EN 1214 Language Structure, Usage & Linguistics II

Verbs & verb phrase (15/08 hrs)

  • Types of verbs: lexical, auxiliary-primary and modal, regular, irregular, transitive,
    intransitive, stative, dynamic, finite, non-finite
  • Verb forms: base, -s form, past, -ing form, -ed participle
  • Activities to be familiar with verb forms
  • The structure of the verb phrase
  • Tense, aspect, voice, modality
  • Label the tense, aspect and voice of the verb phrases.
    e.g. was teaching-past tense, progressive aspect, active voice

Active and passive voice (15/07hrs)

  • Construction-be+ past participle
  • Negative and question forms
  • Passive sentences with and without ‘by’. –when we want to say who or what was
    responsible for the action we use ‘by’.
    We were stopped by the police.
    The visitors were driven to the airport.

Adjectives (15/08 hrs)

  • Characteristics of adjectives
  • Functions of adjectives:-
    – Attributive, predicative functions
    – As the head of the noun phrase
  • Position of adjectives
  • Adjective phrases

Adverbs and adverbials (15/07hrs)

  • Difference between adverbs and adverbials: adverb-word class, adverbial- a clause
    element
  • Functions of adverbs
  • Adverbials: adverbs (quickly), prepositional phrases (with a pencil), noun phrases
    (this morning)
  • Semantic classes of adverbials: adverbials of manner/time/ place.
  • Syntactic classes of adverbials: adjuncts, disjuncts, conjuncts
    Linguistics

Varieties of language (06/ 03 hrs)

  • Formal & informal language
  • Spoken & written language
  • Dialects- Social & regional
  • Registers
  • Idiolects

Varieties of English (06/ 03 hrs)

  • British English ( RP)
  • American English
  • Standard Sri Lankan English
    Supra segmental features (06/ 03 hrs)
  • Stress- syllables & word stress, sentence stress
  • Intonation- Falling, rising, rising- falling, falling- rising.
    Aspects of connected speech (06/ 03 hrs)
  • Linking- C+C, C+V, V+V, intrusion
  • Assimilation- Progressive, Regressive
  • Elision

Reduced & full forms (strong & weak forms) (06/ 03 hrs)