Key Concepts in English Clause Syntax and Structure

Posted on Mar 31, 2025 in Linguistics and Applied Languages

Clause Subclasses and Related Structures

Clause Types

  • Content Clauses (e.g., the talk he gave, that…)
  • Relative Clauses
  • Comparative Clauses

Related Phrase/Clause Examples

  • AdjP (Adjective Phrase): e.g., Andrea – happy to be included…
  • PP (Prepositional Phrase): e.g., the final march – between…
  • AdvP (Adverb Phrase): e.g., They travel – usually – by train
  • Clause: e.g., If she fails – and she probably will…

Coordination Types

Basic Coordination

  • Unmarked Coordination (e.g., apples, oranges…)
  • Repetition of Coordinator (e.g., and apples, and oranges)
  • Correlative Coordination (e.g., neither… nor)
  • Non-correlative Coordination

Non-Basic Coordination

  • Expansion of coordinates by modifiers (e.g., rather, both)
  • Gapped Coordination (e.g., Pedro wants to play soccer and Maria volleyball)
  • Delayed Right Constituent Coordination (Element deferred to the right)
  • End-Attachment Coordination (e.g., Kim was included but not Pat)

Sentence Elements: Adjuncts, Disjuncts, Conjuncts

  • Adjuncts: Describe circumstances (e.g., wherever I end up).
  • Disjuncts: Express point of view.
    • Style Disjuncts (e.g., to put it in a nutshell)
    • Attitudinal Disjuncts (e.g., to be honest)
  • Conjuncts: Connect to something previously mentioned (e.g., going along with).

Embedded Clauses

  • Restrictive Relative Clauses
  • Appositional Clauses (often introduced by that)

Key Concepts in Clause Analysis

  • Canonical vs. Non-Canonical Clauses: Canonical clauses are syntactically more basic or elementary than non-canonical ones.
  • Predicate: Every canonical clause features a head element, typically a Verb Phrase (VP).
  • Verb Phrase (VP): A finite VP can contain up to five verbal forms, including various auxiliaries and the final lexical verb.
  • Basic Clause Structure: Often analyzed as Subject + Predicate.
  • Predicate Function: Describes a property of a person or thing.
  • Adjuncts vs. Modifiers vs. Supplements:
    • Adjuncts are less closely dependent on the verb.
    • Modifiers are tightly integrated into the clause structure.
    • Supplements are only loosely attached, like interpolations (additions within a sentence interrupting the flow). They are semantically related to an ‘anchor‘ but are not syntactically dependent on a head.
  • Speech Acts: Actions performed by uttering sentences.
  • Negation: Marked by individual words (e.g., not) or affixes (e.g., un-).
  • Clause Combining: The process of forming clause complexes (represented as sentences) by joining multiple clauses.
  • Complements: Must be licensed by the predicator (verb).
  • Indirect Object: Typically associated with the semantic role of a recipient.
  • Objects: Can take the form of a noun phrase or pronoun.
  • Predicative Noun Phrases (NPs): Denote features and properties.
  • Non-Headed Structures: Include supplementation and coordination.
  • Coordination vs. Supplementation:
    • Coordination links elements of equal status.
    • Supplementation involves elements that are not integrated into the main syntactic structure.
  • Coordination Levels: Can occur at the main clause level or within smaller constituents (lower-level coordination).
  • Subordination: Involves embedding one element (typically a clause) inside another. It usually establishes a main/matrix clause in the foreground and a subordinate clause in the background (less relevant). Subordination allows speakers/writers to manage information focus by putting one clause in the foreground and relating others to the background.
  • Subordinate Clauses: Characteristically function as dependent within some larger construction.
  • Embedded Clauses: Are tightly integrated into the structure.
  • Non-Restrictive Relative Clauses: Link a backgrounded state of affairs to a participant in a more foregrounded state of affairs.