Word order
In linguistic description, the arrangement of sentence elements varies across languages and is influenced by different factors In English, word order is crucial as it indicates the grammatical functions of sentence components, such as the subject, object, and verb John Eastwood emphasizes the significance of word order in English, noting that since nouns lack specific endings for subject or object, the sequence of words determines their roles The fixed subject-verb order can only be altered for specific reasons, making word order a key syntactical aspect in many languages For instance, the placement of words in a sentence, like in "She loves him," conveys their grammatical relationships.
Cô ấy yêu anh ta (2) [5; 5]
In the analysis of sentence structure, the pronouns "she" and "cô ấy" function as subjects, while "him" and "anh ta" serve as objects Altering the word order within a sentence not only modifies the grammatical relationships of these words but also impacts the overall meaning of the sentence For example, in the sentence "He loves her," the arrangement of the pronouns is crucial to conveying the intended message.
Anh ấy yêu cô ta (4) [5;5]
In the context of sentence structure, "He" and "anh ta" serve as subjects, while "her" and "cô ấy" function as objects Additionally, the information presented in (1) contrasts with that in (3), just as the details in (2) differ from those in (4).
Word order is crucial for conveying specific meanings in both Vietnamese and English, serving as a key grammatical tool in both languages This paper aims to explore the similarities and differences in word order between English and Vietnamese, highlighting how sentence structure impacts meaning For example, the sentence "Anna has seen that film" illustrates the importance of word order in English.
Anna đã xem bộ phim đó [1; 112]
Having a look at the above example, we see that there is little change between English word order and Vietnamese ones We now consider other examples: e.g: There goes another bus [1; 113]
The Vietnamese translation of the phrase "Lại lăn bánh một chiếc xe buýt nữa" should be correctly rendered as "Một chiếc xe buýt nữa lại lăn bánh," where the subject "chiếc xe buýt" comes before the verb "lăn." For example, the phrase "What he says you can rely on" illustrates a similar structure.
We can not say: Điều anh ta nói bạn có thể dựa vào
We should say: Bạn có thể dựa vào điều anh ta nói
Sentence
What is a sentence?
Effective communication is essential for expressing thoughts and feelings, and it often extends beyond mere words Non-verbal cues, such as a smile or a shrug, convey emotions like happiness and uncertainty While speaking and writing are the most common forms of communication, they rely heavily on the proper use of words and punctuation To ensure clarity and readability in writing, it is crucial to construct well-formed sentences and punctuate them correctly According to M Swan, a sentence is defined as a group of words that conveys a statement, command, question, or exclamation, typically containing at least one subject and verb, starting with a capital letter and concluding with appropriate punctuation marks.
But we can see that M.Swan only mentions grammatical structure of the sentence He does not concern with the structural meaning of the sentence e.g: A table is walking
Looking at the above example, we realize that although it is one independent clause, it is not a sentence because it is meaningless We should correct them: e.g: A man is walking
L.G Alexander emphasizes that a sentence serves as a complete unit of meaning In spoken communication, sentences can be complex or even incomplete, yet we still manage to express our ideas through intonation, gestures, and facial expressions However, in writing, these elements are absent, necessitating that sentences be meticulously structured and punctuated to convey clarity and coherence.
A written sentence must begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop, a question mark, or an exclamation mark” [3; 2]
Classifications of sentence
A simple sentence, as defined by R Quirk and S Greenbaum, consists of a single clause There are two primary types of simple sentences: the complete simple sentence, which contains one subject and one predicate, and the special simple sentence, which may have only one subject or one verb For example, "Mary is a nurse" illustrates a complete simple sentence.
Compound sentences are formed by linking simple sentences, with each clause able to stand independently For example, in the sentence "I do not want to listen to him, but he keeps talking," both clauses convey complete thoughts In contrast, complex sentences consist of an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses, showcasing a different structure in sentence formation.
Complex sentences consist of one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses, where the subordinate clauses rely on the main clause.
I like John because Jonh likes me independent clause subordinate clause [ 9;168]
WORD ORDER IN ENGLISH NOUN PHRASE
General word order structure
Many grammarians see that noun phrase often consists of determiner, modifier, head, post modifier, etc According to R.Quirk and S Greenbaum, We have a chart:
Predeterminer determiner postdeterminer modifier head postmodifier
All those three new cars on sale.
Variants of English noun phrase
From the general word order structure, we would like to describe variants of English noun phrase in the figure so that we are easy to follow
10 + + + the books on the table
12 + + + good pens in the bag
13 + + + two books on the table
17 + + + + the three pens in the bag
18 + + + + all the books on the table
19 + + + + three good pens in the bag
23 + + + + all three pens in the bag
24 + + + + all good books in the bag
26 + + + + the interesting books on the table
27 + + + + + all the two nice pens
28 + + + + + all the two books on the table
29 + + + + + all the bad information last night
30 + + + + + all two good books on the table
31 + + + + + the three good pens in the table
32 + + + + + + all the three good pens in the bag
The word order of pre-subordinate components and head…
3.1 Modifier The position of modifier is traditionally considered as attribute
Attribute can be: i Participle + head e.g: A waiting room [10; 278 ] head
She says she has got a broken heart [5; 258 ] head
We know that the patterns: “V- ing” has active meaning, “V-ed” has passive meaning For example, “waiting room” means “a room for waiting”, “broken heart
“means “a heart is broken ” ii Adjective + head e.g: The new secretary does not like me head [10; 9 ] iii Noun + head noun e.g: Army officers are well paid head [6; 377 ]
3.2 Postdeterminer + head Postdeterminer can be: i Cardinal numerals e.g: I teach four days a week head [6;372 ] ii Ordinal numerals e.g: The first week and the second week of September head head [8;397 ] iii “many”, “a few”, “several”+ head (plural) e.g: Do you know many people ? head [8;346] iv “much”, “a little”, “little”+ head (uncountable) e.g:There is little time head [8;347 ] v “a plenty of”, “a lot of”, “lots of”+ head (uncountable, plural) e.g: A lot of people drive too fast head [8;346]
3.3.Determiner + head Determiner can be: i Article “the”, possessive adjectives, “whole”, “no”, “some”, “any”+ head (uncountable, singular / plural) e.g: The sun is a star head [8; 290]
The absence of open shops highlighted a quiet atmosphere Demonstrative pronouns like "this" and "that" are used with uncountable, singular nouns, as in "It was windy this morning." Similarly, "these" and "those" refer to plural nouns, exemplified by "Both of these restaurants are very good." Additionally, quantifiers such as "some," "any," and "enough" can modify both uncountable and plural nouns, as shown in the sentence "He did not get the job because he did not have enough experience."
