Lesson Three

Sentence Expansion
 Dimensions of Language

Cultural
Dimension
Paradigmatic
Dimension

Syntagmatic
Dimension
 Word Categories

1. Formal \ Informal
2. Standard \ Nonstandard
3. General \ Specific
4. In Group \ Out Group
 Reference Tools

Dictionary merriam-webster.com
Thesaurus
 The Writing Assignment
Write one or two paragraphs in which you describe
and/or explain to one of your classmates your like
or dislike for writing in English.
Length: 100 - 200 words

Due at the beginning of next week’s class.

Don’t always Writing Advice started
In fact, I pretty like it, but can’t do it well. To begin
with, I always don’t know how to get start when I
was asked to write an essay in English

am

In fact, I like it, but can’t do it well. To begin

with, I don’t always know how to get started
when I am asked to write an essay in English
 Writing Advice
have
Many foreign teachers may feel surprised for the first
time they teach in China. And I also heard some of them
complaining. They want us to write whatever we can think
of, anything, any style. And that is what most of us want.

as well. because they

-- Page 12

Many foreign teachers feel surprised the first time they

teach in China. I have also heard some of them
complaining because they want us to write whatever
we can think of--anything, any style. And that is what
most of us want as well.
 Writing Advice
Sometimes, I show great admiration for the great
masterpieces. Actually, I don’t know how could a person
writes such works
I actually don’t know how a person could

Sometimes I show great admiration for the great

masterpieces. I actually don’t know how a person
could write such admirable works.
Sentence Expansion
 Sentence Bases
A sentence base is the minimum required for a
sentence. The most basic sentence contains a
noun phrase (NP) and a verb phrase (VP).
Sentence Base

Mark ate.
NP + VP
 Sentence Base
We can also add the following optional third
elements to the clause:

an object (O)
a complement (C)
and/or an adverbial (AV).

We add these elements to the clause to make a

more informative sentence
Sentence Base

Object
Mark met Tracy.
 Sentence Base

Complement
Tracy seemed to be older.
 Sentence Base

Adverbial
Mark fell in love the first time he saw her.
Sentence Expansion

1. Coordination
2. Subordination
 Sentence Expansion

Coordination means “being of equal

structural rank.”

Coordination occurs when we use a coordinator

(or, and, but, nor, yet, so) to connect parts of a
sentence together.
 Sentence Expansion

We can use coordination to connect words

or phrases:

1. Mark was excited but nervous.

2. He was excited about the feelings he had but
nervous because of his personality.
 Sentence Expansion

We can use coordinated elements in the

subject or the predicate.

Her beauty and excellent taste for food was

too much to resist.
.
The opportunity was new and exciting.
 Sentence Expansion

Subordination means ‘being of lower

structural rank.’
Words that are added to the bare sentence base
are said to be subordinate because they are
grammatically secondary to the main elements.
 Sentence Expansion

Subordinating elements modify the meaning

of the sentence base.
We call theses subordinating elements modifiers.
Modifiers are absolutely essential to writing
effectively because they provide vital, substantial,
and specific information.
Sentence Expansion

Subordination
1. Relative Clauses
2. Appositive Phrases
3. Adverbial Clauses
4. Participial Phrases
5. Absolute Phrases
 Sentence Expansion
1. Relative Clauses

Relative clauses enable the writer to embed a

complete subject/predicate into a noun phrase.
Relative = relationship
Relative Clauses are introduced by either a
relative pronoun (that, who, or which) or a
relative adverb (where, when, why)
 Sentence Expansion
1. Relative Clauses

Example:
1. Tracy invited Mark to sit down.
2. They shared a pot of coffee.

