Introduction to basic grammatical concepts and terminology. Specifically intended for students planning to take a foreign language or linguistics. Does not count toward the linguistics major or minor.
This course introduces fundamentals of grammar, with primary emphasis on description of English. We will discuss parts of speech, the structure of phrases (modifiers and complements), the components of clauses (subject and predicate), types of clauses, types of subordination, and constructions which vary the order or relations of words, such as passive voice. The course also discusses common differences between languages with respect to basic phenomena such as word order, how questions are formed, agreement, tenses, and so forth. The primary goals of the course are: first, to bring to the studentís awareness the fact that many properties of all languages can be described in terms of a limited set of basic concepts, and second, to develop the studentís skill in analyzing sentences, using English as an example.
Requirements include timely completion of homeworks, at least one midterm and a final exam.
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Class assignments and grading