Grammatical constructs
Activity 1
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Grammar is to some extent the language we need, the metalanguage, in order to describe language. Which grammatical terms do your students know? Which terms do you feel they that need to know, or that you need to teach? Click on 'Commentary' for feedback. |
To describe a grammar, we need to identify and define items such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, phrases, clauses, sentences, and so on. While there are numerous and useful definitions for these items, in practice these definitions do not always help us to deal adequately with real-world, authentic language. The following definition for an English-language noun, for example, is reasonably adequate:
Noun: a 'naming' word which typically fills the positions occupied by 'sheriff' in the sentences below:
I shot the sheriff [direct object, ie complement of the verb].
The sheriff shot me [subject].
I gave my gun to the sheriff [complement of a preposition].Typical nouns inflect for number (singular or plural [sheriff versus sheriffs]), but 'sheep', 'milk', 'beer', for example, are exceptions and do not take plural -s; nouns also inflect for genitive case (ie possessive as in 'the sheriff's gun'); typical nouns are often accompanied by determiners ('the', 'a', 'this', 'that', etc).
While such definitions may seem clear-cut and appropriate, they are not always adequate for the purposes of analysing authentic language, as you will see when you attempt Activity 2. It is for this reason, perhaps, that textbook sentences and texts are contrived to 'fit' and not contradict the kind of simplified grammar rules and definitions we provide for learners.
Activity 2
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Read the transcripts below. Can you guess the context of these interactions? For each transcript, count the number of concrete nouns (ie those which refer to physical items in the world) and abstract nouns (ie those which refer to concepts and ideas) and record them in the grid. You should count each occurrence of every noun as a separate item. If possible, compare your answers with those of someone else studying this module. Then click on 'Commentary' for feedback. |
| Concrete nouns | Abstract nouns | |
| Transcript 1 | ||
| Transcript 2 | ||
| Transcript 3 |
Transcript 1:
| f | There's eh a little portable TV on the table and there's a man with something... |
| m | With a set of dog's ears. |
| f | Yeah. |
| m | Right. |
| f | And there's a bag of chips or something beside the TV |
| m | No, no bag of chips here. |
| f | And there's a phone on the desk. |
| m | There's a phone on the desk, yeah. |
| f | And there's the man sitting, ehm... |
| m | With his legs crossed. |
| f |
Yeah, he's sitting side on in the picture on one of those little office chairs with wheels. And he has his hand under his chin. |
| m | The same thing. Holding onto his tie with his hand [inaudible] hand, left hand. |
| f |
Yeah. Go on back to the books on the top, the top picture. There's three large books and one small book in mine. |
| m | No. There's only two and one small [inaudible] beside it. |
| f | There's a telephone on the desk. |
| m | Yeah. |
| f | There's a key, there's a little book. |
| m | How many keys? |
| f | on the side. There's one key. |
| m | There's two keys in mine. |
| f | There's a little book on its side. |
| m | Black? |
| f |
There's another little... yeah, and then there's another strange looking object, which might be a packet of fags, or book. |
| m | Mmm, mm. |
| f | And a no-smoking sign. |
| m |
And on the table, then, in front of them, there's eh... looks like a graph or something. |
| f | Yeah |
| f | Yep. [pause] That's about it. |
| m | I think that's about it, you're right. |
Transcript 2:
| A | By the way, John, can I say something else while I'm on the programme? |
| B | Course you can. |
| A |
Er, I echo the sentiments of the lady who said about your calling people flower and girl. I think it's fantastic. It makes my night when I hear you say that. |
| B | That's all right then, flower. |
| A | Oh you know it's lovely. Don't you think it's down to earth? |
| B | I hope so. |
| A |
Yes it really is down-to-earth.
I tried to get on your programme last night with the left-handed business
you know? (CONVERSATION DELETED) |
| B | Uh huh. |
| A | We were... we were very grateful for this. |
| B | It does make a lot of difference yeah. |
| A | It does indeed. Thank you for your programme, John. |
| B | Thank you, Mary. Nice to talk to you. |
| A | Thank you. Bye bye. |
| B | Bye bye. God Bless. |
| A | Bye bye, flower. |
Transcript 3:
| A |
There was a there is a
phrase that I have heard among humans that they use to describe erm
many of er of these meaningless conversations they have. Erm they
called it politics I believe. (pause) |
| B | Yes I've heard about politics. |
| A | It's an interesting notion. Does a politics butter its bread? |
| B | Er no. |
| A | I think it's a bit more abstract than that. |
| B | Ah. |
| A |
I think a politics tries to butter (laughs) its bread and everybody else's on both sides. |
| B | Ah. |
| A | But none of them ever manage. |
| B |
Then perhaps some day I shall meet a politics. (pause) I'm sure that will be interesting. |
