Transcript Structure, Substance and Context

SUBJECT
VERB
COMPLEMENT
AGENT
ACTION
GOAL
FIXED MVBL
SUBS STRTC
Structure, Substance and
Context
Whenever possible, try to locate the
various types of substance in the
structural locations where readers
expect those types of substance to
arrive.
Usually locate the action of the sentence in the verb.
Usually let the agent appear as the subject of that verb if the
reader needs to know up front who is doing the action.
Do not separate a subject from its verb or a verb from its
complement unless (a) the separation is particularly easy to
process, (b) the interrupting material is intended to be
considered of relatively little importance by the reader, or (c)
there is some good purpose in delaying the reader’s syntactic
resolution.
Whose story?
a)
Mary smashed John in the face with the pie.
b)
Mary smashed the pie into John’s face.
c)
John’s face was smashed by the pie.
d)
John’s face was smashed by Mary.
e)
The pie smashed John in the face.
Whose story?
a)
Mary smashed John in the face with the pie. MARY
b)
Mary smashed the pie into John’s face.
MARY
c)
John’s face was smashed by the pie.
JOHN’S
FACE
d)
John’s face was smashed by Mary.
JOHN’S
FACE
e)
The pie smashed John in the face.
THE PIE
Readers tend to read a clause – or a
one clause sentence – as being the
story of whoever or whatever shows
up first.
2a) t (time) = 15’ T (temperature) = 32°; t = 0’
T = 25°; t = 6’ T = 29°; t = 3’ T = 27°; t =
12’ T = 32°; t = 9’ T = 31°.
2aa) After 15 minutes the temperature was
32°; at the beginning, it had been 25°; at
the 6-minute mark it was 29°; after 3
minutes, the temperature was 27°; at the 12minute mark it was 32°; and after 9 minutes
it was 31°.
time (min)
Temperature (°C)
0
25
3
27
6
29
9
31
12
32
15
32
Temperature (°C)
time (min)
25
0
27
3
29
6
31
9
32
12
32
15
Which is the best sentence?
Miss Grundy taught me grammar.
I learned grammar from Miss
Grundy.
Grammar I learned from Miss
Grundy.
Mr Jorgenson taught me algebra. Mrs Simpson taught me
history. Miss Grundy taught me grammar.
I learned algebra from Mr Jorgenson. I suffered through
history with Mrs Simpson. I learned grammar from Miss
Grundy.
Algebra I learned from Mr Jorgenson. History I suffered
through with Mrs Simpson. Grammar I learned from Miss
Grundy.
I like the Spring because of the pretty birds. I like the Spring
because of the robins. I like the Spring because of the Blue
Jays. I like the Spring because of the Cardinals. I like the
Spring because of the pretty birds.
I like the Spring because of the pretty flowers. I like the
Spring because of the tulips. I like the Spring because of ….
Vary your sentence structure to
accord with the shape of the
thought it is presenting.
a) Although Smith constantly complains, Jones plays the
radio at a high volume.
b) Jones plays the radio at a high volume, although Smith
constantly complains.
In a multi-clause sentence, readers
tend to read the entire sentence as
the story of whoever or whatever
shows up first in the main clause.
Jones plays the radio at a high
volume, and Smith constantly
complains.
Readers expect the material at the
beginning of a sentence to provide a
connection backward to the
sentence that precedes it.
The assignment of supplemental readings
– even if those readings were referred to
in texts already approved by the official
curriculum, were clearly germane to the
subject in general, and could be
demonstrated to be related to the core
assignments – would also require the
school boards permission.
The school boards permission would also
be required before teachers would be
allowed to assign supplemental readings
– even if those readings were referred to
in texts already approved by the official
curriculum, were clearly germane to the
subject in general, and could be
demonstrated to be related to the core
assignments.
ABCDEFG
Q
QRS
“Whose story?” + backward link =
CONTEXT
Churches exhorting members to sever family
and marital ties, rodent infestation, and
employee discharge, and a refusal to make a
retraction in a newspaper, were all considered
outside the net of “extreme and outrageous.”
Examples of actions considered outside the net
of “extreme and outrageous” have included
churches exhorting members to sever family
and marital ties, rodent infestation, and
employee discharge, and a refusal to make a
retraction in a newspaper.
Examples of actions considered outside the
definitional net of “extreme and outrageous”
have included rodent infestation, employee
discharge, newspaper editors refusing to make
retractions and churches exhorting members to
sever family and marital ties.
Maximum left ventricular wall velocity, mean
left ventricular wall velocity, and amplitude of
posterior left ventricular wall excursion were
calculated directly by previously described
techniques.
Previously described techniques were used to
calculate directly maximum left ventricular wall
velocity, mean left ventricular wall velocity, and
amplitude of posterior left ventricular wall
excursion.
Summary
Readers tend to read a clause or a one-clause sentence as the
story of whoever or whatever shows up first.
Readers tend to read a multi-clause sentence as the story of
whoever of whatever shows up first in the main clause.
Readers expect and desire sentences to begin with material
that links backward logically to materials that have already
appeared in the previous discourse.
Readers expect that material to the left contextualizes
anything that comes to its right. Readers expect that the
occupants of the topic position contextualize the reader for
the rest of the sentence.