Understanding Sentence Structure and Word Formation

Posted on Jan 30, 2025 in Translation and Interpreting

Subordination

Subordinated clauses can be classified as:

  • Substantive (that is, who, what, when, where, how)
  • Adjective (which, who, where, whose, how, when)
  • Adverbial
    • Proper:
      • Location: where, whither
      • Time: when, as, then, as soon as, after, before, until, every time
      • Manner: as
    • Improper:
      • Finals: so that, for
      • Causals: because, since
      • Concessive: but, despite that, even if, although
      • Conditional: if, in the case that, provided that, unless
      • Comparative:
        • Superiority: more than, more… than
        • Equality: both… like, so... as, such… as
        • Inferiority: less… than, less than

Supraorational Connectors

Supraorational connectors can be used for:

  • Addition (and, well, too)
  • Emphasis (in fact, even more so, over)
  • Completion (including, to top it up, even)
  • Comparison (similarly, likewise, in the same way)
  • Opposition:
    • Adversative (however, nevertheless)
    • Concessive (yet, even so, anyway)
    • Restrictive (at least, to some extent, if any, in any case, unless, except)
    • Exclusive (on the contrary, rather, quite the contrary)
  • Causation:
    • Cause (because, since)
    • Result (therefore, consequently, accordingly, then, so)
    • Condition (if so, in that case)
  • Reformulation:
    • Explanation (that is, in other words)
    • Correction (or rather, I mean)
    • Summary (in short, in a word, in short, total)
    • Exemplification (for example, well, say the case, as, namely, specifically)
  • Discourse Order:
    • Presentation (for one thing, above all, well)
    • Continuation (then, later, so, well)
    • Transition (on another level, incidentally)
    • Digression (incidentally, apropos)
    • Enumeration (first, second, finally, on the one hand, on the other hand)
    • Closing (well, finally, to end)

Connectors

  • Text Function: forms of connectors or markers
  • Addendum: and also, above, in the same way
  • Warning: look, listen, hey, watch out!
  • Correction: well, that is, rather
  • Discursive Closing: well, well, after all
  • Initiation: well, good, man, yes?
  • Conclusion: well, well, after all
  • Digression: in fact, by the way
  • Exemplification and Inclusion: for example, say, as, for instance
  • Emphasis: well that, of course
  • Explanation or Qualification: I mean, that is, namely
  • Reinforcement: what is more, but still, especially
  • Attention Call: hey, hello?, look!, come on!
  • Restriction: if anything, to some extent
  • Summary: in summary, in a nutshell
  • Theming: for, as regards
  • Transition: moreover, in another matter
  • Causative: elements worth cause, condition, or consequence

Impersonal Verbs

  • Unipersonal: meteorological
  • Grammaticalized: having, doing
  • Eventual: it is commented on some sites, it is said around, by phone
  • Passive Reflexive: an inanimate subject (a nightclub opens)
  • Second Passive: there is no agent complement, starts with “por”
  • Pronoun: Cat – what is the function – what does it do
    • Cathedral (verb “saber”): *I know nothing. Cat: Word Function: nucleus of the phrase
    • Se (reflexive pronoun, 3rd person): *He painted me / you / himself
    • Se (reciprocal pronoun): *kiss
    • Se (personal pronoun, “aten”)

Word Formation

  • Simple Words: lex (hand, sun, salt, train…), lex + inflectional morpheme (gender, number)
  • Compound Words: 2 or + lexemes (skyscraper, pencil sharpener)
  • Parasynthetics: composite and derived at a time (half-wit, stonemason)
  • Acronyms: initials are formed (UN, AVE, ONCE)
  • Acronyms that have become mainstream (UFO, Talgo, AIDS)

Rhetorical Figures

  • Personification: a human doing something that is not human (notes that sleep, etc.)
  • Comparison: a few notes on strings sleep like birds on branches
  • Metaphor: using an expression with a meaning different from the original (flame pupils)
  • Parallelism: repetition of the same structure in several sentences in a row (take me with you)
  • Alliteration: repetition of a sound (euphony/cacophony, r/r/r, a/a)
  • Anaphora: repetition of one or more words at the beginning of two or more sentences