The present study focuses on nonfinite clauses as one of the three main types of clauses aside from finite clauses and verbless clauses. The aim of this paper is to analyse the structural classes of to-infinitives and –ing participle clauses concerning their realizations on the clause level as well as the phrase level. In Section 5 the theoretical background knowledge to the analysis of three newspaper articles from “The Guardian” is applied along the lines of these features.
“Language is the most massive and inclusive art we know, a mountainous and anonymous work of unconscious generations.” Edward Sapir, a poet as well as pioneer linguist, draws our attention to the great diversity that language itself holds. Even the small section of Sentence Analysis presents a great many points of interest that would be worth analysing and applying on a text.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Past research: Theoretical Background
2.1 Structural classes
2.2 Embedded nonfinite clauses on the clause level
2.2.1 Subject
2.2.2 Direct Object
2.2.3 Subject Complement
2.2.4 Object Complement
2.2.5 Adverbial
2.3 Embedded nonfinite clauses on the phrase level
2.3.1 Noun Phrase
2.3.2 Adjective Phrase
2.3.3 Prepositional Phrase
3 Present research question: Application of theoretical background
4 Methods and data: Analysis of three newspaper articles
5 Results: Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis
5.1 Quantitative occurrence of nonfinite clauses
5.2 Qualitative appraisal of embeddedness on the clause level
5.2.1 Subject
5.2.2 Direct Object
5.2.3 Subject Complement
5.2.4 Object Complement
5.2.5 Adverbial
5.3 Quantitative appraisal of embeddedness on the phrase level
5.3.1 Noun Phrase
5.3.2 Adjective Phrase
5.3.3 Prepositional Phrase
6 Discussion and Conclusion
7 Bibliography
8 Appendix
Research Objectives and Topics
This paper examines the structural realization of nonfinite clauses, specifically focusing on to-infinitives and -ing participles within contemporary English. By applying theoretical linguistic frameworks to a corpus of three selected newspaper articles from "The Guardian", the study explores how these nonfinite constructions function across both the clause level and the phrase level.
- Theoretical classification of nonfinite clauses
- Functional roles of to-infinitives and -ing participles
- Quantitative frequency analysis in journalistic texts
- Qualitative assessment of embeddedness in noun, adjective, and prepositional phrases
Excerpt from the Book
2.2.1 Subject
In general the subject is formed by a noun phrase or a nominal clause. There has to be one in every declarative clause, positioned before the verb, and interrogative clause, occurring after the finite operator. In imperative clauses, it is commonly absent but implied. (Quirk 2010:724-25) As well as noun phrases, nonfinite clauses can appear as a subject in the realization of a nominal clause. Among nonfinite clauses, only to-infinitive clauses and –ing participle clauses can own this function. (Quirk 2010:1061-63)
To-infinitive clause: “To be neutral in this conflict is out of the question.“ (Quirk 2010:1061)
-ing participle clause: “Watching television keeps them out of mischief.” (Quirk 2010:1063)
If there is an explicit subject in the to-infinitive clause, it is normally introduced by the preposition for. (Burton-Roberts 1997:255)
To-infinitive clause: “[For Europe] [t]o be neutral in this conflict [...].” (Quirk 2010:1061)
-ing participle clause: “[The siblings] [w]atching television [...].“ (Quirk 2010:1063)
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Provides an overview of the significance of language study and outlines the research objective regarding nonfinite clauses.
2 Past research: Theoretical Background: Reviews linguistic definitions and structural classifications of nonfinite clauses, specifically to-infinitives and -ing participles.
3 Present research question: Application of theoretical background: Sets the stage for applying the defined theoretical framework to empirical data from newspapers.
4 Methods and data: Analysis of three newspaper articles: Introduces the methodology for analyzing the selected articles and justifies the corpus selection.
5 Results: Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis: Presents the statistical distribution and detailed linguistic analysis of nonfinite clause usage in the corpus.
6 Discussion and Conclusion: Summarizes the findings regarding embeddedness levels and suggests directions for future linguistic research.
Keywords
Nonfinite clauses, To-infinitives, -ing participles, English Syntax, Clause level, Phrase level, Newspaper analysis, Embeddedness, Subordinate clauses, Linguistic analysis, Functional grammar, Structural classes, Postmodification, The Guardian, Corpus linguistics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper focuses on the structural analysis of nonfinite clauses, specifically to-infinitives and -ing participles, and how they function within larger sentence structures.
What are the central themes discussed in the work?
The work covers theoretical definitions of nonfinite clauses, their functional roles as subjects, objects, complements, and adverbials, and their usage as postmodifiers in phrases.
What is the main research objective?
The goal is to analyze the structural realization of these clauses at the clause and phrase level within a practical corpus of newspaper articles.
Which methodology is applied?
A case study approach is used, combining a quantitative frequency analysis with a qualitative appraisal of nonfinite clause embeddedness.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body covers the theoretical foundation, the categorization of nonfinite clauses, the statistical results of the corpus analysis, and specific examples from the chosen articles.
Which terms best characterize this study?
Key terms include Nonfinite clauses, Syntax, Embeddedness, To-infinitives, -ing participles, and Corpus-based analysis.
How is the "phrase level" defined in the context of this study?
The study examines the phrase level by looking at how nonfinite clauses act as constituents within noun phrases, adjective phrases, and prepositional phrases, typically functioning as postmodifiers.
Does the paper conclude that there is a difference between clause level and phrase level frequency?
The research shows that embeddedness occurs with similar frequency, with clause-level applications representing 58% and phrase-level applications 42% of the total identified items.
How are the newspaper articles in the corpus treated for analysis?
They are analyzed for the frequency of specific verb forms and categorized based on the grammatical function they serve in the text.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2013, Nonfinite Clauses. An analysis of to-infinitives and -ing participles in newspaper articles from “The Guardian”, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/323736
