Syntax queries

Vanesa Polastri

Are you in doubt? Was there any category new to you and you don't know
how to use it? Haven't you understood my handwriting? Do you get confused
with compound and complex sentences? Was the explanation in the photos
enough? Have you found all the sentences very easy?

Debate

LEANDRO AGUSTIN ACUÑA - 29/05/2020 18:53

Hello. I have two questions about this matter:

First, What is a "Pro. word" (No meaning) and how can we identify one?

Second, you seem to use some type of sub-category for Subordinating and
Coordinating conjunctions. How many are there and what are they?

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MARÍA AGUSTINA AMER - 29/05/2020 19:55

Hi, I was intrigued by that too, so I did some research and this is what I
found. It is not given the same use in these examples, but I would like to
know if we find some of these cases in a sentence to analyze, we must
point them out as pro-word. Thank you!

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Vanesa Polastri - 02/06/2020 23:05

There are four types of coordinating conjunctions:

* Additive/ Cumulative/Copulative (Three possible names for the same

category. Examples: "AND", "BOTH...AND", "AS WELL AS", "NOT
ONLY...BUT ALSO", to add information of the same kind).

* Disjunctive/ Alternative (Examples: "OR", "EITHER...OR", "ELSE",

indicating choice ).
* Adversative (Examples: "BUT", "STILL", "WHEREAS", "WHILE", used when
ideas are opposite to each other, to show contrast)

* Illative (Examples: "FOR", "SO", expressing inference) My mum must

have gone shopping for she isn't home now (during the quarantine). You
are eager to understand these things so you will.

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Vanesa Polastri - 02/06/2020 23:14

Don't go crazy with the pro-word for he time being. We will see it in a
couple of sentences only. Whenever you have the to infinitive of a verb in
a sentence, which is the word that is loaded with meaning of the two?
Which would you do away with? Other teachers write a zero crossed with
a diagonal bar under that TO, like an empty word. It's easy to recognise it
when you translate it into Spanish. We shouldn't get confused with the
preposition TO + a verb in the infinitive for PURPOSE. That's another
thing!

"It's a pleasure to meet you." (Un placer conocerte. El TO no se traduce).

En cambio, en la oración: "She's studying hard to pass her exams." (Ella
está estudiando mucho PARA aprobar sus exámenes). Del TO en
adelante tenemos un circunstancial de propósito. Adverbial Adjunct of
Purpose: Para qué?

Más adelante vamos a ver un par de casos más en los que tengamos pro
word. Step by step.

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 MARIA TERESA BRUNO - 12/06/2020 21:23

Hi Vanessa and mates!!

while and so are also considered SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS

aren't they? Maybe with a different meaning that the one expressed in
your examples... am I right??

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Vanesa Polastri - 17/06/2020 13:21

Exactly, Tere! It all depends on the sentence you encounter.

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MARIA TERESA BRUNO - 17/06/2020 20:53

Ok!! Thank you!!

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KAREN FRANCO - 29/05/2020 19:10

Hi! In sentence number two, the verb (smiled) is intransitive because there
isn't a direct object and it has a complete predication because it is
complemented by an adverb. It is right?

What is the clear difference between compound and complex sentences?

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NOELIA ELIZABETH MOYANO - 30/05/2020 00:06

Hi! I hope these images can help you.

adjunto

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KAREN FRANCO - 01/06/2020 17:59

Thank you!!!!

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Vanesa Polastri - 02/06/2020 23:25

Noelia helped you with one of your questions. Let me help you with the
first one. Smile is intransitive, as you said, because it doesn't need a
Direct Object. It has a complete predication because it doesn't need
anything else afterwards. You could say: "She smiled", and that is a whole,
complete sentence.

A verb of incomplete predication is one whose meaning changes or is

completed by something else afterwards. Examples:

She made a cake (MADE: Transitive verb of complete pred + A CAKE:

Direct object - Noun Phrase)

She made me angry (MADE: Transitive verb of incomplete pred + ME:

Direct Object + ANGRY: Objective complement)

Do you see the difference between Make on its own and Make someone
angry?

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MARIA TERESA BRUNO - 12/06/2020 21:10

Thanks!
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NICOLAS JOSE ROSSNEY - 29/05/2020 20:02

Hi Vanesa,

last year when facing an A/A of X we had to check if it was possible to move
it to the beginning or ending of the sentence, so mine were different

Sentence number 3, independent clause, I have "it" as DO but even though I

have the preps IN and FOR (evidence of A/A) I didn't consider moving them
so I analyzed them both as post mod inside the DO. is there any chance to
be correct ?

the same goes with sentence 5 after i returned to the city, to the city as A/A
again I didn't move it but couldn't analyze it

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Vanesa Polastri - 03/06/2020 00:09

In sentence 3, none of those structures starting with a preposition

describe the mirror. Another would have been the case if you had had:
The mirror in my room is quite big. (IN MY ROOM specifies which mirror
you are talking about)

In sentence 5 you could say: To the city I returned. I RETURN is essential.

