Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Maiduguri, Nigeria
CENTRE FOR DISTANCE LEARNING
ARTS
ENG 206:
UNIT: 2
Published
UNIT: 2
2007
ISBN:
978-8133-
ii
UNIT: 2
PREFACE
This study unit has been prepared for learners so that they can do
most of the study on their own. The structure of the study unit is
different from that of conventional textbook. The course writers have
made efforts to make the study material rich enough but learners need
to do some extra reading for further enrichment of the knowledge
required.
The learners are expected to make best use of library facilities and
where feasible, use the Internet. References are provided to guide the
selection of reading materials required.
Professor J. D. Amin
Vice-Chancellor
iii
UNIT: 2
iv
UNIT: 2
UNIT: 2
2 UNITS
T A B L E O F C O N T E N TS
PREFACE
HOW TO STUDY THE UNIT INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
2:
STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS -
3:
SYNTACTIC FUNCTIONS
TOPIC 1:
PAGES
iii
iv
1
SOLUTION TO EXERCISES
UNIT: 2
T O P I C 1:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGES
1.0
TOPIC:
1.1
INTRODUCTION -
1.2
OBJECTIVES
1.3
IN-TEXT
1.3.1 THE -
1.4
SUMMARY-
1.5
1.6
REFERENCE
1.7
SUGGESTED READING
1.0 TOPIC:
UNIT: 2
1.1 INTRODUCTION
In this topic, we shall introduce you to the basic
concepts of group in grammar [especially Systemic] and
the link between nouns and nominal groups.
1.2 OBJECTIVES
At the end of this topic, you should be able to:
i.
Explain the grammatical term group
ii.
Explain the relationship between nouns and
nominal groups
iii.
Exemplify nominal groups.
1.3 IN TEXT:
1.3.1
WHAT IS GROUP?
In everyday usage, the word group means a set or
collection of items or things, brought together by either some
features or purposes they have in common. Accordingly, certain
kinds of animals could be living together because they are of the
same specie; some people could be brought together by some
common purpose; a shoal of fish, a pride of lions, a family of five,
a chamber of lawyers, etc. Each of these examples highlights a
group.
In grammar [especially the systemic model], group is a
term referring to a sequence of words which belong together or
function together as one unit in a sentence [Boadi, et al, 1968]. A
group can be made up of one or more words, the syntactic
functions of which correspond to those of one of the parts of
speech. If the group functions like a noun, it is called a nominal
group; if it functions like a verb, it is called a verbal group, and so
on.
One of the criteria for establishing or identifying a group is
substitution [Halliday, 1973]. That is, if one word or group of
words can be exchanged for another in a sentence, without
changing the grammatical class of the first word or group so
exchanged, then the two words or groups are said to belong
together and are of the same group. For example:
NOMINAL GROUP
Those very pretty little girls
Very pretty little girls
Pretty little girls
Little girls
The girls
Girls
UNIT: 2
VERBAL GROUP
have been singing.
have been singing.
have been singing.
have been singing.
have been singing.
have been singing.
1.3.2
1.4 SUMMARY
In this unit, you have been introduced to the grammatical
concept of group, its application to the noun class of words, and
which in turn generates a group type known as nominal group.
UNIT: 2
1.6 REFERENCES
Boadi, L.A., Grieve, D. W. and Nwankwo, B. [1968],
Grammatical Structures and its Teachings, Ibadan,
African
University Press.
Halliday, M.A.K. [1973], Exploration in the Functions of
Language, London, Edward Arnold.
UNIT: 2
T O P I C 2:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGES
2.0
TOPIC:
STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS -
2.1
INTRODUCTION -
2.2
OBJECTIVES
2.3
IN-TEXT
2.3.1 THE -
2.4
SUMMARY-
2.5
2.6
REFERENCE
2.7
SUGGESTED READING
2.0 TOPIC:
UNIT: 2
STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS
2.1 INTRODUCTION
In Unit 1, general explanations and examples have
been given to you on group and nominal group. This topic
will introduce you to the fundamental elements that make
up the nominal group. It will highlight the main categories of
those elements; the sequence in which they occur within
the nominal group and the minute items that occur within
each main category.
2.2 OBJECTIVES
At the end of this topic, you should be able to:
i.
Identify the main elements of the nominal group;
ii.
Identify the smaller items that make up each
element;
iii.
Recognize the sequences in which elements
occur within different types of nominal group;
iv.
Analyse various types of nominal group.
2.3 IN TEXT:
2.3.1
HEADWORDS [H]
As the name indicates, the headword [abbreviated as H] is
the most essential of the main elements of the nominal group
structure [Martin, 1992]. Since the nominal group derives its
group type from the class of word known as noun, the usual
headword of nominal groups is the noun [or pronoun]. In analysis
of any nominal group type, the headword is simply labelled with
H above it. Examples of noun headwords are:
H
a
ball
the
H
ball
those
men
UNIT: 2
Pronouns
H
something delicious
H
somebody stupid
H
he
in that house
H
They that are laughing
Adjectives
But here, such a headword occurs as plural, not singular. In
a sentence, such a headword is given a plural verb, not singular.
the
H
poor [means: the poor people, not person]
the
H
rich
the
H
meek
Cardinal Numerals
H
this one
H
those
two
H
one of them
H
two of us
Ordinal Numerals
UNIT: 2
H
second
H
this third
each
a
tenth
H
first
2.3.2
MODIFIERS [M]
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UNIT: 2
m
an apple
m
the boy
Adjectives
m
green
books
m
wise
kings
m
tall
man
Demonstrative Adjectives
m
this house
m
that tree
m
those pots
Possessive Adjectives
m
my house
m
your car
m
his wife
m
CDL, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri
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UNIT: 2
their teacher
Distributive Adjectives
Distributive adjectives apportion or distribute things into
variable amounts or shares.
