that our economy is improving. The girl [[whom I lent my book to]] has disappeared. There is no evidence [[that he committed the crime]]. Hes not a man [[to lend money to]]. This is the student [[applying for the job]]. This is exactly the place [[where Mr. Smith was murdered]]. That was the day [[when I fell in love with him]].

E X A M P L E S
QUALIFIER OF AN ADJECTIVE GROUP: Many people are doubtful [[how to vote]]. The minister was quick [[to reject the accusation]].

My friends were all willing/reluctant [[to help]].

QUALIFIER OF AN ADVERBIAL GROUP: Please sit down anywhere [[you like]]. Our coach left earlier [[than he should have]].

People here dont work as hard [[as they do in some other countries]].
He explained it so clearly [[that everybody understood]].

CLAUSES
NON-ELLIPTICAL

ELLIPTICAL
All the elements are present.
They have bits left out, but they are recoverable from the context.

E X A M P L E S
NON-ELLIPTICAL ELLIPTICAL

Who did this mess?

Are you coming to the party? Jane plays the piano Lil got furious

Bob
Yes

(did this mess)

(Im coming to the party).

and Jill and then

the guitar. started to cry.

PRACTICE Identifying different types of clauses

Problem-Solution text

Heavy traffic, air pollution and litter are among the most serious problems that modern cities face nowadays. Ours is no exception. What can we do, then, to help make our city more pleasant to its residents?
First of all, it would probably be a good idea to encourage people to use public transport instead of their cars, especially when commuting to work. The result would be fewer cars on the roads and therefore fewer traffic jams.

Secondly, steps should be taken in order to solve the problem of air pollution. The situation could be improved if factories were moved out of the city and were located far from them. If this happened, the air would not be so polluted. Finally, efforts should be made to make our city a cleaner and healthier place to live. A useful suggestion would be to put more litter bins in the streets and encourage people to use them. If this was done, people would most probably stop dropping their rubbish on the ground, and our city would be cleaner.