You could do away with "to the city". TO THE CITY answers the question
WHERE? AAof Place.

Hope it's clearer now.

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MARIA FLORENCIA AGÜERO - 29/05/2020 21:08

Hello, Vanesa! In sentence number 6;

"I will answer the doorbell (and) that cursed tailor..."

I've found that you wrote a new category for 'and' besides the "coordinating
conjunction" that is this "Additive of copulative". I've search for the
explanation and I found this;

I also found this; A copulative conjunction is a sub-section of conjunctions.

Any conjunction that denotes that the coming clause contains additional
information is copulative.

Examples would be;

and

also

as well as
furthermore

For this reason copulative conjunctions are often called additive conjunctions.

Is the explanation okay?

Hope you have a nice weekend!

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Vanesa Polastri - 03/06/2020 00:12

Perfect! I wrote Additive OR Copulative. Another name for the same

coordinating conjunction is Cumulative (Any of the three will do). Below
in this thread I've given a more detailed explanation.

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daiana Scura - 30/05/2020 00:34

I have some questions...

1. In sentence 2 I have "smiled" as a transitive verb of incomplete

predication because it has “curiously” as the subjective complement
because it cannot be moved, I think I can’t say “curiously, he smiled”
because the meaning would change … am I wrong?

2. In sentence 3, “when” is a subordinating conjunction and its part of the

predicate, but then “they” is the subject, and “brought it to me” the predicate,
so… inside a predicate, there is a sentence?
3. In sentence 6, why “that” is a demonstrative adjective and not a
demonstrative pronoun?

thanks!!

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Vanesa Polastri - 03/06/2020 00:31

1) In sentence 2:

SMILE is always intransitive

It doesn't take a Direct Object. You don't say: I smiled my mouth or I

smiled my lips. You say: I smiled. (It is complete on its own). So, if it has
no complement, it isn't of incomplete predication, either.

With respect to the adverb CURIOUSLY, it answers the question: How?

How did you smile?

Another similar example: She walked quickly, How did she walk? QUICKLY
is also an AA of Manner.

2) What you have inside the Predicate is a clause (NOT a sentence: The
sentence starts with the first capital letter and ends in the stop). Clauses
have the same basic shape of sentences SUBJECT + VERB.

So, you can have a sentence made up of only one clause (Therefore it is
INDEPENDENT, if it is grammatical). Or have a combination of clauses
inside a sentence. If those clauses are independent (have entity on their
own if you separate them) then you have a compound sentence and what
joins them must be a coordinating conjunction or a comma. But when a
clause is less important than another one, the most important one is the
independent clause (the one that can stand on its own) and the less
important one, the one you can do away with, is the dependent one (it
depends on the existence of the main clause). In that case you have a
complex sentence, with different levels of importance, let's say, that's why
a clause is inside the other one.

3) THAT:

That film is wonderful! THAT FILM (Noun phrase: ADJECTIVE + NOUN)

That is fantastic! (THAT: Demonstrative pronoun) There is no noun. That

stands on its own.

The same happens with the other terms: THIS, THESE, THOSE.

This exercise is driving me crazy! (Demonstrative adjective, because it is

followed by a noun).

This is exhausting! (Demonstrative pronoun. No noun afterwards)

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MARIA TERESA BRUNO - 11/06/2020 00:27

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MARIA LUJAN MADERNA - 01/06/2020 11:03

I have a question to ask ..

Why in the first sentence" I praised his cutting" His is pre- mod ? And not a
specifier ? I don' t remember when they are pre - or post.

Thank you

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Vanesa Polastri - 03/06/2020 00:39

Pre- modifier (Before the head-noun) ---> Adjectives (or noun acting as an
adjective) or Articles

Post-modifier (After the head-noun) ---> It helps you specify the person or
thing you are talking about.

Example: The girl around the corner is my college mate.

The girl around the corner...

Pre-mod. head Post-mod.

 (Definite article) (Noun) (Prepositional phrase)

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LEONARDO LUSA - 08/06/2020 19:48

So, can we say that "possessive adjectives" will always be pre-modifiers?

and "possessive pronouns" will always be post-modifiers?

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Vanesa Polastri - 09/06/2020 16:41

Possessive adjectives can be pre-modifiers of nouns in a noun phrase but

they can fulfil other syntactic roles too.

Possessive pronouns (pronouns in general) can fulfill the role of nouns:

subject, object, for example.

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LUCIANA VAZQUEZ - 08/06/2020 22:43

Hello! Even though I had a few errors and doubts when analysing these
sentences, in general terms, I didn't find them too difficult to analyze.

