Chapter 5: Communicate functions of English sentences in contrast

with Vietnamese
Base on communicative functions:
- Statements
- Questions
- Commands
- Exclamations
1. Statements (chapter 2)
2. Questions
Type of answer => 3 major kinds of questions:
- Yes-no questions: Ex: Are you student?
- Wh- questions: Ex: What do you like?
+ Alternative questions: Ex: Which drink would you like? Tea or coffee?
2.1. Yes-no questions
- Formation: Operator (từ để hỏi) + Subject + add rising intonation.
English Vietnamese
Has she eaten? Cô ấy đã ăn chưa?
Yes, she has/ No, she hasn’t Cô ấy đã ăn rồi/ Cô ấy chưa ăn
Will you do me a favor? Bạn giúp tôi được không?
Yes, I do Được thôi.
- Positive orientation: uses assertive forms (assertive: sentences that states a
fact)
English Vietnamese
Did someone stolen that ring? Có ai đó trộm chiếc nhẫn phải không?
Has he done his work already? Anh ấy đã hoàn thành công việc rồi
chứ?
You are younger than me, aren’t you? Bạn trẻ hơn tôi đúng không?
 - Negative orientation: contains a negative form of one kind or another

English Vietnamese
Aren’t you going out like that? Bạn định ra ngoài như thế à?
Have you never come home late? Bạn chưa bao giờ về nhà muộn à?
They aren’t teachers, are they? Họ không phải giáo viên phải không?

- Tag questions with fixed tag: ask for confirmation of st we are not sure
about or to ask for agreement
Ex: He is bad at everything,
 am I right? (Liệu tôi có đúng khi nói là anh ấy tệ trong mọi thứ không?)
 don’t you think? (Bạn có nghĩ là anh ấy tệ trong mọi thứ không?)
 wouldn’t you say? (Bạn có cho rằng anh ấy tệ trong mọi thứ không?)
 right? (Có đúng là anh ấy tệ trong mọi thứ không ?)

- Declarative questions: formed by a statement with a final rising intonation

English Vietnamese
You are younger than me? Bạn trẻ hơn tôi á?

- Yes-no questions with modal auxiliaries

English Vietnamese
May/ Can I close the door? Cho phép tôi đóng cửa nhé?
Will you permit me…?

2.2. Wh- questions

- Are formed with the aid of interrogative words (Q- words)
 English Vietnamese
Who did you see? Tối qua cậu thấy ai?
How long is this road? Con đường này dài bao nhiêu?

- If Wh- element is a prepositional phrase, 2 positions of Q- word can be

identified
Ex:
What did you believe in? – On what did you believe?
Bạn tin vào điều gì?
2.3. Alternative questions
- Present alternative answers from where the other speakers may decide
- 2 main types:
● Resembling a yes-no question (contains a different nucleus for each
alternative and a rise occurs on each item of the list)
Ex: Would you like bread, apple pie or mochi?
Cậu thích bánh mì, bánh táo hay bánh mochi ?
● Resembling a Wh- question (present a wider offer of elements to be
chosen)
Ex: Which cake would you like, bread, apple pie or mochi?
Cậu thích loại bánh nào, bánh mì, bánh táo hay bánh mochi?
3. Commands: a type of sentence in which someone is being told to do
something
3.1. Commands without a subject
- Has no S
- Has an imperative finite V (severely restricted as to tense, aspect, voice, and
mood)
- The clause patterns show the range and ordering element
Type English Vietnamese
Order Stop! Dừng lại
Prohibition Don’t go! Đừng đi
Request/ order Close the book, please! Làm ơn gập sách lại!
Insistence Help! Cứu với!
Advice Be carefully with the Cẩn thận với con dao nhé
knife!
Warning Watch you head! Cẩn thận cụng đầu!
Suggestion Let’s go! Chúng ta đi thôi!
Invitation Make yourself at home! Cứ tự nhiên như ở nhà!
Allowance Suit yourself! Tùy cậu!
Wish Have a good day! Chúc bạn 1 ngày tốt lành!
Curse Shut up! Đừng nói nữa !

3.2. Commands with a subject

- 2nd person as S
Ex: You shut up!
Bạn đừng nói nữa !
- 3rd person as S
English Vietnamese
Someone turn off the fan! Ai đó hãy tắt quạt đi!
Everybody go home! Mọi người hãy về nhà đi
Don’t anyone stand up! Tất cả mọi người không được đứng
dậy!
Nobody move! Không ai được cử động
You with your friends leave! Con và bạn của con đi chỗ khác đi!
 - Commands with LET
English Vietnamese
Let me go! (first person singular Thả tôi ra!
imperative)
Let them go! (3rd person imperative)
Để chúng đi đi

- Negative commands (contains negative indicator “not”)

English Vietnamese
Don’t anyone leave this room! Đừng ai rời khỏi căn phòng này

4. Exclamations:
- a command/request that ends in an exclamation point “!” or a period “.”,
and for an exclamation to be a full sentence then it must contain a verb.

- Exclamatory utterances introduced by “What”

Ex: What a beautiful girl they got in! Cô gái đẹp quá !
- Exclamatory utterances introduced by “How”
Ex:
How hard! chăm thế! → does not specify.
How hard you study! Bạn học chăm thế! → indicates specific S
5. Irregular sentences
English Vietnamese
Sorry to hear about that! Rất tiếc phải nghe về việc đó
On your feet! Đứng dậy

6. Block language
 - the form of language used in newspaper headlines, titles, notices, labels,
headings, slogans, personal letters,..
- consist of a N or a NP or nominal clause in isolation (no V needed)
English Vietnamese
Exit/Entrance Lối ra/Lối vào
No entry Miễn vào
For sale Giảm giá
Newspaper headlines: Phỏng vấn Michael Jackson
Interview with Michael Jackson
Letter, telegrams, postcards: Giá như bạn ở đây!
Wish you were here!