What is the relationship between these two

sentences? How can we make the
relationship more clear?
 Sentence Expansion
1. Relative Clauses
Combining the sentences requires the use of a
relative clause:

Tracy invited Mark to sit down where

they shared a pot of coffee.
 Sentence Expansion
2. Appositive Phrases

An appositive phrase is a reduced sentence headed

by a noun, functioning, just like a relative clause, to
define or restrict the noun by adding definition-like
details to it.
Appositive phrases rename nouns or noun phrases.
 Sentence Expansion
2. Appositive Phrases

Example:

• Tracy invited Mark to sit down, where they

shared a pot of coffee.

• Mark was an extremely shy person around girls.

 Sentence Expansion
2. Appositive Phrases
‘Appositive’ simply means being ‘positioned’ next
to something, generally a noun. Therefore, the
most common and expected sentence position for
the appositive phrase is immediately after the noun
it expands.

Mark, being an extremely shy person around girls,

was invited by Tracy to sit down, where they
shared a pot of coffee.
 Sentence Expansion
2. Appositive Phrases
However, we can also place them at the beginning
or the end of a sentence.

These are fairly unusual sentence patterns

(especially the latter) and are considered fairly
dramatic, so they will usually come as a surprise to
the reader and will send the message that the writer
has taken pains in crafting the sentence.
 Sentence Expansion
2. Appositive Phrases
An extremely shy person, Mark was invited by
Tracy to sit down, where they shared a pot of
coffee.

At the beginning of the sentence the appositive

phrase will tend to put more stress on the subject.
 Sentence Expansion
2. Appositive Phrases

Mark was invited by Tracy to sit down for a cup of

coffee an extremely nervous boy when around
girls.

At the end of the sentence the appositive phrase

will be the focus of the sentence.
 Sentence Expansion
2. Appositive Phrases

Introductory Appositive Series

Upset stomach, sweaty palms, and shaking leg
syndrome—all these symptoms caused Mark to act
very strangely.

The subject of the sentence is all these symptoms;

the list of appositives names the symptoms.
 Sentence Expansion
3. Adverbial Clauses

Adverbial clauses (subordinating) are clauses that

modify verbs using a subordinator.

Examples of subordinating words:

if, since,when, while, although, even though, after,
before as if, as long as, as soon as
 Sentence Expansion
3. Adverbial Clauses

Example:
When Tracy allowed me to, I wanted to ask her
out on a date.
 Sentence Expansion
3. Adverbial Clauses

Two frequent problems with adverbial clauses:

3. The wrong idea gets subordinated

4. The meaning of the subordinator is imprecise
 Sentence Expansion
3. Adverbial Clauses
1. The wrong idea gets subordinated

Example:
1.When Tracy allowed me to, I wanted to ask her
out on a date.

2. Tracy allowed me to, when I wanted to ask her out

on a date.
 Sentence Expansion
3. Adverbial Clauses

2. The meaning of the subordinator is imprecise

Example:
1. When Tracy allowed me to, I wanted to take her
out on a date.

2. If Tracy allowed me to, I wanted to take her out

on a date.
 Sentence Expansion
3. Adverbial Clauses

Adverbial clauses can be placed in the

beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.
 Sentence Expansion
3. Adverbial Clauses
At the beginning of a sentence, adverbial clauses
can function as a cohesive link between known and
unknown information.
When Tracy allowed me to, I wanted to take her
out on a date.
I wanted to take Tracy out on a date, when she
allowed me to.

Notice the change in focus when we change the

position.
 Sentence Expansion
3. Adverbial Clauses
Placing an adverbial clause in the middle of a
sentence will interrupt the flow of the sentence
and slow the reader down.
They add stress and length to the words they
modify and changes the rhythm.

I wanted, when Tracy allowed me, to take her out

on a date.
 Next Week:
Sentence Expansion & Sentence Combining
 The Reading Assignment
Preview Chapter 3, pgs 57-74 for next week’s class
 The Writing Assignment
Write one paragraph in which you describe
your future career goals and intellectual
interests to the faculty of the English
Department.

Write another paragraph in which you

describe your future career goals and
intellectual interests to a Canadian third-
year university student.