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Grammar Class I
Grammar Part of a language that deals with how sentences and utterances are formed. It
deals with morphemes, words, phrases and clauses (constituent parts of a sentence).
Morphemes: smallest meaningful unit in a word (Example: unhelpful.)
Phrase: Group of words that constitute an object in a sentence (Example: Sir Paul McCartney/
played/ Hey Jude/ for the Mexican Audience/ at Foro Sol/ in 1992).
Clauses: Separate meaningful units in an utterance containing a verb. (Example: Sir Paul
McCartney played Hey Jude/ and/ that was the last song of the show).
*Not to be confused with lexis, which deals with meanings, neither with phonology, which deals
with how a sentence has to be spoken.
Syntax: has the order of words/phrases/clauses in a sentence as its
regulating object.
English grammar
Morphology: has the form of the words as its regulating object
(conjugation, plurals, nouns, adjectives).
Deterministic (example: syntax deterministic rule: The children –not:
children the–)
Grammar rules A
Probabilistic (example: I like the guy that (who) plays paperback writer)
Descriptive: Explain how people use the written and spoken language.
Grammar rules B
Prescriptive: Explain how people should use the language.
Workshop of Anglophone cultures
Class I
Sentences and clauses.
Sentence is the largest unit of grammar (Paragraphs are considered units of discourse). They are
composed by clauses. Clauses are composed by phrases, from which at least one has to be a verb
phrase.
Examples:
1) George has to go to church. (One clause = three phrases = one sentence) [Simple sentence]
2) George has to go to church and confess his sins to the priest. (Two clauses = six phrases = one
sentence) [Complex sentence]
3) George has to go to church and confess his sins to the priest that steals the alms. (three clauses
= seven phrases = one sentence) [Complex sentence]
Types of clauses
Regarding the sentence composing function clauses are classified in two types: Main and
subordinate.
Main clauses Also known as independent clauses. They can form a sentence on their own.
They have to have a tensed verb. They can be together with other main clauses
when linked by coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or).
Examples:
1) The students work hard.
2) The students work hard and their grades reflected the acquired knowledge.
Subordinate clauses They are dependent clauses that cannot compose a sentence on their
own. They are normally linked to a main clause by a subordinating
conjunction* .
* After, although, as, because, before, for, how, however, if, in case, in order that, lest, once,
since, that, though, till, unless, until, when, whenever, where, whereas, wherever, which, while,
whilst, who, whoever, whom, whose.
Drills.
I. Underline the morphemes in the following words.
1) Contrary 6) Unlawful
2) International 7) Demoralized
3) Included 8) Prerogative
4) Incomprehensive 9) Lovely
5) Cooperative 10) Primordial
II. Separate the following clauses in phrases.
1) Kant remains diffuse, at least in the “Grundlegung” as he defines what Freedom is.
2) It seems that he refers to Freedom as understood in two different levels, namely within the boundaries of
an intelligible realm and within the realm of the things as they are given to us in nature.
3) Textually Kant defines freedom as the “property of such causality that it can be efficient, independently of
foreign causes determining it”.
III. Mark the main clauses in red from the following fragment; mark the subordinate clauses in blue.
Circulate the coordinating conjunctions and square the subordinating ones.
I have spoken so far of humans in a general sense. However, in reality, this process of differentiation is not
only performed by the human in general, but actually at the level of each and every human individuality.
This brings immediately a struggle for nature’s domination, since each individual has determined nature as
belonging to him. “In order for me to expand –would conceive the individual‐, I need the rest to contract.
My survival implies either the death or the subjection of those individuals who refuse to see me as the
controller, determiner and thus possessor of what’s apart from me, that is Nature”. This thought is evidently
multiplied by the number of individuals existing, bringing as a result a struggle for the control of nature that
will involve life and death. Nevertheless an abstract problem appears since as long as the determination of
control of the individual requires the subjection of the rest and this rest has to recognize and give survival to
the individual, he realizes that he is not yet quite independent: he needs to submit the other and the others!
At the very end he is still determined and indirectly controlled by the other, for his hegemony and expansion
depends on the triumph of the fight eliminating the competence as well as on the transformation of nature
to satisfy his needs. There must be a better way to remain free and independent!