3 Words and Categories_2015.doc

7/26/2019 3 Words and Categories_2015.doc

1/5

Grammar I Graciela Palacio

LV/JVG 2012 (revised 2015)

LESSON 3:

WORDS AND CATEGORIES

Words can be classified into different types or categories.

Te follo!ing !ords are nouns" book, table, water, money, envy, etc.

Te follo!ing !ords are vers" read, drink, build, like, want, etc.

Te follo!ing !ords are !d"e#$ives" tall, beautiful, tired, likely, sure, happy, aware, etc.

Te follo!ing !ords are %re%osi$ions" on, in, out of, in front of, in spite of, etc.

Te follo!ing !ords are !dvers" beautifully, happily, maybe, perhaps, etc.

#$t o! can !e %no! !ic is !ic& T!o criteria1can be $sed to sort tem o$t"

1. &or%'ooi#!criteria and2. Dis$riu$ion!criteria

Wat do !e mean by *or%'ooi#! criteria& 'orpology is tat part of grammar tat

deals !it te str$ct$re of !ords( it describes !at %ind of inflections and !ord)formation

affi*es +prefi*es or s$ffi*es, tey can ta%e. -or e*ample( !en !e say tat +some, no$ns in

nglis can ta%e an -stat mar%s tem as pl$ral +book/ books, table/tables, b$t tat adecties

in nglis cant +*beautifuls, *talls2,( !e are proiding morpological eidence to ma%e a

distinction bet!een no$ns and adecties in nglis.

Wat do !e mean by dis$riu$ion!criteria& We loo% at te place in te sentence !ere

te !ord occ$rs. We loo% at te !ords !it !ic it combines( oriontally. -or e*ample"

1. 3o$ns follo! te !ords the and no +the book, the water, no books, no water,.

4decties normally dont +*the tall3, *the likely, *no tall, *no beautiful,.

2. 4decties can follo! te erbseem+She seems sad. It seems likely that ,. 3o$ns(

aderbs and prepositions cant +*It seems book. *She seems beautifully. *!e seems

within.,.

In tis section !e !ill consider some basic morpological and distrib$tional criteria to

disting$is one type of !ord from anoter. Te categories listed aboe( i.e. no$n( erb(

adectie( preposition and aderb( are called e+i#! #!$eories. Tey ae descriptie orsemantic content and( !it te e*ception of prepositions( tey constit$te open classes +i.e.

ne! ones can easily be created,. Tey stand in opposition to anoter set of categories %no!n

as ,un#$ion!#!$eories. Te different categories !ill be dealt !it in greater detail as te

co$rse goes on( once !e ae ac5$ired te necessary bac%gro$nd %no!ledge to disting$is

one gro$p from te oter.

LE-ICAL CATEGORIES

1"riterion+sing$lar, 6 cf. in 7panis criterio8 criteria+pl$ral, 6 cf. in 7panis criterios.2

Te $se of te asteris% is a conention to e*press tat te element in 5$estion is not grammatical.9:Te ric( :te poor are e*ceptions b$t !at !e mean is :te ric people( :te poor people. Te !ordpeople+a no$n, is omitted and te prase refers to a class. ;f. in 7panis :los ricos( :los pobres.

Page 1 of


2/5

NO.NS

&or%'ooi#! %ro%er$ies

=ne morpological property of some no$ns +i.e. co$ntable no$ns, is tat tey inflect for

nu*er. #y tis !e mean tat tey ae a pl$ral form"

Sinu!r /ur!

a boo% t!o boo%s

a friend t!o friends

a o$se t!o o$ses

7ome no$ns also inflect for ender"

&!e e*!e

god goddess

lion lioness

eir eiress

Dis$riu$ion! /ro%er$ies

3o$ns can be preceded by te definite article the( by te !ord no and by possessie

adecties s$c as my(your, his, her, our, your #plural$, their"

te boo%

no !ater

my o$se

ERS

&or%'ooi#! %ro%er$ies

>aegeman and G$?ron +1@@@, proide te follo!ing table !it te inflections erbs can ta%e"

In,ini$ive /resen$ Tense

3 %erson sin

/!s$ Tense /resen$ %!r$i#i%e

or Gerund

/!s$ %!r$i#i%e

!or% !or%)s !or%)ed !or%)ing !or%)ed

!ait !ait)s !ait)ed !ait)ing !ait)ed

so! so!)s so!)ed so!)ing so!)n

meet meet)s met meet)ing met

go go)es !ent go)ing gone


Aistrib$tionally( te infinitial form of te erb can be preceded by will( should( can( must(

etc +!ic are called *od! !u+ii!ries, and by te !ord to+e.g. to!or%( to!ait,"

It is important tat yo$ should st$dy.

