Pattern 6: SVOC (Subject + Verb + Direct Object + Objective Complement]
1] We considered Salvatore noteworthy. 2] The coach made their sister a manager.
Pattern 6 is much like pattern 2 except that in this case the complement describes or completes the direct object rather than the subject of the sentence. As with pattern 2, the complement may involve either an adjective or a noun (or pronoun).
Thus the adjective complement in the sentence "We considered Salvatore noteworthy" function like the predicate adjective complement in subpattern 2A ("The food is good').
And the noun complement in the sentence "The coach made their sister a manager" functions like the predicate nominative complement in subpattern 28 ("Our friend is a senator").
And even though the main verb of pattern 6, unlike the main verb of pattern 2, is a transitive rather than a linking verb, a linking verb is at least implied between the object and its complement.
This is suggested by the way many SVOC sentences,t hough not all, can be changed i n form to use a linking verb while preserving the same meaning. In the three sets o f sentences b elow, note how the SVOC sentence represented by each sentence A can be altered to render the B and C versions:
l. A. The voters elected him president. B. The voters elected him to be president.
2. A. He considered her brilliant. B. He considered her to be brilliant. C. He considered that she was brilliant.
3. A. I thought the caller you. B. I thought the caller to be you. C. I thought that the caller was you.
As pattern 6 is most commonly exemplified by an NP in the final position, we will restrict our attention to this form ofthe pattern. Pattern 6, like its predecessor pattern 5, has two NPs following the verb, as in the sentence "The basketball team chose Charlotte captain." But it differs from pattern 5 in three respects:
1. In pattern 6 the first of the two NPs is the direct object. In some sentences. If we eliminate the second NP, we are left with pattern 4, which contains only the direct object after the verb:
The basketball team chose Charlotte.
The second NP is called the objective complement, because it completes the direct object.
2. In pattern 6 both NPs following the verb have the same referent; that is, both Charlotte and captain refer to the same person.
3. In pattern 6, only the direct object can be made the subject of a passive verb. We can transform the pattern sentence into Charlotte was chosen captain but we cannot make the objective complement such a subject, for *Captain was chosen Charlotte makes no sense.
In the passive of pattern 6 the subject comes from the direct object of the active.
Example: Active: He appointed [DO]Ruth [OC]secretary. Passive: Ruth was appointed secretary.
Only a very small group of verbs can be used for pattern 6. Among them are name, choose, elect, appoint, designate, select, vote, make, declare, nominate
call, fancy, consider, imagine, think, believe, feel, keep, suppose, fnd, prove, label, judge.
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Showing posts with label English_grammar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label English_grammar. Show all posts
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Basic Sentence Pattern 5
Pattern 5: SVOO (Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object]
The mother bought the girl a dress.
In pattern5 there are some important matters to be observed:
1. The verb of this pattern must be transitive.
2. We see two grammatical objects after the verb bought. These two objects are called, in order, the indirect and the direct object. If we omit the first one, the pattern becomes number 4 and dress is seen to be the direct object.
3. The indirect object may often be replaced by a prepositional phrase beginning with to or for, or occasionally with a different preposition.
Examples: a] He sold the student a ticket. b] He sold a ticket to the student. c] He built them a playpen. d] He built a playpen for them. e] He played me a game of chess. f] He played a game of chess with me. g] He asked her a question. h] He asked a question of her.
4. The verbs that can be used in pattern 5 are in a restricted group. Some of the common ones are give, make, find, tell, buy, write, send, ask, play, build, teach, assign, feed, offea throw, hand, pass, sell, pay.
5. A pattern 5 sentence may be transformed into the passive by making either the direct or the indirect object the subject ofthe passive verb: a] A dress was bought the girl by her mother. b] The girl was bought a dress by her mother.
In some cases, however, the passive transformation does not sound fully natural and seems to demand a preposition, as in a] The sergeant found the recruit a rifle. b] A rifle was found (for) the recruit by the sergeant.
6. The grammatical meaning of the indirect object is "beneficiary of the action of the verb-plus-direct-obj ect."
7. If the direct object is a pronoun, it must precede the other object, which is moved back within a prepositional phrase: a] The mother bought it for the girl. Not *The mother bought the girl it.
This movement occurs even if both objects in the sentence are pronouns: a]The mother bought it for her. Not *The mother boueht her it.
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The mother bought the girl a dress.
In pattern5 there are some important matters to be observed:
1. The verb of this pattern must be transitive.
2. We see two grammatical objects after the verb bought. These two objects are called, in order, the indirect and the direct object. If we omit the first one, the pattern becomes number 4 and dress is seen to be the direct object.
3. The indirect object may often be replaced by a prepositional phrase beginning with to or for, or occasionally with a different preposition.
Examples: a] He sold the student a ticket. b] He sold a ticket to the student. c] He built them a playpen. d] He built a playpen for them. e] He played me a game of chess. f] He played a game of chess with me. g] He asked her a question. h] He asked a question of her.
4. The verbs that can be used in pattern 5 are in a restricted group. Some of the common ones are give, make, find, tell, buy, write, send, ask, play, build, teach, assign, feed, offea throw, hand, pass, sell, pay.
