© 2019 Steve Campsall
© 2019 Steve Campsall
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sentence structure and function (2) |
We'll examine the three most common sentence structures in a little more detail.
The declarative sentence
A declarative sentence is the first
grammatical structure that a child will learn. It makes a
straightforward statement.
Grammatically speaking, the structure is subject-verb-[object] (i.e. SV[O]).
|
SUBJECT (S) |
VERB (V) |
[OBJECT (O)] |
|
Noun phrase |
||
|
the 'actor' |
the 'action' |
the 'acted upon' |
|
The cat |
slept | |
|
The cat |
ate |
the mouse |
The interrogative sentence
An interrogative sentence
uses an
auxiliary verb
before the subject. This acts to splits the verb chain. Interrogative sentences are most often used to create a question.
|
AUX. VERB (V) |
SUBJECT (S) |
MAIN VERB (V) |
OBJECT |
|
auxiliary verb |
noun |
main verb |
Noun phrase |
|
Do |
you |
want |
any? |
| Have | I | found | him? |
The imperative sentence
An imperative sentence lacks a
grammatical subject, although the implication is 'you'. This has the effect of adding
an insistent quality to the meaning of the sentence:
|
VERB (V) |
OBJECT (O) |
|
verb |
noun |
|
Sit |
down. |
|
We have said that grammar sets the rules for structure to allow clear meaning. But language is a very flexible thing. We can use grammatical structures to create more than one kind of meaning, for example, an interrogative structure, which is usually used for making a question, can also form of command: 'Will you stop talking!'. This is cast in a grammatically interrogative form but has the meaning of an imperative or command: 'Stop talking!' Similarly a declarative structure such as, 'You need a coffee.' can be made to function as a question. We are able to work out the meaning inferred because of the context in which the sentence is used. This is in the realm of pragmatics (as well as by applying phonology: the words at the end of the sentence will be given a rising intonation to suggest a question is intended). |