3.4 Predeterminer + head Predeterminer can be: i “half”, “all”+ head (countable, uncountable) e.g: All cars have wheels head [5;350] ii “double, twice, three times “+ head (countable, uncountable) e.g: Double their salaries; twice his strength; three times this amount head head head [9;64] iv one-third, two-fifths…+ head (singular / plural) e.g: He did it one-third (of) the time it took him head [9;65]
4 Head + post modifier Post modifier can be:
4.1 Relative clause e.g: The man who lives next the door is a doctor head [8;379]
4.2.Averbial e.g: There is a dirty mark on the table head [8;492]
4.3 Participle e.g: I saw my friend running down the street head [4;184]
Jill had the roof repaired yesterday head [8;181]
4.4 Adjective e.g: I find her attitude strange head [10;609]
II WORD ORDER IN VIETNAMESE NOUN PHRASE
According to Vietnamese grammarian, Nguyen Tai Can, we have also a chart about word order in Vietnamese noun phrase as follows:
Predeterminer determiner postdeterminer modifier head postmodifier
Tất thảy các em học sinh lớp 12 A
Tất thảy những cuốn sách này [3;76]
2.Variants of word order in Vietnamese noun phrase
Nguyen Tai Can says that Vietnamese noun phrase also has 32 variants We can consider the figure:
8 Pre determiner + post determiner + head
10 Pre determiner + head + post modifier
15 post determiner + head + post modifier
17 pre determiner + post determiner + modifier + head
18 pre determiner + determiner + post determiner + head
19 Pre determiner + post determiner + head + post modifier
20 pre determiner +modifier + head + post modifier
21 pre determiner + determiner + head + post modifier
22 pre determiner + determiner + modifier + head
23 determiner + post determiner + modifier +head
24 determiner + post determiner +head + post modifier
25 determiner + modifier +head +post modifier
26 determiner +modifier +head + post modifier
27 pre determiner + determiner + post determiner + modifier +head
28 pre determiner + determiner + post determiner +head + post modifier
29 pre determiner + determiner + modifier + head + post modifier
30 pre determiner + post determiner + modifier + head + post modifier
31 determiner + post determiner + modifier + head + post modifier
32 pre determiner + determiner + post determiner + modifier + head + post modifier
Nguyen Tai Can notes that the first and sixth positions are commonly used in Vietnamese noun phrases, while variants such as 4, 8, 12, 17, 18, 23, and 27 are rarely encountered For example, in the phrase "Nhà này bằng gỗ," the head is represented by the first position.
3 Word order of pre-subordinate components and head
Pre-subordinate components can be:
3.1 Modifier +head There are many kinds of modifier They are: i The words: “vị”, “đứa”, “thằng”, “gã”, ect + head e.g: Cái thằng Mới này lạ thật [4;45] head ii The words: “cây”, “con”, “quả”, etc.+ head e.g: Cái con chim này không chịu hót head [4;49] iii “chiếc ”, “ngôi”, “ngọn”, etc.+head e.g:Vườn cây xanh và chiếc nón kia head [4;65]
3.2 Post determiner + head In Vietnamese noun phrase, the word “cái” is considered as post determiner So, we have the order: “cái “+ head e.g: Cái xô nhựa head [4;85]
In Vietnamese grammar, determiners play a crucial role in noun phrases They can include cardinal numerals such as "một" (one), "hai" (two), and "mười" (ten), as seen in the example "Sự ra đời của một con người" (The birth of a person) Ordinal numerals like "vài" (several), "dăm" (a few), and "mươi" (twenty) also function as determiners, illustrated by "Vài cuốn sách này" (These several books) Additionally, words like "mọi" (everyone), "mỗi" (each), and "từng" (every) serve as determiners, as demonstrated in "Mọi người ngạc nhiên" (Everyone is surprised) Lastly, terms such as "những" (the), "các" (the), and "một" (a) can precede nouns, exemplified by "Các em mới đến hôm nay" (The children just arrived today).
3.4 Predeterminer + head Predeterminer can be: “tất cả ”, “toàn bộ”, “cả thảy”, “hết thảy”, etc.+ head e.g: Tất cả giáo viên đều có mặt head [4;48]
4 Word order of head and post –subordinate components
4.1 The first position (1’) i Head + verb e.g: Cô Hai Siêng xách cái giỏ … head [1;98] ii.Head + conjunction e.g: Tôi là Nguyễn văn Dậu …có mượn …một đôi hoa tai bằng vàng head [1;102] iii.Head + adjective e.g: Đó là một người đàn bà đẹp head [1;102] iv Head + numeral e.g: “Về Hội Hoa Lan ”, tôi cho anh biết thành lập năm 1973 head [1;108] v Head + “trước ”, “sau ”, “trong”, “trái”, etc e.g: …khoảnh đất ngoài bờ cùng… head [1;108]
The second position of post –subordinate components is often the group words:
“này”, “ấy”, “nọ”, “kia”, etc e.g: Nó được sinh ra trong cái đêm dữ dội ấy head (1‟) (2‟)
III COMPARISON OF WORD ORDER IN ENGLISH NOUN PHRASE AND ITS
In both English and Vietnamese noun phrases, the structure includes pre-subordinate components, a head, and post-subordinate components While both languages feature 32 variations in noun phrase construction, notable differences exist between them.
In English noun phrases, the second position, which includes quantifiers like "many" and "a few," corresponds to the third position in Vietnamese noun phrases Conversely, the first position in Vietnamese noun phrases aligns with the third position in English noun phrases Additionally, the second position in Vietnamese noun phrases matches the second position in English noun phrases For example, "The sun is a star" illustrates this structure in English, while "Cả cái thước vải này" serves as an example in Vietnamese.
In English, noun phrases exhibit a grammatical agreement known as "concord." This principle dictates that terms such as "ông," "thằng," and "tay" rely on nouns that denote male individuals, while words like "con," "cây," "quả," "trái," and "bông" are dependent on nouns that refer to animals or plants.
There is the word order of inversion in Vietnamese noun phrase, when we want to emphasize But in English noun phrase, we have rarely seen e.g: Chè, một gói
Ba đồng, một mớ trầu cay (ca dao) Generally, these differences show that it is very difficult for foreigners when they want to learn Vietnamese.
Word order in Vietnamese
According to Vietnamese grammarian, Nguyen Tai Can, we have also a chart about word order in Vietnamese noun phrase as follows:
Predeterminer determiner postdeterminer modifier head postmodifier
Tất thảy các em học sinh lớp 12 A
Tất thảy những cuốn sách này [3;76]
2.Variants of word order in Vietnamese noun phrase
Nguyen Tai Can says that Vietnamese noun phrase also has 32 variants We can consider the figure:
8 Pre determiner + post determiner + head
10 Pre determiner + head + post modifier
15 post determiner + head + post modifier
17 pre determiner + post determiner + modifier + head
18 pre determiner + determiner + post determiner + head
19 Pre determiner + post determiner + head + post modifier
20 pre determiner +modifier + head + post modifier
21 pre determiner + determiner + head + post modifier
22 pre determiner + determiner + modifier + head
23 determiner + post determiner + modifier +head
24 determiner + post determiner +head + post modifier
25 determiner + modifier +head +post modifier
26 determiner +modifier +head + post modifier
27 pre determiner + determiner + post determiner + modifier +head
28 pre determiner + determiner + post determiner +head + post modifier
29 pre determiner + determiner + modifier + head + post modifier
30 pre determiner + post determiner + modifier + head + post modifier
31 determiner + post determiner + modifier + head + post modifier
32 pre determiner + determiner + post determiner + modifier + head + post modifier
Nguyen Tai Can notes that the first and sixth positions are commonly used in Vietnamese noun phrases, while variants such as 4, 8, 12, 17, 18, 23, and 27 are rarely encountered For example, the phrase "Nhà này bằng gỗ" illustrates the typical structure.
