Discussion Techniques and Sentence Parsing
Discussion Techniques
Dialogue or Conversation
Spontaneous: It is the most natural form of expression. Not prepared, hence using simple words, sentences are left unfinished, fillers are abused, and gestures are made.
Organized Dialogue: The Debate
Preparation: It is a dialogue prepared for a specific purpose, generally to analyze an issue and arrive at certain conclusions.
The Moderator
- Introduces the topic.
- Addresses the partners by giving them the floor.
- Focuses the discussion and summarizes the conclusions at the end of the session.
Methods of Debate
The Roundtable
Participants are few. All can speak, and no one has more authority than another. It is informative.
The Phillips 6.6
It is a large group discussion used to determine the general opinion on a topic quickly. The group is split into teams of six, and each team appoints a secretary. They discuss for 6 minutes on the subject. The secretaries present the conclusions, which are read in turn.
The Assembly
Used in very large groups to make important decisions between two opposing positions. The speakers, who are the most knowledgeable on the subject, present the views, resolve doubts, and then a vote is taken.
Sentence Parsing
To analyze a sentence syntactically, we first find the verb and ask “Who?” is performing the action of the verb. The answer is the subject, and everything else is automatically the predicate.
Subject Phrase
The subject phrase consists of:
- Core (N): The noun.
- Determinant (det.): Any kind of determiner: article, possessive, demonstrative, etc. These go with the noun.
- Adjunct (Adg.): An adjective that modifies the noun.
- Apposition (App.): A noun that provides further information about the core noun and is typically preceded by a comma.
- Complement of the Noun (CN): A group of words that complements the core noun (normally a preposition and a noun).
Predicate Phrase
The predicate phrase consists of:
- Nucleus (N): The verb.
- Direct Object (DO): To find the direct object, we can:
- Replace it with the pronouns “lo”, “la”, “los”, “las”.
- Transform the sentence into the passive voice, where the direct object becomes the subject. Example: “John bought slippers.” becomes “Slippers were bought by John.” We can ask “What is/was + verb + past participle?”
- Indirect Object (IO): To find it, we can:
- Substitute it with the pronouns “le”, “les”.
- It is always introduced by the preposition “to” or sometimes “for”.
- It can never be the subject in a passive sentence or be replaced by the pronouns “lo”, “la”, “los”, “las”. Example: “John bought Mary slippers.” We can ask “To whom?” or “For whom?”
- Adverbial Complement (CC): There are several types, and they are identified with specific questions.
- Adverbial Complement of Place (CCL): We ask the verb “Where?”. It can be an adverb of place.
- Adverbial Complement of Time (CCT): We ask the verb “When?”. It may be preceded by a preposition or be an adverb of time.
- Adverbial Complement of Manner (CCM): We ask the verb “How?”. It can be an adverb of manner.
- Adverbial Complement of Cause (CCCau): We ask the verb “Why?”
Copulative Sentences
These are sentences in which the nucleus of the predicate is always a copulative verb (to be, to seem, and to become). The copula has no meaning by itself; it links the subject with the predicate. Copula means “to unite”.
Copulative sentences can have attributive and circumstantial complements, but never a direct object or an indirect object.
To find the attributive complement, we can replace it with the pronoun “lo” or “la”.
Passive Sentences
A passive sentence has a passive verb, which is formed by the auxiliary verb “to be” (or “to seem” or “to appear”) + the past participle of the main verb. It takes an agent complement introduced by “by”. It may take circumstantial complements but never a direct object, an indirect object, or an attributive complement.
Reciprocal Sentences
These are sentences in which two or more individuals perform and receive the same action. Example: “John and Mary wrote letters to each other.”
Reflexive Sentences
These are sentences where the subject performs and receives the action of the verb. Example: “John combed his hair.”
Reflexive sentences use the pronouns “myself”, “yourself”, “himself”, “herself”, “itself”, “ourselves”, “yourselves”, and “themselves”.
Questionnaire
- Is it the most natural way to express oneself, where sentences are left unfinished, fillers are abused, and gestures are made? Dialogue or conversation
- Is it a dialogue prepared for a specific purpose, generally to analyze an issue and arrive at certain conclusions? Organized dialogue
- Are these sentences in which the subject performs and receives the action of the verb? Reflexive sentences
- Are these sentences in which two or more subjects perform and receive the same action? Reciprocal sentences
- Is it a large group discussion used to determine the general opinion on a subject in a short time? The Phillips 6.6
- Is it a noun that provides further information about another noun and is typically preceded by a comma? Apposition
- Is it used in very large groups to make important decisions between two opposing positions? The assembly
- Are these sentences in which the nucleus of the predicate is always a copulative verb (to be, to seem, or to become)? Copulative sentences
- Does this person introduce the topic, address the participants, and summarize the conclusions at the end of the session? Moderator
- Is this any kind of determiner, such as an article, possessive, or demonstrative, that goes with a noun? Determinant