Canvas by Hugo Alberto Serrano Orellana

Welcome to the fascinating world of grammar!

so21003 — 2024-05-13 18:11:27 UTC

Presented by: Hugo Alberto Serrano Orellana

Student code: SO21003

Grammar

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Prescriptivism vs Descriptivism

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Subjects and Objects

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The subject in a sentence typically performs the action or is described, often before the verb. It's usually the 'who' or 'what' that the sentence is about. The object, on the other hand, receives the action of the verb. It's the 'who' or 'what' that the action is done to. In "The cat (subject) chased (verb) the mouse (object)," "cat" is the subject as it's performing the action, and "mouse" is the object as it's being chased. Understanding subject and object helps in clarifying who or what is doing what in a sentence.

Word Order

so21003 — 2024-05-13 18:21:25 UTC

Word order refers to the sequence in which words are arranged to form a grammatically correct sentence in a language. It typically follows a pattern determined by the language's syntax. Commonly, it starts with a subject, followed by a verb, and then an object, known as subject-verb-object (SVO) order. However, languages vary in their word order; for instance, some use subject-object-verb (SOV) order like Japanese. Word order impacts meaning and clarity in communication, influencing emphasis, relationships between elements, and overall coherence in conveying thoughts and ideas.

Why Study Grammar?

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Understanding the specific word order rules in English and other languages is crucial for explaining challenges faced by second language learners. Differences in structural organization between languages can lead to errors in expression, such as using unconventional word orders. Educators can enhance language teaching materials by highlighting these differences and fostering awareness among students. Additionally, the linear word order observed in languages is based on underlying hierarchical structures, which will be further explored in subsequent discussions.

Traditional Grammar

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Latin and Greek, beyond being communication tools, were integral to philosophy, religion, and education. Their grammatical models influenced English comprehension and evaluation. These languages were esteemed, shaping English's structure. Terms like "article," "adjective," and "noun" originated from them, guiding English analysis. English sentences were dissected using their syntax and morphology. Additionally, studying Latin and Greek grammar revealed insights into speech part agreement. Thus, these ancient languages not only formed the foundation of English grammar but also provided profound linguistic insights.

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English grammar

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English grammar can be traced back to old grammatical frameworks, which were heavily affected by Latin and Greek linguistic studies. Historically, the phrase "grammar school" refers to institutions largely focused on teaching Latin, emphasizing the importance of Latin as a fundamental language in education.

Agreement

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Beyond defining components of speech, linguistic analysis considers categories such as number, person, tense, voice, and gender, particularly in agreement. For example, in "Cathy loves her dog," the verb "loves" agrees with the noun "Cathy" in terms of number (singular) and person (third). Tense (present) and voice (active) help to clarify the activity. Gender, reflecting natural distinctions, regulates agreement between "Cathy" and "her," which is consistent with biological gender standards in English.

Grammatical Gender

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In English, grammatical gender differs from "natural gender." While natural gender refers to biological sex, grammatical gender, as used in languages such as Spanish and German, classifies nouns as masculine, feminine, or neuter. This classification influences the forms of articles and adjectives. Unlike natural gender, grammatical gender is not based on biological differences. For example, in German, "das Mädchen" (the girl) is grammatically neuter, but referring to a female. Similarly, in French, "le livre" (the book) is grammatically masculine but not biologically male. Grammatical gender is critical for understanding various languages.

The Descriptive Approach

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The Prescriptive Approach

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Quiz time:

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1 - Identify all the parts of speech used in this sentence (e.g. woman = noun): The woman

kept a large snake in a cage, but it escaped recently.

The - Article

woman - Noun
kept - Verb
a - Article
large - Adjective
snake - Noun
in - Preposition
a - Article
cage - Noun
but - Conjunction
it - Pronoun
escaped - Verb
recently - Adverb

Quiz time:

so21003 — 2024-05-13 22:14:32 UTC

2 - How many adverbs are there in the following sentence?

Really large objects move very slowly.

In the sentence "Really large objects move very slowly," there are two adverbs:

Really (modifying the adjective "large")
Very (modifying the adverb "slowly")

Quiz time:

so21003 — 2024-05-13 22:18:34 UTC

3 - What is the tense and voice of the verb in the following sentence?

My parents were married in Rome.

In the sentence "My parents were married in Rome," the tense of the verb "were married" is past tense. The voice of the verb is active voice.

Quiz time:

so21003 — 2024-05-13 22:21:46 UTC

4 - What is the difference between grammatical gender and natural gender?

Answer: Grammatical gender categorizes nouns by language rules such as masculine or feminine or neutral, and is not tied to sex; natural gender refers to the actual biological gender: male, female or neither.

Quiz time:

so21003 — 2024-05-13 22:27:42 UTC

5 - What prescriptive rules for the “proper” use of English are not obeyed in the following sentence and how would it be “corrected”?

(a) The old theory consistently failed to fully explain all the data.

Answer: in prescriptive rules, infinitives should not be split. "To fully explain" should be rephrased as "to explain fully."

Quiz time:

so21003 — 2024-05-13 22:28:46 UTC

6 - How many noun phrases are there in the following sentence?

Robert brought a small puppy to the party and we all wanted to keep it.

Answer: There are three noun phrases:

"a small puppy"
"the party"
"it"

Quiz time:

so21003 — 2024-05-13 22:29:01 UTC

7 - What was wrong with the older Latin-influenced definition of English pronouns?

Answer: Pronouns are described as words used in place of nouns.

Quiz time:

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8 - What is the grammatical function of the proper noun in the following sentence?

The professor and her students visited Berlin during the summer.

Answer: The proper noun "Berlin" functions as the direct object in the sentence.

Quiz time:

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9 - Is Malagasy a VSO language or something else?

Answer: Malagasy is primarily a VSO (Verb-Subject-Object) language.

Quiz time:

so21003 — 2024-05-13 22:37:41 UTC

10 - Given these other Gaelic words, translate the following sentences into English:

beag (“small”) bhuail (“hit”) dubh (“black”) duine (“man”) gille (“boy”)

(a) Bhuail an gille beag an cu dubh

Response: The small boy hit the black dog.