3 Word order of pre-subordinate components and head
Pre-subordinate components can be:
3.1 Modifier +head There are many kinds of modifier They are: i The words: “vị”, “đứa”, “thằng”, “gã”, ect + head e.g: Cái thằng Mới này lạ thật [4;45] head ii The words: “cây”, “con”, “quả”, etc.+ head e.g: Cái con chim này không chịu hót head [4;49] iii “chiếc ”, “ngôi”, “ngọn”, etc.+head e.g:Vườn cây xanh và chiếc nón kia head [4;65]
3.2 Post determiner + head In Vietnamese noun phrase, the word “cái” is considered as post determiner So, we have the order: “cái “+ head e.g: Cái xô nhựa head [4;85]
In Vietnamese grammar, determiners precede the head noun and can take various forms Cardinal numerals like “một” (one), “hai” (two), and “mười” (ten) are used with nouns, as in "Sự ra đời của một con người" (The birth of a human) Ordinal numerals such as “vài” (several), “dăm” (a few), and “mươi” (twenty) also function as determiners, exemplified by "Vài cuốn sách này" (Several books) Additionally, words like “mọi” (everyone), “mỗi” (each), and “từng” (every) serve as determiners, as seen in "Mọi người ngạc nhiên" (Everyone is surprised) Finally, determiners such as “những” (the), “các” (the), and “một” (one) can be used in phrases like "Các em mới đến hôm nay" (The children just arrived today).
3.4 Predeterminer + head Predeterminer can be: “tất cả ”, “toàn bộ”, “cả thảy”, “hết thảy”, etc.+ head e.g: Tất cả giáo viên đều có mặt head [4;48]
4 Word order of head and post –subordinate components
4.1 The first position (1’) i Head + verb e.g: Cô Hai Siêng xách cái giỏ … head [1;98] ii.Head + conjunction e.g: Tôi là Nguyễn văn Dậu …có mượn …một đôi hoa tai bằng vàng head [1;102] iii.Head + adjective e.g: Đó là một người đàn bà đẹp head [1;102] iv Head + numeral e.g: “Về Hội Hoa Lan ”, tôi cho anh biết thành lập năm 1973 head [1;108] v Head + “trước ”, “sau ”, “trong”, “trái”, etc e.g: …khoảnh đất ngoài bờ cùng… head [1;108]
The second position of post –subordinate components is often the group words:
“này”, “ấy”, “nọ”, “kia”, etc e.g: Nó được sinh ra trong cái đêm dữ dội ấy head (1‟) (2‟)
Comparison of word order in English noun phrase and its equivalents in Vietnamese
In both English and Vietnamese noun phrases, the structure includes pre-subordinate components, a head, and post-subordinate components Each language features 32 variants of this structure, yet notable differences exist between them.
In English noun phrases, the second position, represented by quantifiers like "many" and "a few," corresponds to the third position in Vietnamese noun phrases Conversely, the first position in Vietnamese aligns with the third position in English Additionally, the second position in Vietnamese noun phrases matches the second position in English For example, in English, we say, "The sun is a star," while in Vietnamese, it translates to "Cả cái thước vải này."
In English, noun phrases exhibit a grammatical agreement known as "concord." This means that certain words, such as "ông," "thằng," and "tay," depend on nouns that specifically refer to men Similarly, terms like "con," "cây," "quả," "trái," and "bông" require nouns that pertain to animals or plants.
There is the word order of inversion in Vietnamese noun phrase, when we want to emphasize But in English noun phrase, we have rarely seen e.g: Chè, một gói
Ba đồng, một mớ trầu cay (ca dao) Generally, these differences show that it is very difficult for foreigners when they want to learn Vietnamese.
WORD ORDER IN THE ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE
Position of verb
In Vietnamese simple sentences, verbs often follow the subject traditionally e.g: Anh này là sinh viên
Anh ấy cần học ngoại ngữ
Position of object
In Vietnamese, similar to English, there are two types of objects: direct and indirect objects, which serve the same functions in simple sentences Typically, these objects follow the predicate but can occasionally appear at the beginning of a sentence, as demonstrated in the example: "Anh ấy gửi thư cho bạn."
Anh ấy tặng bạn một quyển sách
Chiếc xe mới anh ấy có
Thư anh ấy gửi cho bạn
Position of complement
In Vietnamese simple sentences, complements can be a noun, a noun phrase, an adjective Complements normally stand after subject, sometimes a verb is omitted e.g: Xe này 3 bánh
Anh này sinh viên năm thứ 2
Em bé này lên 10 tuổi
Anh này là sinh viên
Position of five sentence elements in Vietnamese simple sentence
In Vietnamese simple sentences, the subject typically appears before the predicate and can consist of a single word, which may be a noun, pronoun, adjective, or numeral For example, the sentence "chuột chạy" (the mouse runs) illustrates this structure, where "chuột" serves as the noun subject.
Nóng dễ chịu hơn hơn lạnh
Một là một, hai là hai numeral numeral [2;146] ii A noun phrase subject can be independent or dependent phrase e.g: Cả Thứ và San cùng hơi ngượng nghiụ dependent phrase
Xấu đều hơn tốt lỏi independent Những di vật ở dưới đất là một kho tàng rất quý báu, vô giá independent [2; 416]
In Vietnamese simple sentences, verbs often follow the subject traditionally e.g: Anh này là sinh viên
Anh ấy cần học ngoại ngữ
In Vietnamese, similar to English, there are two types of objects: direct and indirect objects, which serve the same functions as in simple English sentences Typically, these objects follow the predicate, but they can also appear at the beginning of a sentence, as demonstrated in the example "Anh ấy gửi thư cho bạn" (He sends a letter to you).
Anh ấy tặng bạn một quyển sách
Chiếc xe mới anh ấy có
Thư anh ấy gửi cho bạn
In Vietnamese simple sentences, complements can be a noun, a noun phrase, an adjective Complements normally stand after subject, sometimes a verb is omitted e.g: Xe này 3 bánh
Anh này sinh viên năm thứ 2
Em bé này lên 10 tuổi
Anh này là sinh viên
Adverbial in Vietnamese can stand in the initial position, medial, or final position these are the same in English e.g: Đến bờ, nó leo lên…
Rất đẹp hình anh lúc nắng chiều
Nó vì ốm nên nghỉ
Tất cả đã ngã xuống vì giặc Mỹ
Em nằm lại nơi đây mãi mãi [1;177]
Adv of place adv of frequency
Comparison between word order in the English and Vietnamese simple
In this chapter, we would like to study the similarities and differences of word order in the English simple sentence as well as in the Vietnamese ones
In both English and Vietnamese, simple sentences consist of five main elements: subject, verb, object, complement, and adverbial, all centered around the core structure of "subject-predicate." Additionally, there are seven traditional sentence patterns in both languages, highlighting their structural similarities.
