8. Simple and composite sentences. Types of simple sentences.

Prof. Blokh states the sentence as the immediate integral unit of speech built up of words according to a definite syntactic pattern and distinguished by a contextually relevant communicative purpose.

The basic predicative meanings of the typical English sentence are expressed by the finite verb which is immediately connected with the subject of the sentence. This predicative connection is commonly referred to as the "predicative line" of the sentence. Depending on their predicative complexity, sentences can feature one predicative line or several predicative lines; in other words, sentences may be "monopredicative" and "polypredicative". Using this distinction, we may say that the simple sentence is a sentence in which only one predicative line is expressed: e.g. Opinions differ.

The composite sentence is formed by two or more predicative lines. Being a polypredicative construction, it expresses a complicated act of thought, i.e. an act of mental activity which falls into two or more intellectual efforts closely combined with one another. In terms of situations and events this means that the composite sentence reflects two or more elementary situational events viewed as making up a unity; the constitutive connections of the events are expressed by the constitutive connections of the predicative lines of the sentence, i.e. by the sentential polypredication. Each predicative unit in a composite sentence makes up a clause in it, so that a clause as part of a composite sentence corresponds to a separate sentence as part of a contextual sequence.

The nominative parts of the simple sentence, each occupying a notional position in it, are subject, predicate, object, adverbial, attribute, parenthetical enclosure, addressing enclosure; a special, semi-notional position is occupied by an interjectional enclosure. The parts are arranged in a hierarchy, all of them perform some modifying role.

Simple sentences are classified into two-member and one-member sentences. This distinction is based on a difference in the main parts of a sentence. Sentences having a word (or phrase) denoting the doer of the action and another word (or phrase) denoting the action, are termed two-member sentences. However, there are sentences which do not contain two such separate parts; in these sentences there is only one main part: the other part is not there and it could not even be supplied. Such sentences are called one-member sentences: e.g. Fire! Come on!

One-member sentences should be kept apart from two-member sentences with either the subject or the predicate omitted, i. e. from elliptical sentences.

9. Types of adverbial modifier and the object.

Is a secondary part of the sentence which modifies another part of the sentence expressed either by a verb ( in a (non)-finite form), an adjective, a stative or an adverb. Semantically adverbials denote place (where, how far [here, there]), time (when, how often, how long), manner (how, in what way [so, thus, like, that, like this]), cause-reason (why, for what reason [therefore]), purpose (what for), result (too, enough, so…(as)), condition (in what case, on what condition [this/that case, but for, except for, without]), concession (in spite of what [nevertheless, in spite of this/that, though, with all]), attendant circumstances, comparison (than, as, as if, as though, like), degree (how much), measure (length, time, weight, money, temperature), exception (but, except, apart from). Structural: it can be simple, phrasal, complex, and clausal. We started early. We started at five in the morning. John sat with his elbows on the table and his hands clasped. When the cat is away, the mice will play.

The Adverbial Modifier. The term ‘adverbial modifier’ cannot be said to be a very lucky one, as it is apt to convey erroneous (wrong, incorrect) ideas about the essence of this secondary part. They have nothing to do with adverbs and they modify not only verbs.

There are several ways of classifying adverbial modifiers:

(1.)According to their meaning – not a grammatical classification. However it may acquire some grammatical significance. (2).According to their morphological peculiarities – according to the parts of speech and to the phrase patterns. It has also something to do with word order, and stands in a certain relation to the classification according to meaning,adverb,preposition + noun,a noun without a preposition,infinitive or an infinitive phrase (3.)According to the type of their head-word – is the syntactic classification proper. The meaning of the word (phrase) acting as modifier should be compatible with the meaning of the head-word.

Adverbial modifier of: Time and frequency,Place and direction,Manner and attendant circumstances, Cause,Purpose,Result,Condition,Concession,Degree

The problem of the attribute.

The attribute is a secondary part of the sentence modifying a part of the sentence expressed by a noun, a substantivized pronoun, a cardinal numeral, and any substantivized word, and characterizing the thing named by these words as to its quality or property.

The attribute can either precede or follow the noun it modifies. Accordingly we use terms prepositive and postpositive attribute. The position of an attribute with respect to its head-word depends partly on the morphological peculiarities of the attribute itself, and partly on stylistic factors.