m
both brothers
m
any
m
many
school
schools
m
each brother
Interrogative Adjectives
Such adjectives are used to ask questions.
m
which
one
m
what
question
m
what
news
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UNIT: 2
Cardinal Numerals
m
one
nation
m
two
regions
m
six
zones
Ordinal Numerals
m
the second winner
m
first prizes
m
fifth
doors
Nouns
m
Musaa
farm
m
water
pots
m
trade
unions
2.3.3
QUALIFIERS [Q]
H
president
Q
elect
13
H
mother
Q
superior
H
love
Q
divine
H
God
Q
Almighty
Adverbs
M
H
the
guest
M
the
H
visitor
Q
outside
M
the
H
one
Nouns
H
King
Q
Mai Madu
H
Audu
Q
the farmer
H
President
UNIT: 2
inside
there
Q
Obasanjo
Reflexive Pronouns
H
Q
you
yourself
14
H
they
UNIT: 2
Q
themselves
H
we
Q
ourselves
Prepositional Phrase
Prepositional phrases consist of a preposition followed by its
object [mostly nouns].
M
that
H
spoon
M
a
H
letter
Q
for you
M
a
H
plot
Q
against him
in the cup
Infinitive Phrase
Infinitive verbs are verbs that begin with the word to. That
kind of verb together with its objects or complements forms the
infinitive phrase. The infinitive phrase too functions as a qualifier:
M
the
M
the
M
the
M
the
Q
book
book
to read
Q
to read daily
Q
number
number
to dial carefully
Q
to carefully dial
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UNIT: 2
Participial Phrases
Participial verbs are [i] present participle: verbs ending with
ing and not preceded by auxiliaries [eg: going, doing, singing,
etc]: [ii] past participle [eg: given, gone, done, written, seen, etc].
Such verbs, together with their complements, can function as
qualifiers.
M
the
M
the
M
the
M
the
M
the
M
the
lady
Q
singing
man
Q
writing
song
Q
sung
letter
Q
written
lady
Q
singing loudly
letter
Q
written carefully
Clauses
A clause is a group of words that contains a finite verb; a
finite verb is a verb that clearly indicates feature like tense,
number and person of its subject. Clauses perform various
functions in the sentences or groups. One of such functions in
groups is the qualifier in nominal groups [Adejare and Adejare,
1996].
M
the
M
the
M
the
Q
man
letter
Q
that was written yesterday
one
Q
which came to my mind
16
UNIT: 2
m
H
tall man
Q
who teaches ENG 206
2.4 SUMMARY
This topic has introduced you to the three main
elements of the nominal group structure, wherein the
modifiers [M] and qualifiers [Q] serve as optional elements,
and the headword [H] serve as a necessary element. Under
each of those three elements, words of various categories
serve as constituents.
2.6 REFERENCES
Adejare, R. A and Adejare, O. [1996]. Tertiary English
Grammar,
Lagos, Difamo Books.
Bloor, T. and Bloor, M. [1995], The Functional Analysis of
English,
London, Edward Arnold.
Martin, J. R. [1992], English Text: System and Structure,
Amsterdam,
John Benjamins.
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UNIT: 2
T O P I C 3:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGES
3.0
TOPIC:
SYNTACTIC FUNCTIONS
3.1
INTRODUCTION -
3.2
OBJECTIVES
3.3
IN-TEXT
3.3.1 THE -
3.4
SUMMARY-
3.5
3.6
REFERENCE
3.7
SUGGESTED READING
18
3.0 TOPIC:
UNIT: 2
SYNTACTIC FUNCTIONS
3.1 INTRODUCTION
In Units 1 and 2, we have emphasized the fact that
both the concept of group and group type are established by
headword of the group as well as by the particular function of
that group in the sentence. If a group functions or behaves like
a noun in a sentence, then it can be seen as a nominal group.
In this topic, we are going to look at such functions of the
nominal group in sentences, in detail.
3.2 OBJECTIVES
At the end of this topic, you should be able to:
i.
Identify and establish all the functions of
nouns and [by extension] nominal groups in
sentences.
ii.
Give your own examples of such functions.
iii.
Identify such functions in given passages.
IN TEXT:
3.3.1
SUBJECT
3.3
3.3.2
DIRECT OBJECT
3.3.3
INDIRECT OBJECT
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UNIT: 2
3.3.4
SUBJECT COMPLEMENT
3.3.5
OBJECT COMPLEMENT
3.3.6
ADVERBIALS
adverbials
in
20
3.3.7
UNIT: 2
NOMINALISATIONS
3.4 SUMMARY
In this unit, we have gone through the various
functions of the nominal group in sentences: subject, direct
subject, indirect object, subject complement, object
complement and adverbials. Since our focus is on function
here, we have also discussed other non-MHQ structures that
function like nouns or nominals in sentences, and are thus
termed nominalisations.
3.6 REFERENCES
Matthews, P. H. [1997], Concise Dictionary of Linguistics,
Oxford, O.U.P
Robins, P. H. [1964], General Linguistics: An Introductory
Survey, London, Longmans.
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UNIT: 2
22
UNIT: 2
SOLUTIONS TO EXERCISES
TOPIC 1
1.
2.
3.
TOPIC 2
1.
the man [M + H]
a tall man [MM + H]
that pencil on the table [M+H+Q]
Ahmed [H]
Love divine [H + Q]
2.
m
our
school
m
your house
H
a Judas
H
national anthem
Q
the one behind
Q
the language spoken
23
UNIT: 2
TOPIC 3
1.
2.
3.
24
UNIT: 2
TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENTS
1.
25