SVA: Mary is in the house
S V C SVO: Somebody caught the ball
SVOA: I put the plate on the table
SVOC: We have proved him wrong
SVOO: She gives me expensive presents
S V Oi Od [9;167] ii Vietnamese equivalents
SVO: Ai đó bắt quả bóng
SVOA: Tôi đặt cái đĩa lên bàn
SVOO: Cô ấy tặng tôi những món quà đắt tiền
SVOC: Chúng tôi chứng minh anh ấy sai
SVA: Anh ấy chết trên xa lộ
SVC: Tôi là chính trị viên đại đội
SVO: Anh ấy viết thư
SVOO: Anh ấy tặng bạn một quyển sách
SVOC: Mèo khen mèo dài đuôi
Both English and Vietnamese simple sentences share five essential elements, highlighting their structural similarities Analyzing these sentences reveals common patterns in their construction, demonstrating a degree of alignment between the two languages.
Adverbials in both English and Vietnamese exhibit flexibility in their positioning within simple sentences, allowing them to appear at the beginning, middle, or end For example, in English, adverbials can be placed at the start, such as "Quickly, she ran," in the middle, as in "She quickly ran," or at the end, like "She ran quickly." Similarly, their Vietnamese counterparts can also occupy these positions, demonstrating the shared structural adaptability of adverbials in both languages.
I really don‟t like her Tôi thực sự không thích anh ấy
Really I don‟t like her Thực sự tôi không thích anh ấy
I don‟t like her really Tôi không thích anh ấy thức sự
She changes her hairstyle every week, showcasing a fresh look regularly Each week, she embraces a new style, keeping her appearance vibrant and dynamic.
[10; 25] Both in English and Vietnamese simple sentences have structures: S A Oi Od, S V Od for Oi, or S V Od to Oi
In English sentences: e.g: The man bought the woman a diamond
The man bought a diamond ring for the woman
We send a cheque to you
Người đàn ông mua (cho) người phụ nữ một cái nhẫn kim cương
Chúng tôi gửi (cho) bạn một tấm séc
In English, altering any component of a simple sentence changes its meaning Similar to Vietnamese, English adheres to a linear word order For example, in the sentence "The detective arrested a thief," each word's position is crucial to conveying the intended message.
Thám tử bắt giữ tên trộm
The thief arrested the detective (2)
S V O Tên trộm bắt giữ thám tử
S V O or We send you a cheque
Chúng tôi gửi bạn một tấm séc
Bạn gửi chúng tôi một tấm séc
The structure of sentences, particularly the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) format, can significantly alter their meaning For instance, when the subject and object are switched, the interpretation changes entirely In one sentence, the detective is portrayed as responsible for arresting the thief, while in another, the implication is that the thief has successfully arrested the detective This highlights the importance of word order in conveying precise meanings.
Both English and Vietnamese have special simple sentences that don‟t have subject or predicate eg: Sop! Careful! [5; 46]
Chửi Kêu Đấm Đá Thụi Bịch [2; 154]
Clearly, we can‟t change the order of the components in Vietnamese and English special simple sentence with two components have possessive meaning e.g: My father knew Ronald Reagan [5; 40]
Cha của tôi biết Ronald Reagan
Both English and Vietnamese are governed intonation principle e.g: I‟ll see you next week Tôi sẽ gặp bạn tuần tới
Intonation plays a crucial role in distinguishing between statements and questions in English For example, the sentence "I’ll see you next week" can either be a statement or a yes/no question depending on the intonation used A falling intonation indicates a statement, while a rising intonation, often accompanied by a question mark, suggests uncertainty, transforming the statement into a question This demonstrates that the order of words remains unchanged; rather, it is the intonation that alters the meaning For instance, the phrase "You’ll be here next week, won’t you?" illustrates how intonation can convey a question without changing the sentence structure.
(fairly sure) You „ll be here next week, won‟t you? Bạn sẽ trở lại đây tuần tới chứ?
In both English and Vietnamese, emphasis is placed on new and significant information to capture the audience's attention It is essential to maintain the original sentence structure while effectively conveying the speaker's message For instance, the phrase "I shouldn’t go" can be rephrased as "I should go" to highlight the intended meaning.
The first sentence means that “Is that your advice?” and the second one means that “I should go, not you”
In Vietnamese, we do not distinguish personal pronoun between subject and object e.g: Tôi đã thấy cô ấy And cô ấy đã thấy tôi
In English, it is very distinguishable between subject and object It is also totally different to change subject into object
You you She/he/it him/her/it
You you They they e.g: I saw her And she saw me [2; 175]
Another difference between English and Vietnamese is in passive voice
Transformational relation is the most typical feature in the English language meanwhile, in the Vietnamese language there is never form of passive voice
English sentence patterns, including SVO, SVOO, SVOC, and SVOA, can be transformed into passive voice In this transformation, the noun of the direct object (Od) takes on the role of the subject, while the original subject becomes an optional element introduced by a preposition.
“by” and it can be adverbial as adverb (A) Verb in the active sentence will become verb of passive We have the pattern of passive voice in English:
Passive sentence: S + be + past participle (by agent) e.g: They play the match (active sentence)
The match is played by them [5; 143]
In Vietnamese, the distinction between active and passive sentences is marked by the use of specific auxiliary words such as "bị," "được," and "phải." These words combine with verbs to convey a passive meaning The structure typically follows the pattern: "NP1 + bị/de được + verb," highlighting the subject's experience or action rather than the doer.
"phải”+ V e.g: Chuột bi bắt (expressing unhappiness) bị [4; 54]
Em bé bị đánh bị [4; 54]
Nam được khen.(expressing happiness) được [4; 54]
Tôi phải đứng ra phải [1; 92]
In Vietnamese, the passive voice differs from English in that the object can be positioned between the verbs "được," "bị," or "phải" and the main verb In contrast, English requires that nothing intervenes between "be" and the past participle in passive constructions, resulting in a distinct order for passive sentences in Vietnamese.
“NP1+ bị, được, phải+ NP2 + V” e.g: Chuột bị mèo bắt
English utilizes a transformational relationship to convert active sentences into passive constructions, whereas Vietnamese lacks a distinct passive voice To convey passive meaning in Vietnamese, we rely on specific words such as "bị," "được," and "phải."
INVERSION IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE SIMPLE SENTENCE I Inversion in English simple sentence
Auxiliary verbs before subject
Normally, verbs are always placed after subject In fact, we can put auxiliary verbs before the subjects of clauses in several different structures i In the interrogative sentences
If the main verb is lexical one, we will use auxiliary verb such as do, may, must, etc, before subject e.g: Have your father and mother arrived? [10;287]
(NOT Have arrived your father and mother?)
May he rot in hell ? [10;288]
In English, the verbs "Be" and "Have" can function as operators even when they serve as the main verb in a sentence, leading to the inversion of the subject and the verb For example, in the question "Is she nearly my age?", the full predicator is positioned before the subject.
Has the train got a buffet?
If a statement contains a straightforward present tense or past tense, predicator without operator, Do…? Does…? Or Did…? are used to form interrogative question e.g: You like train journeys
-> Do you like train journeys?
-> Did they arrive at six? [5;27]
Besides, we can find inversion in negative yes - no question, “not” can come after operator or can stand after the subject e.g: Haven‟t you finished yet?
