Complements vs. Adjuncts in English Grammar
Complements vs. Adjuncts (Modifiers)
A complement is a necessary constituent to understand a sentence. The number of complements is established by the meaning of the word they complement (this word may be a noun, verb, adjective, etc.), so it is limited. They also must be immediately attached, either before or after, to the word they complement. If we drop a complement, the sentence becomes ungrammatical. In English, we can find from 0 to 4 complements. An adjunct or modifier is a non-necessary constituent
Read MoreScience Communication: Strategies for Effective Outreach
Text can be categorized by its communicative intention and communication situation. For example:
- Scientific papers (written by and for specialists)
- Outreach texts (targeting non-specialists)
Outreach texts can include:
- Press coverage
- Interviews
- Encyclopedia articles (texts of low level of specialization)
- Widespread education materials
- Dissemination of scientific information
- Commercial use materials
Scientists may create broadcasts with a dominant referential and metalinguistic function, explaining terms for
Read MoreCommunication Elements, Functions, and Linguistic Signs
Elements of Communication
- Issuer: The one who initiates the communication and sends the first message.
- Receiver: The recipient of the sender’s message.
- Message: The content of what is intended to be conveyed.
- Code: The set of signs through which a message is transmitted.
- Channel: The material medium through which the message is transmitted.
- Context and Situation: The verbal or linguistic context consists of the elements in the verbal message related to a particular language segment. The extralinguistic
Understanding Grammar and Linguistic Concepts
Grammatical Stress and Word Structure
Plain words are stressed if they end in a consonant. ‘Q’ is not used. Words are stressed on the antepenultimate syllable, always. For example, in a structure like “SN-(determinant) + core + (ins)”, an adjective-SN would be like “yellow walls”.
Without a preposition, we have “the walls”. The part outside the house is an extra element called an apposition. With a preposition (SPREP), we have phrases like “climbing the walls”. A conditional phrase could be: “if the
Language Structure: Units, Phrases, and Parts of Speech
Language is the faculty that allows humans to communicate using oral signs.
Language is the set of signs and rules that are at the disposition of all speakers of a language. The speaker makes use of language in constructing a particular message.
Units of Language
The units of a language belong to different levels. The units of the same level are merged to result in more complex units.
Phonemes
Phonemes are the models speakers have for different sounds.
Monemes or Morphemes
Monemes or morphemes are meaning
Read MoreSyntax, Semantics, and Linguistic Structures
Syntax, derived from Greek, concerns the way words combine to form sentences. It involves arranging words to show relationships of meaning within sentences. The study of syntax analyzes the constituent parts of a sentence: their form, positioning, and function; how they are internally organized and arranged, and how they relate to one another.
Semantics is the study of how languages organize and express meanings, focusing on linguistic meanings. Pragmatics studies the additional meanings a sentence
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