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Проводимой в рамках Программы темпус IV витебск, 6 8 октября 2010 г. Витебск уо «вгу им. П. М. Машерова» 2010

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Бочкова Г.Ш.УО «ВГУ им. П.М.Машерова», Витебск
Misplaced modifiers
К вопросу о коммуникативной компетенции при обучении второму иностранному языку
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Бочкова Г.Ш.
УО «ВГУ им. П.М.Машерова», Витебск



The highest lingual unit which was approached by traditional grammar as liable to syntactic study was the sentence; scholars even specially stressed that to surpass the boundaries of the sentence was equal to surpassing the boundaries of grammar. Inter-sentential connections have come under linguistic investigation but recently.

While recognizing the general semantic connections between sentences in the composition of texts as linguistically relevant, L. Bloomfield pointed out that the sentence is the largest grammatically arranged linguistic form, i.e. it is not included into any other linguistic form by a grammatical arrangement.

However, further studies in this field have shown that sentences in speech do come under broad grammatical arrangements, do combine with one another on strictly syntactic lines in the formation of larger stretches of both oral talk and written text.

Nevertheless, we do not assert that any sequence of independent sentences forms a syntactic unity. Generally speaking, sentences in a stretch of uninterrupted talk may or may not build up a coherent sequence, wholly depending on the purpose of the speaker.

DUCHESS OF BERWIG… I like him so much. I’m quite delighted he’s gone! How sweet you are looking! Where do you get your gowns? And now I must tell you how sorry I am for you, dear Margaret (O. Wilde).

But disconnected sequences like these are rather an exception than the rule. Moreover, they do not contradict in the least the idea of a continual topical text as being formed by grammatically interconnected sentences.

However, in written speech one is required to express one’s thoughts in precise, clear sentences, with a minimal amount of distortion and misinterpretation. We are going to consider here fragments, run-ons, misplaced and dangling modifiers, faulty parallelism and other areas where students have serious problems.

A word group that lacks a subject or a predicate and does not express a complete thought is a fragment. A student should be on the lookout for the most common fragments:

• Dependent-word fragments (starting with words like after, because, since, when and before)

• -ing and to fragments (-ing or to at or near the start of a word group)

• Added-detail fragments (starting with words like for example, such as, also, and especially)

• Missing-subject fragments (a verb is present but not the subject)

A run-on is two complete thoughts that are run together with no adequate sign given to mark the break between them. Some runs-on have no punctuation at all to mark the break between the thoughts. Such run-ons are known as fused sentences: they are fused or joined together as if they were only one thought. In other run-ons, known as comma splices, a comma is used to connect or “splice” together the two complete thoughts. However a comma alone is not enough to connect two complete thoughts. Some stronger connection than a comma alone is needed.

Here are four common methods of correcting a run-on:
  1. Use a period and a capital letter to separate the two complete thoughts.
  2. Use a comma plus a joining word (and, but, for or nor, so, yet) to connect the two complete thoughts.
  3. Use a semicolon to connect the two complete thoughts. A semicolon is sometimes used with a transitional word and a comma. Here is a list of common transitional words:

however, nevertheless, on the other hand, instead, meanwhile, otherwise, indeed, moreover, in addition,, furthermore, as a result, thus, consequently, therefore
  1. Use subordination.

Misplaced modifiers often confuse the meaning of a sentence. To avoid them, place words as close as possible to what they describe.

Misplaced:

Kicked carelessly under the bed, Martha finally found her slippers.

The local drama group needs people to build scenery badly.

Correctly placed words:

Martha finally found her slippers kicked carelessly under the bed.

The local drama group badly needs people to build scenery.

A modifier that opens a sentence must be followed immediately by the word it is meant to describe. Otherwise the modifier is said to be dangling, and the sentence takes on unintended meaning.

Dangling:

Having almost no money, my survival depended on my parents. (Who has almost no money? The answer is not survival but I. The subject I must be added)

Correct:

Having almost no money I depended on my parents for survival.

Words in a pair or a series should have a parallel structure. By balancing the items in a pair or a series so that they have the same structure, you will make your sentences clearer and easier to read.

Nonparallel (Not balanced):

One option the employees had was to take a cut in pay; the other was longer hours of work.

After the camping trip I was exhausted, irritable and wanted to eat.

Parallel (Balanced):

One option the employees had was to take a cut in pay; the other was to work longer hours. (Balanced infinitives and word order)

After the camping trip I was exhausted, irritable and hungry. (A balanced series of descriptive words)

The first step in achieving paragraph unity is to construct a clear, specific topic sentence. The next step is to develop, throughout the rest of the paragraph, the idea that the topic sentence expresses. When you revise your rough draft, eliminate all irrelevant points, no matter how interesting or well stated they are.

The second principle important to the organization of the text is coherence. Coherence is the natural flow from one sentence to the next. The main patterns involve the order of time, space, and climax as well as the general –to-specific and specific-to-general order.

On reading over your rough draft, you may find that, logical as your pattern is, the sentences do not flow from one to the next. You may bridge the gaps by using transitional devices and by making reference to words, ideas, and other details (using repetition, synonyms, pronoun references).


Литература

1. Москальская О.И. Грамматика текста. – М.. 2003.

2. Halliday M. A.K., Hasan R. Cohesion in English. – Ldn.: Longman, 1985.


К ВОПРОСУ О КОММУНИКАТИВНОЙ КОМПЕТЕНЦИИ ПРИ ОБУЧЕНИИ ВТОРОМУ ИНОСТРАННОМУ ЯЗЫКУ