I have a doubt:

♦ The difference between a complex and a compound sentence is that in the

first one there's one dependent clause and one independent clause and in a
compound sentence there are two clauses with the same importance. Did I
understand the difference correctly?

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Vanesa Polastri - 09/06/2020 16:37

Great! In both, the sentences are made up of more than one clause, not
necessarily two.

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MARIA LUJAN MADERNA - 19/06/2020 19:27

Hello Vanesa! I have some questions about the sentences:

● The definite article "the" can act as a specifier too?

● In the first sentence: "the police officers ´actions turned fatal, why
turned is IVIP? Because it is the same as saying "were" fatal?

thanks!
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NICOLAS JOSE ROSSNEY - 19/06/2020 19:42

Hello there,

check the sentence Vanesa gave us last Wednesday "the employee said
the man appeared drunk" appeared can be replaced with was. We can use
the same rule to analyze the sentence, replace with was or were (depends
on the situation)

IV cuz no DO and IP cuz we need more information. That last piece of

information would be something that modifies the subject. In Vanessa's
e.g. the subject that is being modified is inside the DO and in the
sentence that was homework the subject (actions) is inside the Subject.

Hope this helps!

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Vanesa Polastri - 19/06/2020 21:52

First question, yes! "The" and "An" are "Determiners" and they are types of
"Specifiers".

Second question, yes too!

 Hugs!

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NICOLAS JOSE ROSSNEY - 19/06/2020 19:51

Hi Vanesa

in the first sentence police officers, I analized it as one big pre mod noun as
adj, the same with medical centre from the second. Now i get it, ill split 'em
next time into two different pre mod

Second sentence, A/A. Last year we studied them only as prepositional ph,
so, from dead til later, I made a big O.C. I felt it was wrong, like if there was
something tricky. What other kind or phrases do A/A have? prep, noun...

Third sentence, up to experts I have the same thing, but then it gets messy. I
only analyzed DO as infinitival phrases and it didn't came up to me while
doing this sentence. The moment I saw the OC (inf.ph.) I realized how to do
it. again, are there any other kind of OC apart from adj and inf ph?

Last one, I have the same thing even though I didn't think of the tacit that.
Next time I'll check it first before going mental over it

thanks, cheers, have a nice weekend

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Vanesa Polastri - 19/06/2020 21:43

Adverbial Adjuncts are those that answer the questions: When? (Time),
How often? (Frequency), Where? (Place), How? (Manner), Why? (Reason),
What for? (Purpose), How much? (Degree), If/Whether (Condition),
Although (Concession). I don't know by heart (and I would discourage you
to learn them by heart either) the list of possible structures. You can find
it online all the same but it is better to see what you encounter and to
analyse it recognising the structure you have in front of you. It is true that
most are prepositional phrases but that doesn't mean they are the only
ones. In fact some prepositional phrases that look like AA of place are
something else depending on the neighbouring structures and their
syntactic relations.

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NICOLAS JOSE ROSSNEY - 20/06/2020 11:34

cool.

In the near future, if I came across some structure like this, can I try
moving it in order to check if it makes sense and if it does, there it is an
A/A, right?

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Vanesa Polastri - 26/06/2020 21:41

Yes! That is a great strategy!

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AGUSTINA GIANELLA - 19/06/2020 22:15

Hello Vanesa! I have a question about "the police officers' actions" and "the
medical centre doctors". I saw that a classmate had the same doubt. I
analyzed "police officers'" and "medical centre" as a pre-modifier phrase. I
did it this way because, for example, the phrase "medical centre" together is
modifying the noun "doctors", and "medical" is modifying the noun"centre".
It's similar with the other one. "Police officers" is modifying the noun
"actions" and "police" is modifying "officers". I don't know if this is well
explained or if this is correct or the same!

The medical centre doctors... The police officers'

actions...

PM(adj) H(noun) PM(noun H(noun)

PM PM (noun ph) H as adj)

PM PM (noun ph)
H(noun)

Thank you very much in advance!

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Vanesa Polastri - 20/06/2020 01:32

Very clear! You are right!

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NICOLAS JOSE ROSSNEY - 20/06/2020 11:38

I had some issues with those pre-mod too. Isn’t it too much information
to describe actions and doctors? I mean, MEDICAL CENTRE DOCTORS,
where else could they be? Police officers actions, I can get it with officers
actions. I can see clearly now the mistake I made by analyzing it as a
pre-mod phrase

What about it when doing it on a test? is it correct or not? both correct?

(of course, we will justify it)

thanks

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Vanesa Polastri - 26/06/2020 21:40

The way you had done it Nico was fine! My mistake! But I hadn't realised!