Why does the government not take action? (formal English) [5;36] ii In the tag question
A tag question is a short question that follows a statement There are three main patterns
Pattern A: Positive statement + negative tag e.g: It‟s your birthday, isn‟t it? [5;34]
Pattern B: negative statement + positive tag e.g: You haven‟t broken that clock, have you? [5;34]
Pattern C: positive statement + positive tag e.g: You‟re busy, are you? [5;35]
In formal English, “not” can come after the pronoun e.g: Progress is being made, is it not? [5;38]
There are many ways of forming tag question The figure below shows the general form of the English tag question e.g: You came home late, didn‟t you? [5;38]
You couldn‟t lend me ten pounds, could you? [5;39]
Process is being made, is it not? [5;38] iii In the declarative
In some declarative simple sentences, a negative adverb, or adverbial expressions stand at the beginning of the clause for emphasis So we use inverted order to emphasize the subject: A + Aux + S + V
Inversion follows restrictive words: “hardly, seldom, rarely, never, only then, only after, etc” These structures are formal and literary e.g: Seldom have I seen such a remarkable creature
A Aux S V O [10; 289] Only then did I understand what she meant
A Aux S V O [10; 289] iv In the conditional sentences
In formal and literary conditional sentences, an auxiliary verb: “have”, “should”, “be” can be put before the subject in stead of using “if” e.g: Had I realized what you intended…
Aux S V O [10; 289] v In the responses beginning with “so, neither, nor, etc.” These words are followed by “Aux + S” e.g: “I am hungry” “so am I ?” so Aux S
“I don‟t like opera.” “Neither do I ?” neither Aux S [10; 288] vi In the exclamation
Exclamations have the same structure as negative questions
Statement, operator not +subject e.g: Isn‟t it cold ?
Hasn‟t she got lovely eyes?
In spoken American English, exclamations often have the same form of ordinary question e.g: Am I mad ?
Have you got a surprise coming ?
In a rather old fashioned literary style, inversion is found in exclamation after “how”,
“what” e.g: How beautiful are the flowers! [10; 288]
“May” is one of modal verbs “May” can come before the subject in wishes: e.g: May all your wishes come true?
May he rot in hell?
Expressions like "under no circumstance," "at no time," and "not until much later" frequently appear at the beginning of sentences for emphasis, utilizing inversion for impact For example, one might say, "Under no circumstances can we cash cheques."
At no time was the president aware of what was happening
In short, as we want to emphasize something, we can put auxiliary verb before and adverbial is at the beginning of a sentence
2 Main verb before subject i In the interrogative sentences in which main verb are: “to be”, or “to have got” e.g: Am I mad ?
In the reporting: the subject often comes after reporting verbs like: “said”, “asked”, etc, when these follow direct speech in story telling e.g: “what do you mean ?”asked Henry
V S [10; 290] ii Some adverbial expressions are at the beginning of the sentence like “on a hill”,
“under a tree”, “on the grass”, etc, we have the order of inversion: adverbial (A) + Verb (intransitive) + subject (S) e.g: Along the road came a strange procession
On the grass sat enormous frog
A V S [10; 289] iii Verb also comes before subject if the sentence begins with adverb of place or complement We have the order of inversion: AVS or CVS e.g: Here comes Freddy!
An advantage is the low cost
Subject-predicator inversion does not take place in a sentence with a personal pronoun alone as subject e.g: Here she comes (NOT here comes she)
When objects stand before subject, we have the order of inversion in simple sentence:
“O + S + V”, “O + Aux + S + V” i In the declarative sentence: When object comes at the initial position, it becomes the important element and subject will be less important element e.g: Dogs I love
O S V The routine letters he answers
O S V [5; 56] ii In the interrogative sentences eg: Who did you to the party?
O Aux S A [5; 30] iii In exclamation sentence eg: What a journey we had
4 Complement stands before verb and subject i In the interrogative sentences, the order of inversion: C + V + S e.g: Who is a lovely baby ?
C V S [10; 477] ii In the declarative sentences e.g: Ridiculous did she look…
C Aux S V [10; 289] iii In the exclamation e.g: How good a painter is he?
5 Adverbial stands before subject and verb i In the interrogative sentences e.g: Why are you here?
How did you like the party?
In declarative sentences, when an adverbial expression of place or direction is placed at the beginning of a clause, intransitive verbs frequently precede their subjects This structure enhances literate and descriptive writing, as exemplified by the sentence: "Directly in front of them stood a great castle."
Under a tree was lying one of the biggest men
On the table lay a newspaper
We can use “here” and “there” in front of position to draw attention to something in the situation e.g: Here is an announcement
When the subject is a pronoun, there is no inversion e.g: There he goes
A S V [5; 57] iii In the exclamation: inversion is also used to express speaker‟s emotion: A S V C or A S V e.g: How beautifully you sing?
In addition to the seven traditional English sentence patterns, inversion plays a significant role by altering the position of five sentence elements This technique allows speakers to emphasize key points, effectively capturing the listener's attention Ultimately, the use of inverted sentence structures enhances the expression of feelings and actions, making communication more impactful.
II INVERSION IN VIETNAMESE SIMPLE SENTENCE
In both English and Vietnamese, simple sentences consist of five essential elements Vietnamese grammarian Diep Quang Ban identifies five fundamental patterns in the Vietnamese language, each with specific fixed orders.
Pattern 1: NP1 + “là/bằng/tại/để/của/ngoài, etc, + NP2 e.g: Anh này là sinh viên năm thứ 2
(The sentences above indicates identical relation like the order SVC in English) e.g: Cái ấm này bằng nhôm
NP1 bằng NP2 (It indicates the material relation) Việc này tại anh ấy
NP1 tại NP2 (It indicates causing relation) Cái bàn này để ăn cơm
(It‟s used for intended relation as the order S V O in English) Anh ấy ngoài vườn
(The sentence above indicates relation of places on position as the order S V A in English)
Anh ấy như người ốm
(It indicates comparative relation like the order S V C in English)
Pattern 2: NP1 + Adj e.g: Nhà anh ấy xa
Pattern 3: NP1 + V, NP1 + V + NP2, NP1 + V + NP2 + NP3
These orders like the orders in English: S V or SVO, SVA, SVOO, SVOA e.g: Anh ấy học ngoại ngữ
NP1 V NP2 Anh ấy tặng bạn một quyển sách
Pattern 4: NP1 + NP2 + V / Adj e.g: Xe này máy hỏng
NP1 NP2 V Cây này lá vàng
Pattern 5: NP + fixed phrases e.g: Anh ấy “ba voi không được một bát nước xáo”
Besides 5 pattern above, we also see other inversions in Vietnamese
1 Prepositional phrase + verb + subject e.g: Trên cành thánh thót tiếng chim
Cạnh bờ ao mọc một cây chanh
2 Inversion of predicate and subject
Inversion of the subject and predicate in sentences serves to emphasize a particular state or motion, enhancing their descriptive value Various types of inversion can be observed, including the inversion of the verb and predicate subject, as exemplified by the phrase "Rách áo." This stylistic choice adds depth and emphasis to the expression.
