Declarative, interrogative, imperative (incl.Emotional) and exclamatory

Declarative – the subj precedes the verb

Interrogative – aux.v in front of the subj.special w-order, very few modal words – modal w-s expressing full certainty (certainly, surely…) can’t appear in a sent, expressing a question

Semi-interrogative sent-s – “oh, you’ve seen him?”

Imperative – no gram.subj, the v – in the imperative mood; modal words, expressing possibility (perhaps,maybe) are incompatible with orders and requests

The notion of exclamatory sent-s and their relation to the other 3 types presents some difficulty: every sent, whether narrative, interrogative or imperative, may be exclamatory, i.e. it may convey the speaker’s feelings and be characterized by emphatic intonation and by an exclamation mark

Eq. But he can’t do anything to you! What can he possibly do to you! Scarlett, spare me!

Purely exclamatory sentence: “Oh, for God’s sake, Henry!”

The structure of a certain sent.may be used for other communicative purposes than those that are characteristics of the sent-s of this class

eq. Yes/No questions – You will speak to him? – declarative

Rhetorical questions – Is that the reason for despair? (of course not)

23) Simple Sentence (SS)

1.1 Definition. A sentence is a unit of speech whose grammatical structure conforms to the laws of the language and which serves as the chief means of conveying a thought. A sentence is not only a means of communicating something about reality but a means of showing the speaker’s attitude to it.

1.2 Classification. The classification of SS is based on two principles:

(A) according to the purpose of the utterance;

(B) according to the structure.

According to the purpose of the utterance we distinguish 4 kinds of sentences:

The declarative sentence states a fact in the affirmative or negative form. In DS the subject precedes the predicate (pronounced with falling intonation) (!: English predicate can have only one negation).

He does not go anywhere.

The interrogative sentence asks a question. It is formed by means of inversion (unless subject is an interrogative word: Who is in the room? – no inversion).

There are 4 kinds of questions:

(a) General questions requiring the answer yes or no and spoken with a rising intonation. They are formed by placing part of the predicative (auxiliary or modal verb) before the subject.

Do you like art? Can you speak English?

Astonishment: Haven’t you seen him yet?

Rhetoric questions: Can you commit a whole country to their own prisons?

Special q. beginning with an interrogative word (falling intonation)

Where do you live? (order of words is as in Gen. question)

Who lives in this room? (Who – is a subject, order of words is as that of a statement)

(b) Alternative questions, indicating choice (1. rising intonation 2. falling):

Do you live in town or in the country?

(d) Disjunctive questions requiring the answer yes or no and consisting of an affirmative statement followed by a negative question, or a negative statement followed by an affirmative question (1. Falling 2. Rising intonation)

You speak English, don’t you?

An Imperative sentence serves to induce a person to do smth, so it expresses a command (falling tone: Come to the blackboard!), a request or invitation (rising tone: Open the door, please!).

An exclamatory sentence expresses some kind of emotion or feeling. It often begins with the words what and how, it is always in the declarative form (no inversion) (falling intonation: What a lovely day it is! How wonderful!)

According to their structure SS are divided into two-member and one-member sentences. A two-member sentence is complete when it has a subject and a predicate.

Fleur had easily established immediate contact with an architect.

A two-member sentence is incomplete when one of the principal parts or both of them are missing, but can be easily understood from the context. Such sentences are called elliptical: What were we doing? –Drinking.

A one-member sentence has only one member, which is neither subject nor predicate. This does not mean that the other member is missing, for the one member makes the sense complete. Used in descriptions and in emotional speech.

If the main part of a one member sentence is expressed by a noun, the sentence is called nominal. The noun may be modified by attributes.

Dusk – of the summer night.

The main part of a one member sentence is often expressed by an infinitive.

To die out there – lonely, waiting them, waiting home.

SS can be unextended (consisting only of the primary or principal parts) and extended (consisting of the subject, a predicate and one or more secondary parts: objects, attributes or adverbial modifiers). 1) Birds fly. 2) This big girl is a student. (attr)

Purpose of utterance

SS

Declarative Interrogative Imperative

(questions)

Affirmative Negative General Special Alternative Disjunctive Command Request

Structure

SS

(unextended/extended)

Two-member One-member

Complete Incomplete Nominal Infinitive

(elliptical)

23Б) According to their structures simple sentences fall into:

Two member

One member

sentences.

Two member sentences consist of both the principal parts of the sentence. (subject and predicate) A one member sentence consists of only one of the principal parts. Ilysh writes that one member sentences should not be confused with two member sentences with either the subject or predicate or both of them omitted. Such sentences are called incomplete two member sentences or elliptical sentences, the missing parts of which can be restored from the previous context.

One member sentences fall into: nominal types (the spring of 1945, night of ) and verbal types. The verbal types fall into finite verb types (take it,come here); infinitible types (to be away from here, oh, to be with her); participial types (broken! Left alone).

Elliptical sentences are more characteristic of dialogue speech. For ex. – Who was the 1^st to come? – Peter. When did you arrive? – Yesterday.

Elliptical sentence can also be used in monologue speech. For ex: I didn’t watch the film. Don’t like it.

Professor Bloch doesn’t agree with a division of simple sentence into one member and into elliptical ones. According to him one member sentences can also be restored from the context. For ex: Night (it was night) , why not go there (why should we go there). He suggests dividing simple sentences into two axis and one axis sentences.

One axis sentences in their turn fall into:

Free one axis sentences including contextually restorable elliptical sentences;

Fixed one axis sentences which fall into the following types:

1. naming sentences – for ex: night. Spring!

2. excuses – for ex: pardon, sorry.

3.greetings - farewell - – for ex: Hi, evening, morning.

4. assertions and negations – for ex : no

5. causative constructions – for ex: come on, get away.

According to Ilysh the unexpanded sentence consists of only the subject and the predicate. The expanded simple sentence includes some optional parts of the sentence that is the suplementative modifiers, which don’t constitute a predicative expansion of a sentence.

For ex_ unexpanded simple – the boy is sleeping. I bought a book. She became a teacher.

Expanded ones - I bought a book for you. The night came dark and dreary. (predicative supplements) (adverbial) – I saw a house in the distance.

According to paradigmatic characteristics they distinguish elementary sentences which have the following synonyms – base sentence, cornel sentences – the elementary and cornel sentence is a two member unexpanded sentences. They also distinguish trans forms – different communicative and structural types of the sentences built up of elementary or cornel sentences.