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Vanesa Polastri - 26/06/2020 21:42

Tell your partners, in case they don't see these posts.

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NICOLAS JOSE ROSSNEY - 20/09/2020 21:18

Hi Vanesa

syntax came back from vacation, huh? I think we were missing it (not really)

First of all, sentences with "who was blind" "who lived..." are Simple
sentences? I looked up some sentences from last year and I have them as
C/S (complex), is that correct?

then, homework. Some of them were difficult. With the sentence "I had a
terrible....." I find it difficult to analyze "made me ugly" because of the ME. I
think it is the first time I see ME as a D.O, now I'm aware for next time.

next sentence, "the man whose,...." here I had some doubts but eventually I
analized it correctly except for "whose". Again, I think last year whose, which
that were not analyzed, at least I didn't, so this is new to me.

"the book which..." the WHICH was easier after checking the previous
sentence but what called my attention was "about the world". about is a
preposition, so far so good, but I've never seen A/A subject matter, so I
annalized it as a post modifier of ME, which made no sense. Are there more
categories of A/A appart from freq, manner, time, place? Can I move about
the world to another part of the sentence?

It was tough, but entertaining at the same time

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Vanesa Polastri - 20/10/2020 11:10

Hi, Nico!

* Cleft sentences are Simple sentences with a specific structure.

* "Me" is an Objective pronoun, so it plays the role of the Object and is

located after the verb. It can either be a DO or an IO if there is a DO
around.If it is the only Object, then it can't be any other than the DO.

Examples:

She saw me.

S + V + DO

She gave me a glass of water.

S + V + IO + DO

* There are more Adverbial Adjuncts, some are more often used than
others: Time (Frequency is one subtype of Time), Place, Manner, Reason
(when you explain, for example: because...), Degree of Comparison (To
what degree?), Concession (In spite
 of/despite/whereas/while/although...), Condition (If/Whether/Unless...),
Subject matter...

* Analyse (Only one "N")

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CAMILA ABRIL OROPEL - 01/10/2020 20:55

Hello Vanessa, I have two doubts:

1_ What does "o/c" mean? In the second sentence from homework.

2_ What is the difference between "embedded relative clause" and

"appositive relative clause"?

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NICOLAS JOSE ROSSNEY - 01/10/2020 22:06

Hi, I hope this helps

1 object complement, without it the sentence is not finished/ makes no

sense ".... that made me... " WOT? happy, ugly, furious..... o/c modifies the
D.O
2 I'm not sure but I think it has to do with the information within commas.
In the sentence "the man, whose strength.." the information is between
commas and in the other sentences it is not

cheers

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Vanesa Polastri - 20/10/2020 11:16

1) Yes! Objective complement (Complemente of the object).

Subject + verb of incomplete predication + object + oc (It rounds the

whole idea off, without it the verb isn't enough).

2) When something is embedded, it is written within the sentence but as

a flow. A clause in apposition is began and ended with commas.

I hope with Nico's answer and mine you get a clearer explanation.

Regards.

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AGUSTINA GIANELLA - 10/11/2020 20:11

Hello Vanesa!

I have some problems identifying TRANSITIVE VERBS OF INCOMPLETE

PREDICATION. Since we didn't analyse this kind of verbs last year, I don't
understand them very well.

Thank you in advance!

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Vanesa Polastri - 11/11/2020 02:02

If you read the verb and the object without the complement, the meaning
is different, incomplete.

Examples:

- He drove me crazy.

- They made her angry.

- He caught her red-handed.

- It gets me nervous.

- She put everything in order.

 - You made me laugh!

- The film made her cry.

- They named him king.

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AGUSTINA GIANELLA - 11/11/2020 12:37

Thank you for the explanation!! I understand it now!

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Vanesa Polastri - 11/11/2020 14:05

I'm glad, Agus!!!

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JOEL AGUSTIN ARAUJO - 11/11/2020 10:59

Hi Vanesa!

I have problems to identify the TVIP ans the IVIP, but I'm practicing to
understand it.

Thank you and have a nice week.

Be happy.

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Vanesa Polastri - 11/11/2020 14:11

Hi, Joel! In the comment below yours I've given other examples on TVIP.

With respect to IVIP, it is the verb TO BE as a main verb and any other verb
that could be replaced by it and keep a similar meaning.

I am writing (Here the verb to be is NOT the main verb but an auxiliary
one,so this is not IVIP)

I am Vanesa --> Here the verb TO BE is the main verb, so it is IVIP, and
Vanesa is its Subjective Complement.

I am tired (True story! XD) The verb TO BE is the main verb. Therefore, it is
IVIP and tired is the Subjective complement.
I feel tired (Here you can replace FEEL with AM and the meaning is more
or less the same) FEEL is IVIP and TIRED is the subjective complement

I hope it helps! :)