"English Sentence Constructions departs from a usage-based theoretical perspective in which all language units -- which we refer to as constructions -- have both a meaning and form, and context is all-important in determining the function and form of these constructions. As a starting-level module, English Sentence Constructions guides students of English or Language at tertiary level through different levels of analysis at the sentence, clause, phrase, and word level. The book starts with an explanation of different sentence types and structures (Chapters 1 and 2), zooms in on the verb phrase as the central component of any sentence (in Chapters 3 and 4), before zooming in even closer, discussing word classes (Chapter 5) and phrases (Chapter 6). The next two chapters explicate the intricacies of sentence constituents that function as clauses (Chapter 7) and aid students in integrating all chapters by discussing sentence analysis at all levels (Chapter 8). The last chapter (Chapter 9) shows how knowledge about sentence constructions can be applied to effective writing in English. English Sentence Constructions can be used in teacher-led modules, but the many exercises in the chapter, the clearly worked out answer keys, and a comprehensive glossary of terminology also make it suitable for self-study. For each chapter, there is an online test in which students can check their understanding"--.

• English Sentence Constructions
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Table of contents
• List of tables
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1 Sentences: Communicative functions and typical patterns
  • 1.1 Introduction
  • 1.2 Declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentence patterns
  • 1.3 Participants, process, attributes, and setting
  • 1.4 Subject, predicator, object, attribute, and adverbial
  • 1.5 Typical sentence patterns
    • 1 The running pattern (intransitive verbs)
    • 2 The being pattern (copula verbs)
    • 3 The doing/seeing pattern (monotransitive verbs)
    • 4 The giving/buying pattern (ditransitive verbs)
    • 5 The making/considering pattern (complex-transitive verbs)
  • 1.6 Same verb, different patterns
  • 1.7 English word order
  • 1.8 Summary
• 2 Sentences: Simple, compound, and complex
  • 2.1 Introduction
  • 2.2 Sentences versus clauses
  • 2.3 Sentence types
    • 1 Simple sentences
    • 2 Compound sentences
    • 3 Complex sentences
    • 4 Compound-complex sentences
  • 2.4 Phrases
  • 2.5 Summary
• 3 Verbs I
  • 3.1 Introduction
  • 3.2 Simple versus complex verb phrases
  • 3.3 Lexical versus auxiliary verbs
  • 3.4 Finite versus non-finite verb forms
    • 1 Finite verb forms
    • 2 Non-finite verb forms
  • 3.5 Auxiliary verbs
    • 1 Progressive be + present participle
    • 2 Perfect have + past participle
    • 3 Modals + (to) infinitives
    • 4 Passive be + past participle
    • 5 Do for questions, negation and emphasis
    • 6 Ordering of auxiliary verbs
  • 3.6 One form, several senses: Be, have and do
  • 3.7 Summary
• 4 Verbs II
  • 4.1 Introduction
  • 4.2 Subtypes of lexical verbs
    • 1 Intransitive verbs (the running pattern)
    • 2 Copula verbs (the being pattern)
    • 3 Transitive verbs (the doing/seeing pattern)
  • 4.3 Subtypes of transitive verbs
    • 1 Monotransitive verbs (the doing/seeing pattern)
    • 2 Ditransitive verbs (the giving/buying pattern)
    • 3 Complex-transitive verbs (the making/considering pattern)
  • 4.4 Direct object forms
  • 4.5 Passive constructions
    • 1 Monotransitive verbs and passive constructions
    • 2 Ditransitive verbs and passive constructions
    • 3 Complex-transitive verbs and passive constructions
    • 4 Non-finite clauses and passive constructions
    • 5 Past participles as adjectives
  • 4.6 Identifying type of lexical verbs in complex sentences
  • 4.7 Multi-word verbs
  • 4.8 Summary
• 5 Word classes
  • 5.1 Introduction
  • 5.2 Nouns
  • 5.3 Verbs
  • 5.4 Adjectives
  • 5.5 Adverbs
  • 5.6 Pronouns
    • 1 Personal pronouns
    • 2 Possessive pronouns
    • 3 Relative pronouns
    • 4 Interrogative pronouns
    • 5 Demonstrative pronouns
    • 6 Reflexive pronouns
    • 7 Reciprocal pronouns
    • 8 Indefinite pronouns
    • 9 So
  • 5.7 Numerals and articles
  • 5.8 Connectors
    • 1 Coordinators
    • 2 Subordinators
    • 3 Prepositions
  • 5.9 Interjections
  • 5.10 Summary
• 6 Phrases
  • 6.1 Introduction
  • 6.2 Noun phrases
    • 1 Determiners
    • 2 Specifying versus classifying genitives
  • 6.3 Postmodifiers of nouns
    • 1 Restrictive versus non-restrictive postmodifiers
    • 2 Relative pronouns and adverbs
    • 3 Ellipsis in relative clauses
  • 6.4 Verb phrases
  • 6.5 Adjective phrase
  • 6.6 Adverb phrase
  • 6.7 Prepositional phrase
  • 6.8 Functions of phrases
  • 6.9 Summary
• 7 Sentence constituents realized as clauses and non-canonical constructions
  • 7.1 Introduction
  • 7.2 Subjects, objects, and attributes
    • 1 Finite clauses
    • 2 Non-finite clauses
    • 3 Extraposed subject or object clauses
  • 7.3 Adverbials
  • 7.4 How to analyze non-canonical constructions
    • 1 Passive constructions
    • 2 Extraposed constructions
    • 3 Ellipsis
    • 4 Existential sentences with there
    • 5 Cleft constructions
  • 7.5 Summary
• 8 How to analyze sentences at all levels
  • 8.1 Introduction
  • 8.2 How to go about analyzing long and complex sentences
  • 8.3 How to go about analyzing long and complex noun phrases
  • 8.4 How to go about analyzing sentences at different levels
  • 8.5 Analyzing sentences at different levels on your own
  • 8.6 Summary
• 9 How to apply sentence construction knowledge to writing
  • 9.1 Introduction
  • 9.2 How to avoid sentence and clause errors
    • 1 Fragment
    • 2 Run-on sentence
    • 3 Comma splice
    • 4 Dangling modifier
  • 9.3 How to use commas
    • 1 Adverbials
    • 2 Restrictive and non-restrictive elements
    • 3 Coordinate constructions
  • 9.4 How to make sure each sentence is effective
    • 1 Use simple sentences effectively
    • 2 Avoid redundancy
    • 3 Avoid front-weighted sentences
    • 4 Avoid awkward and vague passive constructions
    • 5 Make sure constructions are parallel
  • 9.5 How to create coherence with sentence constructions
  • 9.6 Summary
• Key to the exercises
• Index