Course: EBS 282: Forms and Functions of the English ClauseCredit Hours: 2
Course Description
This course guides students to develop the conceptual knowledge and analytical skills for an in-depth description of the English clause, with a focus on subordinate clauses. It examines the formal characteristics and functions of embedded (or downranked) clauses and the forms and meanings of hypotactic clauses (or non-embedded subordinate clauses). Students’ knowledge of basic notions such as rank scale, rankshift/embedding, grammatical unit, grammatical class, and function will be consolidated and deepened.
Course Content
Week
Topics
Suggested Readings
1-2
The English clause in relation to organising principles of grammar
· The English grammatical rank scale
– constituent relationship
– consist-of-relationship
· Rankshift (or embedding)
– ranking clauses
– downranked (or embedded) clauses
Thompson (2014: Ch. 2)
3
Basic concepts in grammatical analysis
· Grammatical unit/rank
· Grammatical class
· Grammatical function/element
Downing (2014: Unit 2)
4-5
Subordinate clauses and formal marking
· The finite subordinate clause
· The non-finite subordinate clause
· The verbless clause (i.e. finite subordinate clauses with elliptical elements)
Quirk & Greenbaum (1973, pp. 310-313)
Downing (2014, pp. 12-13)
6-7
Forms and functions of nominal clauses (embedded clauses)
· that-nominal clause
· wh-nominal clause
· Nominal relative clause
· Infinitive nominal clause (to-infinitive and bare infinitive)
· Factors determining the choice of the relative pronoun
Quirk & Greenbaum (1973, pp. 380-384)
11-13
Forms and meanings of adverbial clauses (ranking or non-embedded subordinate clauses)
· time
· condition
· reason
· purpose
· manner
· concession
Quirk & Greenbaum (1973, pp. 322-330)
Downing (2014, pp. 262-266)
Reading List
Biber, D. & Leech, G. (1999). Longmangrammar of spoken and written English. London:
Longman.
Downing, A. (2015). English grammar: A university course. London & New York: Routledge.
Huddleston, R. & Pullum, G. (2006). Coordination and subordination. In B. Aarts & A. McMahon (eds.), The handbook of English linguistics.198-219. Malden, MA, Oxford & Carlton: Blackwell.
Quirk, R. & Greenbaum, S. (1973). A university grammar of English. Essex: Longman.
Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G. & Svartvik, J. (1985). A comprehensive grammar of the English language. London: Longman.
Thompson, G. (2014). Introducing functional grammar (3rd edn.). New York & London: Routledge.
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST
KOMENDA COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION
SECOND SEMESTER, 2019/2020
Course: EBS 282: Forms and Functions of the English Clause Credit Hours: 2
Course Description
This course guides students to develop the conceptual knowledge and analytical skills for an in-depth description of the English clause, with a focus on subordinate clauses. It examines the formal characteristics and functions of embedded (or downranked) clauses and the forms and meanings of hypotactic clauses (or non-embedded subordinate clauses). Students’ knowledge of basic notions such as rank scale, rankshift/embedding, grammatical unit, grammatical class, and function will be consolidated and deepened.
Course Content
· The English grammatical rank scale
– constituent relationship
– consist-of-relationship
· Rankshift (or embedding)
– ranking clauses
– downranked (or embedded) clauses
· Grammatical unit/rank
· Grammatical class
· Grammatical function/element
· The finite subordinate clause
· The non-finite subordinate clause
· The verbless clause (i.e. finite subordinate clauses with elliptical elements)
Downing (2014, pp. 12-13)
· that-nominal clause
· wh-nominal clause
· Nominal relative clause
· Infinitive nominal clause (to-infinitive and bare infinitive)
· -ing-nominal clause
· Form of the relative clause
· Restrictive relative clause (embedded subordinate clause)
· Non-restrictive relative clause (non-embedded subordinate clause)
· Factors determining the choice of the relative pronoun
· time
· condition
· reason
· purpose
· manner
· concession
Downing (2014, pp. 262-266)
Reading List
Biber, D. & Leech, G. (1999). Longman grammar of spoken and written English. London:
Longman.
Downing, A. (2015). English grammar: A university course. London & New York: Routledge.
Huddleston, R. & Pullum, G. (2006). Coordination and subordination. In B. Aarts & A. McMahon (eds.), The handbook of English linguistics.198-219. Malden, MA, Oxford & Carlton: Blackwell.
Quirk, R. & Greenbaum, S. (1973). A university grammar of English. Essex: Longman.
Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G. & Svartvik, J. (1985). A comprehensive grammar of the English language. London: Longman.
Thompson, G. (2014). Introducing functional grammar (3rd edn.). New York & London: Routledge.
Attachments1