Exploring English Grammar

Year
0
Academic year
2019-2020
Code
01011423
Subject Area
Linguistics-Anglo-American Studies
Language of Instruction
Portuguese
Other Languages of Instruction
English
Mode of Delivery
Face-to-face
Duration
SEMESTRIAL
ECTS Credits
6.0
Type
Elective
Level
1st Cycle Studies

Recommended Prerequisites

Not applicable.

Teaching Methods

Oral presentations, lectures, practical exercises, group work, class discussion. Assessment according to the Rules of Assessment of the 1st cycle of studies.

Learning Outcomes

This curricular unit provides an overall view of the syntax of modern English, by focusing on the internal structure of the English sentence and its constituents, with a special focus on the correspondence between phrase structure, functional and thematic structure of the clause. Students become familiar with basic tools for language description and analysis of syntactic patterns. The goal will be to develop students’ knowledge of selected syntactic phenomena and stimulate their interest in the study of English grammar.
At the end of the semester, students should be able to
i) Identify word classes applying morphological and distributional criteria;
ii) distinguish between phrase structure, functional structure and thematic structure;
iii) identify and analyse phrases, grammatical functions and thematic roles;
iv) apply descriptive techniques, theoretical concepts  and styles of argumentation associated with linguistic analysis.
 

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

The topics addressed in this course, include
1. Word classes, morphological and distributional criteria.
2. English phrase-structure, phrase-structure rules, dominance relations, internal constituents, nucleus and modifiers.
3. The Verb Phrase, the Noun Phrase, the Adjective Phrase and the Adverbial Phrase.  
4. Grammatical functions (Subject, Direct Object, etc.) and the correspondence between phrase-structure syntax and functional syntax.
5. Thematic roles (Agent, Beneficiary, etc.) and the correspondence between phrase-structure, grammatical functions and thematic roles.

Head Lecturer(s)

Ana Alexandra Ribeiro Luís

Assessment Methods

Final evaluation
Exam: 100.0%

Continuous evaluation
Mini Tests: 25.0%
Other: 25.0%
Frequency: 50.0%

Bibliography

Bache, Carl; Davidsen-Nielsen, N. (1997). Mastering English: an advanced grammar for nonnative and native speakers. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Biber, D. et al. (2002). Longman student grammar of spoken and written English. Harlow: Longman.

Huddleston, R.; Pullum, G. eds. (2002). The Cambridge grammar of the English. Cambridge:CUP.

Lobeck, Anne. (2000). Discovering grammar: an introduction to English sentence structure. New York: Oxford University Press.

Van Gelderen, E. (2010). An introduction to the grammar of English. Amsterdam: Benjamins.

Wardhaugh, R. (1995). Understanding English grammar: a linguistic introduction. Oxford: Blackwell.