A BOTTOM UP WAY OF ANALYZING A SENTENCE



A BOTTOM UP WAY OF ANALYZING A SENTENCE

1. PURELY STRUCTURAL (Word and Some phrases)

Recognize that a sentence is divided into:

Nouns/Pronouns

Verbs

Modifiers (of both nouns and verbs)

Modifiers of nouns can be :

Predeterminers

Determiners

Adjective phrases

Prepositional phrases

Modifiers of verbs and adjectives:

Adverbs

Prepositional phrases

This young worker from a rural area in China became pregnant

Nouns: worker, area, China

Verbs: became

Modifiers: (of the noun worker)

This (A determiner, specifically a demonstrative)

young (An adjective phrase, specifically an adjective)

from a rural area in China (A prepositional phrase, specifically a noun-modifying adjectival prepositional phrase)

Modifiers: (of the noun area):

A (A determiner, specifically an article)

Rural (An adjective phrase, specifically an adjective)

In China (A prepositional phrase, specifically a noun modifying adjectival prepositional phrase).

Modifiers: (of the proper noun China):

(no modifiers)

WHAT TO DO AT THIS STAGE: Label each word. Use these possible labels:

Predeterminer (Predet)

Determiner (det)

Adjective (adj)

Adverb (adv)

Noun (n)

Auxiliary Verb (aux)

Verb (v)

Preposition (prep)

Pronoun (pro)

Put parentheses around adjective phrases and prepositional phrases.

2. FORMING PHRASES

After you’ve got everything “sorted out”, it’s time to make phrases. You’ve got four types of phrases to make: adjective phrases, noun phrases, verb phrases, prepositional phrases. Recognize that there is some “layering” here. Noun phrases, for example, can stand alone – or as parts of prepositional phrases. Adjective phrases can fold into noun phrases. It is possible to have a prepositional phrase with a noun phrase that contains an adjective phrase!

WHAT TO DO: I think it’s easiest to start with the verb phrase. Identify that. In this case, it’s really simple: it’s the word “became” – a linking verb.

Then go to adjective phrases. You started these in stage 1 (see above). You’ve got “young” “rural” and “pregnant” to work with here. Each of these adjectives constitutes what is called the “head adjective” of an adjective phrase.

Then go to prepositional phrases: You’ve got two to work with:

From a rural area in China

In China

Then go to noun phrases. The combination of a single noun and its modifiers is a noun phrase – so look carefully at those adjective phrases and prepositional phrases:

This young worker from a rural area in China.

A rural area in China

China

That means that before you start step 3 (Functional Analysis) you have the following phrasal structures for our example sentence:

Noun phrase (which includes an adjective phrase and a prepositional phrase, which includes a noun phrase with an adjective phrase and another prepositional phrase which includes a noun phrase)

(The young worker from a rural area in China)

PLUS

Verb phrase

(became)

PLUS

Adjective phrase

Pregnant

3. FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS

Functional analysis answers this question: What are these phrases – noun phrases, verb phrases, and adjective phrases doing in the sentence? What are their functions?

The noun phrase in this case is the SUBJECT of the sentence: This young worker from a rural area in China

The verb phrase in this case is a linking verb phrase: became.

We can also look at FUNCTION of free—standing adjective phrases:

The adjective phrase pregnant is functioning as a subject complement in the sentence.

We now have a functional analysis for our practice sentence:

SUBJECT + VERB PHRASE + SUBJECT COMPLEMENT

4. MEGA (CLAUSAL) ANALYSIS

We can now divide the clause into the big “parts” – subject and predicate. The subject is the subject. The predicate is basically everything else.

The subject noun phrase This young worker from a rural area in China is the SUBJECT of the clause.

The verb phrase became coupled with the adjective phrase pregnant is functioning as a PREDICATE.

China suffered another unexpected setback on Wednesday.

Buddhist monks interrupted a tour in western China.

They waved a Tibetan flag.

The authorities were depriving them of their human rights.

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