Last Bits of Grammar

Last notes:

Expletive constructions: Standard English has a number of what we call expletive constructions. These occur when we use “place-holder” or empty words in order for our grammar to make sense to us.

For example:

        It’s very cold today.

        There’s another dog in the yard.

        It is time for the movie to begin.

        There are three different ways to bake rye bread.

In all of these constructions, the word in the subject position (there or it) is not the actual subject. Rather, it is an expletive or an empty phrase (empty of semantic meaning) used because these constructions don’t put their subjects in the subject position – and English won’t allow that construction. (Other languages, such as Latin and Spanish, do – Est frigus, Es hora.)

The important point to remember with expletive constructions is that the real subject (cold, time, dog, ways) controls the verb you choose.

Nor/Or construction: Here is another construction where the subject that controls the verb is easy to get wrong.

When we have a construction with the conjunction or/nor, what you want to remember is that the nearest noun controls the verb.

Examples:

Neither Jim nor his friends are having a good time.

Neither his friends nor Jim is having a good time.

Either Jim or I am going to win this prize.

Empty Intensitives: These are sometimes also called expletives, since like expletives they add no semantic content to their sentences.

For the most part, empty intensitives just add emphasis to their sentences.

Examples:

                Ted bought that crappy truck from Elvis.

                Will you please shut the f*cking door?

Here, unless the truck actually is covered with crap, or the door really is f*cking, these words just intensify – they don’t add meaning.

Vocatives: Vocatives are direct address.  They can be thought of as calling someone’s name (though they don’t have to be names). They’re a special category of words.

                Dave, bring me that book.

                Drop that bone, Spike!

                Mom, this turkey is amazing!

                Hey, kid, what’s your name?

Interjections: These are words that also add emphasis without necessarily adding semantic content. They’re used to show surprise or some other emotion.

                Well! Who could have predicted that?

                Ow, I broke my thumb!

                Yikes! Here comes a tornado!

These are punctuated with exclamation points (usually), but also sometimes with commas.