Теоретическая грамматика английского языка

combination of separate sentences forming a textual unity. Such combinations are subject to regular lingual patterning making them into syntactic elements. Taking into account the latest scientific data it appears reasonable to broaden the subject matter of Syntax. Syntax may be defined as a branch of grammar which studies syntagmatic relation of words within a sentence, a sentence as a communicative unit, syntagmatic and paradigmatic relations between sentences. The basic syntagmatic notions are the phrase and the sentence. The principle differences between them can be reduced to the following points. 1. The phrase is a means of naming some phenomenon or process. Each component of a phrase can undergo changes in accordance with grammatical categories in it without destroying the identity of a phrase. The sentence is a unit of speech every word of which has its definite grammar. A change m the form of one or more words would produce a new sentence. e.g. The man has written a letter. The men have written a letter. 2. The phrase as such has no intonation whereas it is one of the most important features of the sentence. 3. The inherent feature of a sentence differing it from a phrase is category of predication. According to ac. Vinogradov whose view is widely spread in modern linguistics, predication is a syntactic category which expresses referents of the contents of a sentence to reality. It is primarily manifested in the system of verbal grammatical categories such as mood, tense, person. e.g. the sentence may represent an action as true to fact or desirable: It is true. If only it was true. Predication refers a sentence or an utterance to a definite moment of time. e.g. He lives here. He lived here. He will live here. Predication also contains indication as to the way the action refers to the persons who participate in the act of communication. In verbless sentences predication is expected by means of predication. Questions for self-control: 1. What are the problems referring to the domain of Syntax? 2. What 2 levels of Syntax do you know? (Give the description) 3. What does "minor/major" Syntax mean? 4. What are the basic syntagmatic notions of Syntax? 5. Give the definition of Syntax. 6. What are principle differences between the phrase and the sentence? 26