Lecture 16 Basic Sentence Transformation I English 3318: Studies in English Grammar

Lecture 16
English 3318: Studies in English Grammar
Basic Sentence Transformation I
Dr. Svetlana Nuernberg
Objectives
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Understand the transformation process
Distinguish among transitive, intransitive, and
linking verbs in sentences that have undergone
transformation
Distinguish among subject complements, direct
objects, indirect objects and object complements
Recognize passive sentences and convert them
into active sentences
Recognize the underlying pattern of sentences that
have undergone the passive transformation
The Indirect Object Transformation
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Our ability to move constituents helps to explain
sentence variety
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Maria gave a gift to George
Carol picked some flowers for her cousin
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both sentences contain a transitive verb and belong to the type
V pattern - S = NP1 + MVtr + NP2 + ADVP
contain a prepositional phrase (with to or for) following the
direct object (that functions as adverbial modifier of the verb)
Maria gave George a gift
Carol picked her cousin some flowers
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have the same meaning, but different pattern S = NP1 + MVtr +
NP2 + NP3
have a direct object (which was moved and now is NP3)
have an indirect object (the first noun phrase following the
transitive verb NP2)
Structural Formula
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S5 = NP1
+ MVtr +
NP2
IOBJ
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+
NP3
DOBJ
Maria
gave
George
a gift
Carol
picked
her cousin
some flowers
Subject, indirect object, direct object have different
references (NP1 NP2 NP3)
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any time you have a sentence containing a constituent NP2
the verb is transitive
if there is no other NP constituent of the verb phrase , NP2 is
the direct object
when you have both NP2 and NP3the verb is still transitive,
but the sentence contains an indirect object
what - is used to identify a direct object, to/for whom - to
identify indirect object (recipient)
Reed-Kellogg Diagrams
Applying step by step, we can visualize the
transformational relationship in this way:
Maria gave a gift to George
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Maria
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–
gave
to
gift
George
a
move the object of the preposition to follow the verb
Maria gave George a gift to
delete the preposition
– Maria gave George a gift
Maria
gave
gift
George
a
Tree Diagrams
Type V Transitive Verb
Sentence with Direct
Object and Adverbial
Phrase
S5
S5
NP1
VP
MVP
gave
a gift
to George
VP
MVP
NP2
NP3
George
a gift
MVtr
Maria
ADVP
MVtr
Maria
NP1
NP2
gave
Type V Transitive Verb
Sentence with Direct
and Indirect Objects
Indirect Object and Object
Complements
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S5 = NP1 + MVtr + NP2 + NP3 – indirect object
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Edwin brought Eleanor a jewel
Edwin
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bought
jewel
a
Eleanor
jewel is a direct object, Eleanor is an indirect object –
derived from Edwin bought a jewel to Eleanor
S5 = NP1 + MVtr + NP2 + NP2 – object compliment
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Edwin considered Eleanor a jewel
Edwin
considered Eleanor
jewel
a
Recognizing Indirect Object
1. Is the verb followed by
two noun phrases, each
with a referent distinct
from the other and
from the subject?
If yes, the first noun phrase Maria [NP /Subject] sent
following the verb is probably George [NP2/IO] a gift
[NP3/DO]
an indirect object and the
second noun phrase is a
direct object
2. Can the suspected indirect
If yes, then that noun
object noun phrase be made
part of a prepositional phrase
with to or for and moved to
the end of the sentence?
phrase is an indirect object
1
Maria [NP1/Subject] sent
a gift [NP2/DO] to George
[Obj of Prep]
Recognizing Indirect Object
Maria [NP1/Subject]
3. Does the verb followed by
If yes, then that noun phrase
two noun phrases include as
is likely to be an indirect object “gave” George
part of its meaning the action
[NP2/IO] a gift [NP3/DO]
of giving? Is the suspected
indirect object the “recipient of
the direct object” or “that to
whom or for whom the action
is performed?
4. If you remove the suspected
indirect object from the
sentence, does the meaning
of the verb phrase remain
about the same?
If yes, you have confirming
evidence that the noun phrase
is an indirect object
Maria sent George a gift =
Maria sent a gift.
Exercise 1
Some of the following transitive verb sentences have indirect objects,
while others do not. Transform any indirect objects you find into
appropriate to and for prepositional phrases. Transform any to and
from prepositional phrases into indirect objects, if possible.
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Example: Coach McCall kicked Francis [IO] the soccer ball [DO]
Type V. - Coach McCall kicked the soccer ball to Francis.
Santa brought lots of toys to their children last year.
His parents bought Max a new iPod with lots of memory
Max offered his old iPod to his brother Austin
His parents gave Austin a new game for him Game Boy
Her godparents sent Edie a new princess outfit
Her mother sends the godparents an invitation to Christmas dinner
every year.
She also invited some foreign students to dinner
Max usually sets the table for his mother.
