 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
126
C H A P T E R XXIV
SIMPLE SENTENCE: CONSTITUENT STRUCTURE
§ 1. The basic predicative meanings of the typical English sentence, as has already been pointed out, are
expressed by the finite verb which is immediately connected with the subject of the sentence. This predicative
connection is commonly referred to as the "predicative line" of the sentence. Depending on their predicative
complexity, sentences can feature one predicative line or several (more than one) predicative lines; in other
words, sentences may be, respectively, "monopredicative" and "polypredicative". Using this distinction, we
must say that the simple sentence is a sentence in which only one predicative line is expressed. E.g.:
Bob has never left the stadium. Opinions differ. This may happen any time. The offer might have been quite
fair. Etc.
According to this definition, sentences with several predicates referring to one and the same subject cannot
be considered as simple. E.g.:
I took the child in my arms and held him.
It is quite evident that the cited sentence, although it includes only one subject, expresses two different
predicative lines, since its two predicates are separately connected with the subject. The content of the sentence
reflects two closely connected events that happened in immediate succession: the first - "my taking the child in
my arms"; the second-"my holding him".
Sentences having one verb-predicate and more than one subject to it, if the subjects form actually separate
(though interdependent) predicative connections, cannot be considered as simple, either. E.g.:
The door was open, and also the front window.
Thus, the syntactic feature of strict monopredication should serve as the basic diagnostic criterion for
identifying the simple sentence in contrast to sentences of composite structures of various systemic standings.
§ 2. The simple sentence, as any sentence in general, is organized as a system of function-expressing
positions, the content of the functions being the reflection of a situational event. The nominative parts of the
simple sentence, each occupying a notional position in it, are subject, predicate, object, adverbial, attribute,
parenthetical enclosure, addressing enclosure; a special, semi-notional position is occupied by an interiectional
enclosure. The parts are arranged in a hierarchy, wherein all of them perform some modifying role. The ulti-
mate and highest object of this integral modification is the sentence as a whole, and through the sentence, the
reflection of the situation (situational event).
Thus, the subject is a person-modifier of the predicate. The predicate is a process-modifier of the subject-
person. The object is a substance-modifier of a processual part (actional or statal). The adverbial is a quality-
modifier (in a broad sense) of a processual part or the whole of the sentence (as expressing an integral process
inherent in the reflected event). The attribute is a quality-modifier of a substantive part. The parenthetical
enclosure is a detached speaker-bound modifier of any sentence-part or the whole of the sentence. The
addressing enclosure (address) is a substantive modifier of the destination of the sentence and hence, from its
angle, a modifier of the sentence as a whole. The interiectional enclosure is a speaker-bound emotional modifier
of the sentence.
All the said modifiers may be expressed either singly (single modifiers) or collectively, i.e. in a coordinative
combination (co-modifiers, in particular, homogeneous ones).
The traditional scheme of sentence parsing shows many essential traits of the said functional hierarchy. On
the scheme presented graphically, sentence-parts connected by bonds of immediate domination are placed one
under the other in a successive order of subordination, while sentence-parts related to one another equipotently
are placed in a horizontal order. Direct connections between the sentence-parts are represented by horizontal
and vertical lines.
By way of example, let us take an ordinary English sentence featuring the basic modifier connections, and
see its traditional parsing presentation (Fig. 4):
The small lady listened to me attentively.