I. The simple sentence

SUGGESTED WAYS OF SENTENCE ANALYSIS

APPENDIX III

Dubious cases

Difficulties of this kind usually arise because of the subtlety of the border-line between secondary parts of the sentence expressed by a noun with a preposition or by an infinitive, or sometimes even by a noun without a preposition, which makes it in some cases hardly possible to tell an object from an adverbial, or an attribute from an adverbial.

Object or Adverbial

We come across such difficulties in the sentences She was slowly moving towards Mrs. Carver; She made the policeman look for the cat among the boxes piled up by the wall and the like, in which the underlined parts allow of two alternative interpretations each - as an adverbial of place or as an indirect non-recipient object. The possible identifying questions are of no help here, for such parts may equally answer the where-question and a question with a preposition what/who: Where was she moving? Towards whom was she moving?

In the same way some adverbials of manner may border on an indirect non-recipient object with an instrumental meaning. Compare: He opened the fin with a knife (object - what did he open the tin with?) and He was wounded with a bullet, where the bold faced part may be analyzed in two ways, as an object or as an adverbial of manner (What was he wounded with? or How was he wounded?).

Sometimes there is no rigid border-line between a direct object and an adverbial of measure. This is the case where the formal position of the direct object is filled by a word denoting a unit of measure (money, weight, time, etc.). Thus in the sentence The job paid her the minimum rate the boldfaced part may be analyzed in two ways, that is, either as a direct object (what?) or as an adverbial of measure (how much?).

Attribute or Adverbial

Sometimes it is impossible to tell an attribute from an adverbial of purpose. This often occurs where an infinitive or an infinitive phrase follows a noun which is a direct object to some verb. In this case it may not be clear whether the infinitive is grammatically connected with the noun or with the group “verb + noun”. Thus in the sentence She gave me a book to read on the train the syntactical function of the infinitive may be either that of an attribute (= which I might read...) or that of an adverbial of purpose (= in order that I might read it...). Compare this with the following sentences where relations are more definite.

She turned her head to see who it was (adverbial).

I have two kids to look after (attribute).

1. Dusk - of a summer night.

It is a simple extended one-member declarative sentence.

Dusk is the main (principal) part of this sentence. It is expressed by a common noun in the common case.

of a summer night is an attribute to the main part. It is expressed by a prepositional phrase.

2. Stop talking!

It is an imperative exclamatory sentence.

Stop talking is the predicate. It is a compound phasal verbal predicate. It consists of two parts. The first

part is expressed by the phasal verb stop in the imperative mood. It denotes the end of the action.

The second part is expressed by a non-perfect gerund active denoting the action itself.

3. Could’ve been professional.

It is a simple unextended two-member elliptical declarative sentence. The position of the subject is not filled with a word form.

Could’ve been professional is the predicate. It is a mixed type of predicate.

Could is the modal part expressed by the verb can in the subjunctive mood. It denotes a possibility

referring to the past.

have been is a link-verb expressed by a perfect infinitive. It is a link-verb of being.

professional is a predicative expressed by an adjective in the positive degree.

4. Old Jolyon watching from his corner saw his brother’s face change.

It is a simple, extended, two-member sentence.

Jolyon is the subject expressed by a proper noun in the common case.

Old is an attribute to the subject. It is expressed by an adjective in the positive degree.

watching from his corner is an attribute to the subject (or an adverbial modifier of time) expressed by a

participial phrase with participle I as headword.

saw is the predicate. It is a simple verbal predicate expressed by the verb to see in the past indefinite

active.

his brother’s face change is a complex object expressed by an objective with the infinitive construction; it

consists of a nominal phrase (his brother’s face) and a non-perfect infinitive.

Note:

Verbal and non-verbal complexes are to be treated as one indivisible part of the sentence.

5. Is the weather not likely to change?

It is a simple unextended two-member interrogative sentence.

the weather is the subject expressed by a common noun. in the common case.

Is not likely to change is the predicate. It is a compound verbal predicate of double orientation. It consists

of two parts.

Is not likely is the first part. It denotes the estimate of the speaker of, or his attitude to, the situation

described in the sentence. It is expressed by a phrase with a modal meaning.

to change is the second part. It denotes the action itself and is expressed by a non-perfect infinitive.

6. The whole house being made of wood, it looked good.

It is a simple extended two-member declarative sentence.

it is the subject expressed by a personal pronoun of the 3rd person singular.

looked good is the predicate. It is a compound nominal predicate, consisting of a link verb and a

predicative.

looked is a link verb expressed by the past indefinite of the link verb to look, which is a link verb of being

in a state.

the whole house being made of wood is an adverbial modifier of reason expressed by a nominative

absolute participial construction.

7. I found my life dull.

It is a simple extended two-member declarative sentence.

I is the subject expressed by a personal pronoun of the 1st person singular.

found is a simple verbal predicate expressed by the past indefinite of the verb to find.

my life dull is a predicative complex (or a complex object) expressed by an objective non-verbal

construction (or by an object + objective predicative).

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