Bỗng xuất hiện một bóng người
V S ii Inversion adjective – predicate and subject e.g: Rất đẹp hình anh lúc nắng chiều
Bạc phơ mái tóc người cha
Adj S Rực rỡ những làng Vàng tươi mái rạ
3 Inversion with sentence complement i Inversion with sentence complement denoting manner or subject-situation The complement can be initially or finally, medial (post-subject placed) e.g: Của ong bướm này đây tuần tháng mật
Này đây hoa của đồng nội xanh rì (Xuân Diệu)
Có nhớ chăng hỡi gió rét thành Ba lê Một viên gạch hồng Bác chống lại cả một mùa băng giá
[5; 259] ii Inversion with sentence complement denoting reason e.g: Vì chuôm cho cá kén đăng
The phrase "Vì chàng thiếp phải đi trăng về mò" illustrates the concept of inversion in sentences, particularly when expressing purpose An example of this is seen in the sentence "Vietnamese soldiers sacrificed their last drop of blood to uphold freedom and independence." This structure emphasizes the intent behind the actions described.
4 Inversion of predicating words i Inversion of predicate which consists of words such as: “lác đác”, „lốm đốm”, “róc rách”, etc Inversion of this kind of predicate helps us identify the existential meaning when describing things e.g: Lom khom dưới núi tiều vài chú
Scattered along the riverbank are a few houses, as depicted in Bà Huyện Thanh Quan's verse The sound of water flows gently through the bamboo thicket, as captured in Hoàng Việt's "Nhạc rừng." This poetic inversion of predicates, featuring words like "bloom," "explode," "run," "emerge," and "disappear," effectively conveys the themes of occurrence and disappearance For instance, from the painful years of struggle, the essence of the homeland has brightly emerged.
Từ gốc lúa bờ tre hồn hậu Đã bật lên những tiếng căm hờn [5; 92]
III CONCRETE CASES OF ENGLISH SIMPLE SENTENCE INVERSION
In this part, we want to mention some figures so that It‟s easy for me to compare similarities, differences of inversion between English and Vietnamese
1 Question Inversion i In yes-no question
Op + S + predication? S + (có) + predicate + không ạ?
S + có phải + predicate + không nhỉ?
Subject - operator inversion in English in English yes – no question and its equivalents in Vietnamese e.g: Is it raining?
Có phải trời đang mưa không ạ?
Do you play the piano?
Bạn có chơi piano không? [5; 34]
Cậu sẽ ra ngoài chứ? [5; 47] ii In negative yes - no Question
Op + S + not + predication S + không/chưa + predicate + sao ạ?
Không phải + statement + là gì(hay sao)?
S + Op inversion in English negative yes – no question and it‟s equivalents in Vietnamese e.g: Can‟t you ring me ?
Anh không gọi cho tôi sao?
Haven‟t they repaired your phone?
Họ chưa sửa điện thoại của cậu à? [5; 35]
Didn‟t I see you on TV last night?
Chẳng phải tôi nhìn thấy cậu trên T.V tối qua là gì? [5; 36] iii In tag-question
S-Op inversion structures in English tag questions and their equivalents in Vietnamese e.g: It‟s cold, isn‟t it? Trời lạnh có phải không? [5; 39]
You haven‟t finished, have you? Bạn chưa hoàn thành sao? [5; 38] It‟s your birthday, is it? Sinh nhật của bạn à?
You came home late, is it? Bạn đã trở về nhà muộn có đúng không?
Statement + đấy/chứ/quá/chăng!
S–Op inversion structures in English exclamatory question and their equivalent in Vietnamese e.g: Aren‟t you lucky! Bạn may mắn đấy chứ!
Is he mad! Nó điên rồi chăng! [5; 24] v In exclamations
In English, exclamations are formed using exclamatory wh-elements like "what" and "how," which are positioned at the beginning of the sentence In contrast, Vietnamese exclamatory expressions typically employ particles such as "quá" to convey similar meanings.
“thật ”, “thay”, etc e.g: How lucky you are! Bạn thật là may mắn!
Time flies by so quickly! In English, when a sentence begins with a negative adverb, it is necessary to use inversion of the subject and operator This structure is used to emphasize the statement and capture the listener's attention.
S + Op inversion after an initial negative adverbial and its equivalent structure in Vietnamese
Not until … + Op + S +… on no count + Op + S +…
Dù trong bất cứ hoàn cảnh nào + S + cũng không +…
Vì bất cứ lí do gì chăng nữa + S + cũng không +… e.g: Never have I understood what she wants
Chưa bao giờ tôi hiểu được những gì cô ấy muốn
A S V O From the above examples, it can be seen that unlike English, Vietnamese does not have inversion after initial negative adverbial vii In statement with an initial semi-negative Adverbial
A.Ns + Op + S (semi – Negative Adverbial)
In English, certain words such as "seldom," "rarely," and "hardly" convey negative meanings despite their positive appearances These semi-negative adverbs can trigger subject-operator inversion in sentences, as illustrated by the example: "Seldom have I seen such a remarkable creature."
In English, the structure "A Aux S V O" is rarely used, making it uncommon to encounter notable animals The inversion with initial words like "so," "neither," and "nor" indicates agreement and can be used before subject-operator inversion to imply "also." This subject-operator inversion after "so" is often employed in parallel responses Additionally, while English uses "so" as a predicate substitute, Vietnamese utilizes "cũng thế" following the subject to convey a similar meaning.
“cũng thế” can be replaced “cũng vậy”
"Similar to 'so', 'neither' is used at the beginning of a negative parallel addition or response, indicating 'also not' This structure involves an inversion in English, which has a corresponding equivalent in Vietnamese."
S + cũng không + … e.g: “I am hungry” “So am I” Tôi đói Tôi cũng thế
“I didn‟t like opera” “Neither do I”
Tôi không thích opera Tôi cũng không [10; 288]
2 Subject – predicator inversion i With an initial adverbial
The normal pattern is S + Be + A when the adverbial of position is fronted, there is inversion of the subject and the intensive predicator “Be” e.g: Outside the house was a furniture van
Dưới gầm phản là cái trại muỗi
Inversion in Vietnamese simple sentence
In both English and Vietnamese, simple sentences consist of five main elements Vietnamese grammarian Diep Quang Ban identifies five fundamental patterns in the Vietnamese language, each following specific fixed orders.
Pattern 1: NP1 + “là/bằng/tại/để/của/ngoài, etc, + NP2 e.g: Anh này là sinh viên năm thứ 2
(The sentences above indicates identical relation like the order SVC in English) e.g: Cái ấm này bằng nhôm
NP1 bằng NP2 (It indicates the material relation) Việc này tại anh ấy
NP1 tại NP2 (It indicates causing relation) Cái bàn này để ăn cơm
(It‟s used for intended relation as the order S V O in English) Anh ấy ngoài vườn
(The sentence above indicates relation of places on position as the order S V A in English)
Anh ấy như người ốm
(It indicates comparative relation like the order S V C in English)
Pattern 2: NP1 + Adj e.g: Nhà anh ấy xa
Pattern 3: NP1 + V, NP1 + V + NP2, NP1 + V + NP2 + NP3
These orders like the orders in English: S V or SVO, SVA, SVOO, SVOA e.g: Anh ấy học ngoại ngữ
NP1 V NP2 Anh ấy tặng bạn một quyển sách
Pattern 4: NP1 + NP2 + V / Adj e.g: Xe này máy hỏng
NP1 NP2 V Cây này lá vàng
Pattern 5: NP + fixed phrases e.g: Anh ấy “ba voi không được một bát nước xáo”
Besides 5 pattern above, we also see other inversions in Vietnamese
1 Prepositional phrase + verb + subject e.g: Trên cành thánh thót tiếng chim
Cạnh bờ ao mọc một cây chanh
2 Inversion of predicate and subject
Inversion of the predicate and subject serves to emphasize a manner, state, or motion, enhancing the descriptive value of sentences This technique manifests in various forms, including the inversion of the verb and predicate subject, as exemplified by the phrase "Rách áo."