It is important for yo$ to st$dy.

AD4ECTIES

&or%'ooi#! /ro%er$ies

In nglis( adecties do no$ inflect for n$mber( gender or case. In 7panis( tey inflect for

n$mber and gender"

Page 2 of


3/5

a tall boy $n cico alto

Bt!o talls boys dos cicos altos

a tall girl $na cica alta

Bt!o talls girls dos cicas altas

In nglis( adecties inflect for te comparatie and s$perlatie degree or e*press te samemeaning by means of te degree !ords more/most"

Ad"e#$ive Co*%!r!$ive Su%er!$ive

tall taller tallest

yo$ng yo$nger yo$ngest

important more important most important

attractie more attractie most attractie


4decties may occ$py te blan% space in te follo!ing conte*ts"

Te CCC. boo%

'y CCC. friend

>e isCCCC

It seemsCCCC..

In te first t!o cases +the new book/ my old friend, te adectie is *odi,ina no$n. In te

oter t!o cases +!e is tired/ It seems likely that, te adectie follo!s te erb beand te

erbseem.

/RE/OSITIONS

&or%'ooi#! /ro%er$ies

'orpologically( tey are inariant +i.e. tey do not ta%e inflections,.


Wit respect to teir distrib$tion( tey can be follo!ed by te string the % noun( e.g."

4fter te lesson

In te garden

ADERS&or%'ooi#! /ro%er$ies

7ome aderbs( s$c as carefully, are morpologically related to adecties since tey are

deried from te adectie by te addition of te s$ffi* )ly. 7ome oters( s$c asfast+e.g. >e

dries fast,( are identical in form to adecties +e.g. a fast drier,. Te aderbs tat are

identical in form !it adecties can inflect for te comparatie and s$perlatie degree"

>e driesfastertan I do.

Wo droe tefastestof te tree&


Page 9 of


4/5

4derbs can modify vers+>e driesfast,( !d"e#$ives+>e is verytall, or oter !dvers+>e

dries veryfast,. &eryis called !n !dver o, deree.

TOS.&./:

Te e+i#!#!$eoriesdescribed so far are"

'. te no$n +3,2. te erb +V,

3. te adectie +4,

(. te preposition +P,

/6RASALCATEGORIES

4ll te categories listed aboe can e*pand to form prases. -or e*ample( !en a erb s$c as

kill combines !it a no$n s$c as )ill, as in kill )ill( !e say tat !e ae a ver %'r!se

(/). Te erb killf$nctions as te ead of te prase and gies te prase its name. Wen a

no$n s$c as destruction combines !it a prepositional prase s$c as of the city( as in

destruction of the city( !e spea% of a noun %'r!se (N/). 4gain te !ord destruction

f$nctions as te ead of te prase and gies te prase its name D. Wen an adectie s$c asfondcombines !it a prepositional prase s$c as of dos( as infond of dos( !e ae an

!d"e#$iv! %'r!se (A/)( te ead of !ic is te adectiefond. Te prase deries its name

from te ead. Wen a preposition s$c as atcombines !it a no$n s$c as home( as in at

home( !e spea% of a %re%osi$ion! %'r!se (//). Te ead of te prepositional prase is te

preposition.

TOS.&./:

Te %'r!s!#!$eoriesdescribed so far are"

+. te no$n prase +3P," destruction of the city

. te erb prase +VP," kill )ill

. te adectial prase +4P,"fond of cats

. te prepositional prase +PP," at home

Lesson 3 A#$ivi$ 1:

#e ready to ans!er te follo!ing 5$estions in class"

1, Wat do !e mean by morpholoicalcriteria to sort !ords o$t&

2, Wat do !e mean by distributionalcriteria to sort !ords o$t&

9, Wic are te morpological properties tat elp $s identify no$ns&

D, 'ention te distrib$tional properties tat elp $s identify no$ns.


5/5

9. People tere are eryfriendly.

D. Im a coward.

e !al%ed do!n te loncorridor.

9. >e lonedfor Pat to pone.

D. It seems likelytat it !ill rain tis eening.

REERENCES"

>aegeman( L. J. G$?ron +1@@@,nlish 0rammar1 0enerative erspective( #lac%!ell.

Documents

3 Words and Categories_2015.doc