5. A pattern 5 sentence may be transformed into the passive by making either the direct or the indirect object the subject ofthe passive verb: a] A dress was bought the girl by her mother. b] The girl was bought a dress by her mother.
In some cases, however, the passive transformation does not sound fully natural and seems to demand a preposition, as in a] The sergeant found the recruit a rifle. b] A rifle was found (for) the recruit by the sergeant.
6. The grammatical meaning of the indirect object is "beneficiary of the action of the verb-plus-direct-obj ect."
7. If the direct object is a pronoun, it must precede the other object, which is moved back within a prepositional phrase: a] The mother bought it for the girl. Not *The mother bought the girl it.
This movement occurs even if both objects in the sentence are pronouns: a]The mother bought it for her. Not *The mother boueht her it.
rb
Basic Sentence Pattern 4
"Pattern 4: SVO [Subject + Verb + Direct Object]
The girl bought a dress.
In pattern 4 the verb is transitive and is completed by a noun phrase, for which one can readily substitute him, her, it, or them. This noun phrase is called the direct object of the verb and has the grammatical meaning of 'undergoer of the action' or 'that affected by the verb.'
A direct object does not always experience any actual action. e.g. 'We heard the radio' in which 'the radio' is the direct object but does not experience any real action.
Normally the direct object is not the same person or thing as the subject. However, with two kinds of pronouns, the direct object does have the same referent as the subject.
One is the set of -self/-selves pronouns, generally known as the reflexive pronouns. These occur as direct object in sentences such as: e.g. i]She saw herself. iii]The lifeguards splashed themselves.
The other set consists of the reciprocal pronouns each other and one another, which function as direct objects in such sentences as: e.g. i]They found each other. ii] They fought one another.
Transitive/Intransitive verb:
Iv: She sang beautifully. Tv: She sang a beautiful folk song.
Iv only: The ship had vanished. Tv only: We enjoyed the party.
A transitive verb has two forms, which we call active and passive. The active form is the one that is followed by the direct object, which we have seen in pattern 4. From this active form we can make the passive form: e.g. Active: The chef cooked the meal. Passive: The meal was cooked [by the chef]
In this process there are four things to notice:
1. The object of the active form becomes the subject of the passive form. This is shown above
in the shift of meal.
2. The passive is made up of a form of the verb be plus a past participle, as was cooled.
3. The subject of the active verb may be made the object of the preposition by, or it may be suppressed.
4. In the passive, two grammatical meanings are shifted around. The performer of the action, chef, is now the object of the preposition, and the undergoer, meal, is the subject.
rb
The girl bought a dress.
In pattern 4 the verb is transitive and is completed by a noun phrase, for which one can readily substitute him, her, it, or them. This noun phrase is called the direct object of the verb and has the grammatical meaning of 'undergoer of the action' or 'that affected by the verb.'
A direct object does not always experience any actual action. e.g. 'We heard the radio' in which 'the radio' is the direct object but does not experience any real action.
Normally the direct object is not the same person or thing as the subject. However, with two kinds of pronouns, the direct object does have the same referent as the subject.
One is the set of -self/-selves pronouns, generally known as the reflexive pronouns. These occur as direct object in sentences such as: e.g. i]She saw herself. iii]The lifeguards splashed themselves.
The other set consists of the reciprocal pronouns each other and one another, which function as direct objects in such sentences as: e.g. i]They found each other. ii] They fought one another.
Transitive/Intransitive verb:
Iv: She sang beautifully. Tv: She sang a beautiful folk song.
Iv only: The ship had vanished. Tv only: We enjoyed the party.
A transitive verb has two forms, which we call active and passive. The active form is the one that is followed by the direct object, which we have seen in pattern 4. From this active form we can make the passive form: e.g. Active: The chef cooked the meal. Passive: The meal was cooked [by the chef]
In this process there are four things to notice:
1. The object of the active form becomes the subject of the passive form. This is shown above
in the shift of meal.
2. The passive is made up of a form of the verb be plus a past participle, as was cooled.
3. The subject of the active verb may be made the object of the preposition by, or it may be suppressed.
4. In the passive, two grammatical meanings are shifted around. The performer of the action, chef, is now the object of the preposition, and the undergoer, meal, is the subject.
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Basic Sentence Pattern 2 [2A & 2B]
Pattern 2: SVC [Subject + Verb + Subjective Complement]
1. The program became elaborate. 2. Our friend is a senator.
The term Complement is broadly used for referring to an element that is necessary to complete a phrase, but as we label sentence patterns we wll be using the term more specifically to refer to either a subjective or objective complement.
The complement is a subjective complement, describing or identifying the subject of the sentence. The subjective complement is joined to the subject with a linking verb.
Two main subpatterns:
1. Subpattern 2A: NP + Linking Verb + Adjective
1. The food is good. 2. The manager seems upset.
The third term must be an adjective or adjectival [adjective-like element].
The verb must be a linking verb. In addition to be [or one of its forms] the set of linking verbs includes the following verbs or their respective forms: seem, appear, become, grow, remain, taste, look, feel, smell, sound, get, continue, or go.
