Sentence: category and function

 Sentences can be described in two ways:

 Categorial description
 Functional description

 Categorial description gives information about

the categories to which their constituents
belong

 Functional description specifies what functions

their constituents have in sentence structure
 Sentence can be described in categorial terms, that is in
terms of the phrases of which they are made up:
 NP
 VP
 AP
 AvP
 PP
• Then, on the basis of phrase structure rule we can formalize
sentences as follows.
S  NP + VP
 It is a tenet of both traditional and generative grammar that
a sentence consists of two constituents:
 Subject
 Predicate
 The part of sentence realizing the function predicate can be
segmented into: Predicator and Complement
 We employ the complement types for the following functions:
 Direct object (see example no. 4, 6,7, and 8 Slide 6)
 Indirect object (see example no.6 Slide 6)
 Benefactive object (see example no. 7 Slide 6)
 Subject complement (see example no. 4 Slide 5)
 Object complement (see example no. 8 Slide 6)
 Predicator complement (see example no.5 Slide 6)
 (1) Each child draws a different picture.
category NP VP NP
function Subject Predicator Object
(2) The society values individualism very highly.
category NP VP NP AdvP
function Subj Pred Obj Adjunct/Adverbial
(3) They left this morning.
category NP VP NP
function Subj Pred Adverbial
(4) That problem seems easy.
category NP VP AdjP
function Subj Pred SC
 (5) He has two cars.
category NP VP NP
function Subject Pred PC
(6) The firm has offered Jim a job.
category NP VP NP NP
function Subj Pred IO DO
(7) My boss has bought his daughter a car
category NP VP NP NP
function Subj Pred BO DO
(8) We will make you very happy.
category NP VP NP AdjP
function Subj Pred DO OC
 Direct objects are defined as constituents that refer to entities
that undergo the activity or process denoted by the verb.
 Syntactically Direct Objects can be identified by some
characterizations as follows.
 D.Os are often NPs (though not exclusively)
e.g. My sister found this book.
That silly fool broke the teapot.
 Their usual position is after the main verb
 D.Os have a strong relationship with the verbs that
precedes them.
e.g. *My sister found.
the verb found requires the presence of a Direct object.
 D.Os are brought out by comparing active with passive
sentences
 An Indirect Object is that person or thing to whom an action is
performed.
 Some syntactic characterizations of the Indirect Object are:
 they are typically NPs
e.g. We gave the boys the CDs.
 they cannot occur without a following Direct Object
e.g. *We gave the boys.
 I.Os always precede D.Os
e.g. We gave the boys the CDs.
*We gave the CDs the boys.
 they can become the Subject of passive sentences
e.g. the boys were given the CDs by us.
 Benefactive object is that person or thing for whom an action
is performed.
 The constituent functioning as benefactive object resembles
the indirect object; it immediately precedes the direct object
constituents
 It can also be substituted by a prepositional phrase, which
usually requires preposition for, NOT to, as in the case of
the indirect object
E.g. could you call me a taxi?
she made herself a cup of tea.
 Another criterion distinguishing benefactive object from
indirect object is that the former cannot, as a rule, become
the subject of a passive sentence
e.g. *Could I be called a taxi?
*herself was made a cup of tea.
 A subjective complement is that which
follows the linking verbs (i.e. be, seem,
become, feel, etc) and identifies or describes
the subject.
e.g. the woman was a doctor.
the artist seemed upset.
your haircut looks great.
 An Objective complement is that which
completes the direct object and describes or
identifies it.
e.g. we considered the manager
incompetent.
they elected Henry treasurer.
 Strictly speaking, predicator complement could be used with
reference to all those constituents obligatorily complement
the verb. However, we shall here use it in a restricted sense
to denote an obligatory constituent which does not meet the
criteria we have used to define the other five complement
types
 Thus, tobacco and his father in the sentences ‘that tin
contains tobacco’ and ‘the boy resembles his father’
functions as the predicator complement, NOT as the direct
object, since they are preceded by the verb that cannot be
passivized, or if they can, do not preserve their meaning
 The other function that has not been discussed
is adverbial
 The function adverbial is associated with a
constituent which occupies a position on the
same level as subject and predicate
constituents.
 In other words, like the subject and predicate
constituents, the adverbial is treated as an IC of
a sentence
Assign function labels (Subject, Predicator, Direct Object,
Indirect Object, etc.) to the italicized phrases in the
following sentences:
I. She arrived last week.
II. You will need a comprehensive travel insurance.
III. Who said that?
IV. Benny worked in a shoe factory when he was a
student.
V. He sold the student a ticket.
VI. Who will do the cleaning?
VII. She believed George honest.
VIII. the contestant grew confident during the competition.
IX. You cannot compare John with Mary.
X. After his retirement, he bought his daughter a villa in
the country.
Construct two sentences for each of the following items.
(i) a Subject, a Predicator, an Indirect Object and a Direct Object
(ii) a Subject, a Predicator, a Direct Object and an Adverbial
(iii) a Subject, a Predicator and an Adverbial
(iv) a Subject and a Predicator
(v) a Subject, a Predicator, a Direct Object, and an Objective
Complement
(vi) a Subject, a Predicator, and a Subjective Complement
(vii) a Subject, a Predicator, and a Direct Object