The Passive Transformation
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The subject of the sentence is often an actor, or agent,
performing the action of the verb - active voice
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basic Type V Transitive Verbs sentences
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John hit Bill
A dog chews up my newspaper every day
The clerk thanked my mother
The subject of the sentence is passively undergoing
the action of the verb – passive voice
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deemphasize the importance of the performer of the action
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Bill was hit by John
My newspaper is chewed up by a dog everyday
My mother was thanked by the clerk
the original subject (agent) is moved into an adverbial
prepositional phrase (becoming the object of the
preposition by)
Active Voice Tree
SV
NP1
Type V Transitive Verb Sentence,
Active Voice
VP
MVP
AUX
NP2
MVtr
TENSE
Monica
Monica
past
eat
ate
the pie
the pie
Systematic Relationships
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Active and passive pair of sentences creates systematic
relationship – series of transformational steps
Monica [past + eat] the pie
[past + eat] the pie by Monica
1. The subject Monica, moves to a position at the end of the sentence,
and the preposition by is inserted preceding it – the original subject
becomes the object of preposition by
the pie [past + eat]
by Monica
2. The original direct object, the pie, moves from its slot following the
verb to the beginning of the sentence, becoming a new subject
The pie [past + BE + {-en} + eat] by Monica
3. The passive form of the verb is created by adding the passive marker
BE + {-en} to the AUX, immediately preceding the main verb
The pie was eaten by Monica
Passive Voice Tree
S
Type V Transitive Verb Sentence,
Passive Voice
NP1
VP
MVP
ADVP
AUX
MVtr
TENSE PASSIVE MARKER
The pie past
The pie
BE + {-en}
was
eaten
eat
by Monica
by Monica
Exercise 2
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This item below appears in an advertisement. First, find the
passive verb phrases. Then, consider what might be the purposes
and effects of using the passive voice and removing the
agent/actor in each
Reflective home address will be painted on the curbs
along your street tomorrow. Your home will be included
only with your permission. It is strongly recommended
that you take advantage of this opportunity to have your
home address professionally painted in large, easy-to-see
REFLECTIVE numbers on the curb in front of your
house. This service is provided to assure you that in an
emergency situation, Police, Fire Dept., and Paramedic
personnel can find your home with a minimum amount of
delay.... Your cost for this service is only 5$.
Direct and Indirect Object
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Some active sentences can be transformed into
two different passive sentences
Diane gave Pablo some flowers.
Some flowers were given [to] Pablo by Diane.
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Pablo was given some flowers by Diane.
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direct object becomes subject
indirect object becomes subject
When a Type V sentence in the active voice
includes both a direct object (some flowers) and an
indirect object (Pablo), then either the direct
object or the indirect object can be moved to
subject position to form a passive sentence.
Exercise 3 (A)
The sentences are in the active voice. Convert
each into the passive voice, keeping the same
tense (present/past) and aspect (if perfect or
progressive)
1. Several people presented a proposal for casual
dress on Fridays to Mr. Green.
2. Mr. Green has passed the proposal on to his boss,
Ms. Brown.
3. Ms. Brown is taking the proposal “under
advisement.”
4. We had heard nothing from her since then.
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Exercise 3 (B)
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The sentences are in the passive voice. Convert them
into active voice, keeping the same tense
(present/past) and aspect (if perfect or progressive)
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As a result, business suites are still expected for both men
and women.
However, Casual Fridays have been adopted by business
all over town.
A pair of jeans can be seen with a suit jacket in the office
on Friday.
So far, nothing is being said about the relaxed dress code.
The responsibility for enforcing formal business dress
during working hours was not given to anyone.
Perhaps a second proposal will be prepared for Mr.
Green.
Uses and Misuses of the Passive
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The topic of the sentence can be misleading
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the subject of the first sentence (people) is an indefinite
and unimportant – it could be omitted
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People have criticized the town council for lack of concern
with the appearance of our city. But look what they have
achieved in the past few weeks. Sidewalks have been
repaired on Valley Avenue. Trees have been planted along
the median strip of Ocean Boulevard. Attractive new street
lights have been installed in front of the library. And flowers
have been planted in the borders at City Park.
they, in the second sentence is ambiguous: it could
refer either to the people or to the council
the remaining sentences have been made passive and
their agents have been deleted
removing agents - weakens the assertion
Uses and Misuses of the Passive
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The previous paragraph lacks of following
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active and passive have been reversed
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The town council has been criticized for lack of concern
with the appearance of our city, but look at what they have
achieved in the past few weeks. They have repaired
sidewalks on Valley Avenue. They have planted trees along
the median strip of the Ocean Boulevard. They have
installed attractive new street lights in front of the library.
And they have planted flowers in the borders at City Park.
the focus is clearly on the town council
a focus emphasized even more forcefully by the
repetition of they in each of the four active sentences
The Varieties of Be
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Be as a main verb
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Be as an auxiliary verb in the progressive aspect
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Jerry is planting vegetables – present + BE + {-ing} + plant
Monica was eating the pie – past + BE + {-ing} + eat
Be as an auxiliary in the passive voice
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Type II: Jesse is outside
Type III: The sky is cloudy
Type IV: Those men are brutes
The pie was eaten by Monica – past + BE + {-en} + eat
Our pet iguana is adored by everyone – present + BE +
{-en} + adore
Existential be (equivalent to exist)
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Let it be! Let there be light! To be, or not to be: that is the
question... There is/are (a) broken glass/es on the floor.
Other Transformations
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We create sentences with an incredibly rich and
complex array of structures
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positive sentences (five (limited) types) – to express
ideas
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negative sentences – to express ideas
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declarative sentences – to make a statement
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imperative sentences – to issue a command
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interrogative sentences - to ask a question
Exercise 4
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Consider each pair of sentences below. First, what,
if any, is the difference in meaning between the
two members of each pair? Then, what
grammatically signals that difference in meaning?
a) Ally dressed up as Tinker Bell on Halloween.
b) Ally did not dress up Tinker Bell on Halloween.
a) Max had eaten all his candy by the next day.
b) Had Max eaten all his candy by the next day?
a) You show me your costume.
b) Show me your costume!
a) Amanda saved the best candy for her.
b) Amanda saved the bet candy for herself.