The tests how to recognize and distinguish subpattern 2A from other patterns containg the same verbs:
1. It involves expansion:
e.g. a. That food is good > That good food is very good. b. That food is poisonous > That poisonous food is very poisonous.
If a sentence will not undergo this expansion, it usually belongs to some pattern other than subpattern 2A. e.g. My mother is outside. If it cannot be expanded to My outside mother is very outside. <> John appeared weary. [John seemed weary]; Subject + Verb + Adverbial > John grew quickly. [John seemed quickly.]
In the examples above, the first sentence is a subpattern 2A and involves a linking verb that could replace its main verb with a form of seem, whereas the second one does not.
Linking verbs may of course be preceded by auxiliaries. e.g. The party may become lively. Your sister must have seemed friendly.
The second subpattern of 2 is
Subpattern 2B: NP + Linking Verb + NP
1. My friend is a doctor. 2. The girl remained a good student.
The superscript after the second NP indicates that this noun phrase has the same referent as the first noun phrase; that is, in the first sentence both my friend and a doctor refer to the same person, and in the second sentence both the girl and a good student refer to the same person.
The linking verbs in subpattern 2B mean "be identified or classified as." The first NP [subject] has the grammatical meaning of "that which is identified." The second NP means grammatically "that which identifies the subject" and is a subjective complement just as the adjective is in subpattern 2A.
The linking verbs that may occupy the verbal position are be, remain, become, appear, seem, continue, stay, and make.
Subpattern 2B should not be confused with those in which the noun phrase after the verb does not have the same referent as the first noun phrase.
Examples: 2B Donald continued my friend, despite our differences.
other Donald met my friend in the barber shop.
2B My brother became a doctor.
other My brother was seeking a doctor.
Pronoun can also serve as a subjective complement besides Noun as in sentence "This is she." This observation does not invalidate our structural description of subpattern 2B because, as you will probably recall, the term noun phrase does not include only nouns but can also be used to refer to pronouns.
The subjective complement essentially renames the subject of the sentence, the traditional prescriptive grammar rule requires that any pronoun being used as a subjective complement use the subject form of the pronoun.
We would not say "This is her" but rather "This is she" because her is an object form.
rb
1. The program became elaborate. 2. Our friend is a senator.
The term Complement is broadly used for referring to an element that is necessary to complete a phrase, but as we label sentence patterns we wll be using the term more specifically to refer to either a subjective or objective complement.
The complement is a subjective complement, describing or identifying the subject of the sentence. The subjective complement is joined to the subject with a linking verb.
Two main subpatterns:
1. Subpattern 2A: NP + Linking Verb + Adjective
1. The food is good. 2. The manager seems upset.
The third term must be an adjective or adjectival [adjective-like element].
The verb must be a linking verb. In addition to be [or one of its forms] the set of linking verbs includes the following verbs or their respective forms: seem, appear, become, grow, remain, taste, look, feel, smell, sound, get, continue, or go.
The tests how to recognize and distinguish subpattern 2A from other patterns containg the same verbs:
1. It involves expansion:
e.g. a. That food is good > That good food is very good. b. That food is poisonous > That poisonous food is very poisonous.
If a sentence will not undergo this expansion, it usually belongs to some pattern other than subpattern 2A. e.g. My mother is outside. If it cannot be expanded to My outside mother is very outside. <> John appeared weary. [John seemed weary]; Subject + Verb + Adverbial > John grew quickly. [John seemed quickly.]
In the examples above, the first sentence is a subpattern 2A and involves a linking verb that could replace its main verb with a form of seem, whereas the second one does not.
Linking verbs may of course be preceded by auxiliaries. e.g. The party may become lively. Your sister must have seemed friendly.
The second subpattern of 2 is
Subpattern 2B: NP + Linking Verb + NP
1. My friend is a doctor. 2. The girl remained a good student.
The superscript after the second NP indicates that this noun phrase has the same referent as the first noun phrase; that is, in the first sentence both my friend and a doctor refer to the same person, and in the second sentence both the girl and a good student refer to the same person.
The linking verbs in subpattern 2B mean "be identified or classified as." The first NP [subject] has the grammatical meaning of "that which is identified." The second NP means grammatically "that which identifies the subject" and is a subjective complement just as the adjective is in subpattern 2A.
The linking verbs that may occupy the verbal position are be, remain, become, appear, seem, continue, stay, and make.
Subpattern 2B should not be confused with those in which the noun phrase after the verb does not have the same referent as the first noun phrase.
Examples: 2B Donald continued my friend, despite our differences.
other Donald met my friend in the barber shop.
2B My brother became a doctor.
other My brother was seeking a doctor.
Pronoun can also serve as a subjective complement besides Noun as in sentence "This is she." This observation does not invalidate our structural description of subpattern 2B because, as you will probably recall, the term noun phrase does not include only nouns but can also be used to refer to pronouns.
The subjective complement essentially renames the subject of the sentence, the traditional prescriptive grammar rule requires that any pronoun being used as a subjective complement use the subject form of the pronoun.
We would not say "This is her" but rather "This is she" because her is an object form.
rb
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