Course title: English Syntax 1: Word Classes
Course coordinator: Dr. Anđel Starčević, Assistant Professor
Instructor: Dr. Anđel Starčević, Assistant Professor
ECTS credits: 6
Semester: 2nd (summer)
Status: mandatory
Enrollment requirements: passed exam in Introduction to the Linguistic Study of English
Required reading is set in boldface.
Week-by-week schedule:
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Week
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Topic
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1.
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General information about the course. Introduction to syntax and grammar. Prescriptive vs. descriptive. Exercises.
(Crystal 2003:194-195; Milroy, 133-139; Trask, 187-211) |
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2.
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Morphology: problems in identifying words, morphemes and allomorphs. Lexical words and function words. Lexical categories. Inflection and derivation. Paradigmatic and syntagmatic relations. Exercises.
(Longman, ch. 2; Van Valin, 6-8, 13-17, 86-87; Miller, ch. 4) |
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3.
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Phrases and Clauses. Clause elements and clause patterns. Grammatical relations: subjects and objects. Exercises. (Longman, ch. 3; Burton-Roberts, 78-90; Miller. ch. 9)
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4.
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Verb classes in English. Lexical, modal, and primary verbs. (Longman, ch. 5)
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5.
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Phrasal and prepositional verbs. Exercises.
(Longman, ch. 5; Miller, 51-53; Burton-Roberts, 126-132) |
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6.
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VPs: tense, aspect, voice and modal use. Non-finite clauses. Exercises.
(Longman, ch. 6; Miller, 81-85) |
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7.
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REVISION OF VERBS AND VPs.
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8.
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Noun classes in English. NPs: determiners. Exercises.
(Longman, ch. 4; Burton-Roberts, 55-58, 154-160; Miller, 53-55) |
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9.
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Pronouns. Exercises. (Longman, ch. 4; Burton-Roberts, 171-173).
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10.
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NPs: premodification and postmodification. Exercises.
(Longman, ch. 9; Burton-Roberts, 160-164, 166-171) |
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11.
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REVISION OF NOUNS AND NPs.
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12.
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Adjectives and adjective phrases. Exercises. Prepositions and PPs. Exercises.
(Longman, ch. 7; Burton-Roberts, 62-66, 202, 206, 259) |
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13.
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Adverbs and adverbials. Exercises. (Longman, ch. 7; Miller, 65-66)
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14.
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Grammatical categories: gender, tense, mood, aspect.
(Miller, 133-142) |
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15.
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FINAL REVISION and COURSE ASSESSMENT. PREPARATION FOR THE EXAM.
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Course description:
The course deals with the structure and functions of English words, phrases and clauses, as well as with contrasting them with Croatian grammar. Grammatical phenomena of standard and non-standard language are analysed from a linguistic, descriptive perspective. Students are expected to take an active part in class discussions, read the assigned material and do the related exercises, which are later analysed in class. The final exam is written.
Course objectives:
Introducing students to lexical categories and the constituent structure of English sentences, as well as to the syntactic functions of particular constituents and the interplay between syntax and semantics. Contrasting various linguistic phenomena in English and Croatian.
Required reading:
– Biber, D., Conrad, S., & Leech, G. (2002). Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and Written English. Harlow, Essex: Longman.
– Crystal, D. (2003). The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
– Milroy, J. (2007). “The Ideology of the Standard Language“, in C. Llamas, L. Mullany, & P. Stockwell (Eds), The Routledge Companion to Sociolinguistics. London/New York: Routledge.
– Trask, R. (1999). “Attitudes to Language“, in Language: The Basics. (2nd ed.) London/New York: Routledge.
– Valin, R. (2001). An Introduction to Syntax. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Suggested reading:
– Burton-Roberts, N. (1997). Analysing Sentences: Introduction to English Syntax. Harlow: Longman.
– Carstairs-McCarthy, A. (2002). An Introduction to English Morphology: Words and Their Structure. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
– Greenbaum, S., & Quirk, R. (1990). A Student’s Grammar of the English Language. Harlow: Longman.
– Huddleston, R., & Pullum, G. (2005). A Student’s Introduction to English Grammar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
– Leech, G. (2004). Meaning and the English Verb (3rd ed.). London: Pearson Longman.
– Matthews, P. (2014). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
– Miller, J. (2002). An Introduction to English Syntax. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
– Trudgill, P., & Hannah, J. (2008). International English: A Guide to the Varieties of Standard English (5th ed.). London: Hodder Education.