Bỗng xuất hiện một bóng người
V S ii Inversion adjective – predicate and subject e.g: Rất đẹp hình anh lúc nắng chiều
Bạc phơ mái tóc người cha
Adj S Rực rỡ những làng Vàng tươi mái rạ
3 Inversion with sentence complement i Inversion with sentence complement denoting manner or subject-situation The complement can be initially or finally, medial (post-subject placed) e.g: Của ong bướm này đây tuần tháng mật
Này đây hoa của đồng nội xanh rì (Xuân Diệu)
Có nhớ chăng hỡi gió rét thành Ba lê Một viên gạch hồng Bác chống lại cả một mùa băng giá
[5; 259] ii Inversion with sentence complement denoting reason e.g: Vì chuôm cho cá kén đăng
The Vietnamese soldier sacrifices his last drop of blood to maintain the foundation of freedom and independence, demonstrating the profound commitment to their purpose The phrase "Vì chàng thiếp phải đi trăng về mò" highlights the necessity of dedication in pursuit of one's goals.
4 Inversion of predicating words i Inversion of predicate which consists of words such as: “lác đác”, „lốm đốm”, “róc rách”, etc Inversion of this kind of predicate helps us identify the existential meaning when describing things e.g: Lom khom dưới núi tiều vài chú
Scattered along the riverbank are a few houses, as depicted in the poem by Bà Huyện Thanh Quan The gentle sound of water trickling through the bamboo thickets is beautifully captured in Hoàng Việt's "Nhạc rừng." In literary techniques, the inversion of predicates with words like "bloom," "explode," "run," "appear," and "disappear" is often employed to convey the emergence or vanishing of elements, as illustrated in the line, "From the years of painful struggle, the essence of the homeland has brightly emerged."
Từ gốc lúa bờ tre hồn hậu Đã bật lên những tiếng căm hờn [5; 92]
Concrete cases of English simple sentence versus Vietnamese equivalents
In this part, we want to mention some figures so that It‟s easy for me to compare similarities, differences of inversion between English and Vietnamese
1 Question Inversion i In yes-no question
Op + S + predication? S + (có) + predicate + không ạ?
S + có phải + predicate + không nhỉ?
Subject - operator inversion in English in English yes – no question and its equivalents in Vietnamese e.g: Is it raining?
Có phải trời đang mưa không ạ?
Do you play the piano?
Bạn có chơi piano không? [5; 34]
Cậu sẽ ra ngoài chứ? [5; 47] ii In negative yes - no Question
Op + S + not + predication S + không/chưa + predicate + sao ạ?
Không phải + statement + là gì(hay sao)?
S + Op inversion in English negative yes – no question and it‟s equivalents in Vietnamese e.g: Can‟t you ring me ?
Anh không gọi cho tôi sao?
Haven‟t they repaired your phone?
Họ chưa sửa điện thoại của cậu à? [5; 35]
Didn‟t I see you on TV last night?
Chẳng phải tôi nhìn thấy cậu trên T.V tối qua là gì? [5; 36] iii In tag-question
S-Op inversion structures in English tag questions and their equivalents in Vietnamese e.g: It‟s cold, isn‟t it? Trời lạnh có phải không? [5; 39]
You haven‟t finished, have you? Bạn chưa hoàn thành sao? [5; 38] It‟s your birthday, is it? Sinh nhật của bạn à?
You came home late, is it? Bạn đã trở về nhà muộn có đúng không?
Statement + đấy/chứ/quá/chăng!
S–Op inversion structures in English exclamatory question and their equivalent in Vietnamese e.g: Aren‟t you lucky! Bạn may mắn đấy chứ!
Is he mad! Nó điên rồi chăng! [5; 24] v In exclamations
In English, exclamations are often introduced by wh-elements like "what" and "how." Similarly, in Vietnamese, exclamatory expressions typically utilize particles such as "quá" to convey emphasis.
“thật ”, “thay”, etc e.g: How lucky you are! Bạn thật là may mắn!
Time flies swiftly! In sentences where a negative adverbial begins the statement, an inversion of the subject and operator is necessary This structure serves to emphasize the negative aspect and capture the listener's attention.
S + Op inversion after an initial negative adverbial and its equivalent structure in Vietnamese
Not until … + Op + S +… on no count + Op + S +…
Dù trong bất cứ hoàn cảnh nào + S + cũng không +…
Vì bất cứ lí do gì chăng nữa + S + cũng không +… e.g: Never have I understood what she wants
Chưa bao giờ tôi hiểu được những gì cô ấy muốn
A S V O From the above examples, it can be seen that unlike English, Vietnamese does not have inversion after initial negative adverbial vii In statement with an initial semi-negative Adverbial
A.Ns + Op + S (semi – Negative Adverbial)
In English, certain words like "seldom," "rarely," and "hardly" convey negative meanings despite their seemingly neutral appearances These semi-negative adverbs can create subject-operator inversion in sentences, as seen in the example: "Seldom have I seen such a remarkable creature."
In English, the structure "A Aux S V O" is often used, as seen in the sentence, "I rarely see such a remarkable animal." Inversion can occur with initial words like "so," "neither," and "nor," which can precede subject-operator inversion to convey the meaning of "also." This subject-operator inversion after "so" is employed in parallel responses, illustrating that "so" acts as a predicate substitute in English Conversely, in Vietnamese, the equivalent phrase "cũng thế" is typically placed after the subject.
“cũng thế” can be replaced “cũng vậy”
The word "nor" functions similarly to "so" by introducing a negative parallel addition or response, conveying the meaning of "also not." This concept can be illustrated through an English inversion structure alongside its Vietnamese equivalent.
S + cũng không + … e.g: “I am hungry” “So am I” Tôi đói Tôi cũng thế
“I didn‟t like opera” “Neither do I”
Tôi không thích opera Tôi cũng không [10; 288]
2 Subject – predicator inversion i With an initial adverbial
The normal pattern is S + Be + A when the adverbial of position is fronted, there is inversion of the subject and the intensive predicator “Be” e.g: Outside the house was a furniture van
Dưới gầm phản là cái trại muỗi
The English sentences structured as "A + Be + S" exhibit subject-predicator inversion and closely resemble Vietnamese sentences that follow the pattern "A + là / có + S." This similarity is illustrated in the accompanying chart.
Aposition + có + S S- be inversion with an initial adverbial of position and its equivalent structures in Vietnamese ii With initial “here” and “there”
S + (Pmotion) + kìa e.g: Here comes Freddy Freddy đến đây rồi
There goes your brother Anh trai cậu đến kìa [10; 290]
Here‟s your keys Chìa khoá của bạn đây [10; 533] iii With a reporting verb as predicator
In English speech quotation, the reporting clause can appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence, with subject-predicator inversion occurring in medial or final positions Similarly, Vietnamese also follows a normal subject-predicator order in its reporting clauses This illustrates the contrast between English and Vietnamese structures in speech reporting.
“…”+ P + S “… ”+ S + P e.g: “Is there Mr Rochester‟s house” asked Emma
“Đây có phải nhà ông Rochester không”? Emma hỏi
“Great Heaven”, Celia cried “Chúa ơi”, Celia than khóc [10; 504]
English inversion versus Vietnamese equivalents
Normally, we sometimes want to emphasize some parts of the utterance without adding any other elements As mentioned above, there are similarities, differences between English and Vietnamese inversion
1 Similarities i The English structure “A + Be + S” is similar to the Vietnamese structure “A + là/có+ S” e.g: Outside the house was a furniture van
Dưới gầm phản là cái trại muỗi
A là S [2; 156] ii The English structure “A + P + S” is similar to the Vietnamese structure “A + P” e.g: A long the road came a strange procession
On the grass sat an enormous frog
Trên bàn có lọ hoa
A P S Cạnh bờ rào mọc một cây chanh
In Vietnamese, the adjective-noun order "Adj + NP" places emphasis on the adjective, resembling the structure of English simple sentences such as "CSV" or "CVS." For example, the sentence "Rất đẹp hình anh lúc nắng chiều" illustrates this pattern effectively.
How warm is the water
Adj S V [5; 24] vi In Vietnamese, we use the pattern: “NP2 V NP1”or “NP2 NP1 V” and the pattern;
“O V S” or “O S V” in English in order to get much attention to object than to subject e.g: Cánh cửa vô cùng, em chớ bao giờ khép lại
Xiềng xích chúng bay không khoá được
What I say and what I think
What a time we have had today
While English and Vietnamese share similarities in simple sentence inversion, notable differences arise from their distinct cultural habits and language usage.
English is partially an inflectional language, while Vietnamese is not, leading to differences in word order between the two languages This distinction is evident in the relationship between active and passive sentences, as discussed in Chapter Three.
2.1 Inversion in the interrogative sentence
In English, there are four types of the interrogative sentences: “yes/no question”,
“Wh-question”, “tag-question”, etc All these types have got inversion: “Aux + S”,
“A + Aux + S”, “O + Aux + S” e.g: Did they arrive at six?
What sport do you play?
Auxiliary verbs like "did," "can," "do," and "is" play a crucial role in forming interrogative sentences, typically appearing before the subject However, when a "Wh-question" is used to inquire about the subject, inversion is generally not applied For example, in the question "Who invited you to the party?" the structure remains straightforward without inversion.
Unlike in English, Vietnamese interrogative sentences always have a fixed group words “có phải …không?”, “có … không?” e.g: Có phải em vẽ tranh này không ?
Bạn có quyển sách này không? [1; 231]
Hôm qua bác về nhà à? [1; 232]
In Vietnamese, there are no auxiliary verbs, distinguishing it from English Instead of using auxiliary verbs, Vietnamese employs phrases like “có phải không?” and “à” at the end of declarative sentences without altering the word order This highlights a key difference between how interrogative sentences are formed in English and Vietnamese.
2.2 Inversion in the declarative sentences
Inversion of simple sentence elements is a common feature in both English and Vietnamese While there are similarities, notable differences exist in the structure of declarative sentences In English, typical inverted word orders include “Auxiliary + Subject + Verb” and “Verb + Subject.”
(+) Indirect speech with “V + S” pattern: e.g: “Is this Mr Rochester‟s house?” asked Emma [10; 504]
(+) The pattern: “Aux + S + V” begins with negative words, such as: “rarely”,
“never”, etc e.g: Seldom have I seen a remarkable creature
(+) Conditional sentences with “have”, “should”, “were” at the beginning of the sentence when we leave out “IF” e.g: Should you change your mind
In Vietnamese simple sentences, instances of "inverted" word order are uncommon For example, the sentence "Emma hỏi: 'Đây có phải nhà ông Rochester không?'" illustrates this structure effectively.
We can not say “Đây có phải nhà ông Rochester không ?” hỏi Emma
In English, the inversion structure C S V (be) is utilized to emphasize our feelings or actions For instance, when experiencing very cold weather, we might express it by saying, "How cold it is!" This pattern effectively highlights our emotional response to the situation.
We can translate into Vietnamese:
We can not say: Lạnh trời thì!
C S V iii The patterns: “A + S + V ”, “A + V + S” are used normally in English English people use these inversions but the meanings of them are unchangeable e.g: Here comes Freddy! (1)
These sentences can be translated into Vietnamese as follows
Clearly, we can not translate (1), (2) into Vietnamese just like: Đây họ ở! (3)
The analysis of the sentences reveals a lack of coherence, particularly in the third sentence, where the Vietnamese word "đây" may be incorrectly interpreted as a personal pronoun like "I" in English Utilizing a linear order is beneficial as it helps clarify the differences between the subject and object when elements are rearranged As discussed in Chapter Three, while Vietnamese maintains the same words in different subject-object positions, English distinctly differentiates between personal pronouns and object pronouns, highlighting the importance of understanding these grammatical nuances.
Vietnamese sentences: Anh yêu em English equivalents: I love you
Em yêu anh You love me
In English, subject-operator inversion appears in tag questions added to commands for various functions, while Vietnamese uses expressions like “được không,” “được chứ,” and “nhé” for similar purposes For example, the English sentence "We can go now, can’t we?" illustrates this structure.
Chúng ta có thể đi bây giờ được không?
Pass me the salt, will you? [5; 40]
Cho tớ chút muối nhé?
The differences in word order between English and Vietnamese simple sentences are influenced by the principles of functional sentence perspective This makes word order crucial, leading to challenges for Vietnamese learners of English, who often struggle to correctly position sentence elements and frequently make mistakes.
English and Vietnamese are distinct language systems, presenting challenges for Vietnamese learners and translators Mastering English grammar, particularly word order, is crucial for language proficiency This article focuses on common word order in English and its Vietnamese equivalents, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding that supports both theoretical and practical learning of English and Vietnamese.
Vietnamese learners often face challenges when studying English, particularly with word order A contrastive analysis of word order in noun phrases and simple sentences reveals similarities, such as the number of sentence elements, which can motivate learners to practice English However, significant differences exist, particularly in the structure of active and passive sentences between the two languages, highlighting the complexities of English word order compared to Vietnamese.
This paper provides a focused analysis of word order, acknowledging the challenges of conducting a thorough contrastive study within a limited timeframe and with limited references, which may lead to unavoidable errors Nevertheless, we aim for readers to gain valuable insights from our thesis on English word order and its Vietnamese equivalents, ultimately enhancing their English teaching and learning experience.
CHAPTER 2: WORD ORDER IN ENGLISH NOUN PHRASE
AND ITS EQUIVALENTS IN VIETNAMESE I Word order in English noun phrase……… 5
2 Variants of English noun phrase………5
3 The word order of pre-subordinate components and head… …6
4 The word order of head and post subordinate components…… 8
II Word order in Vietnamese……… 9
2 Variants of Vietnamese noun phrase……… 9
3 The word order of pre subordinate components and head…… 11
4 The word order of head and post subordinate components……12
III Comparison of word order in English noun phrase and its equivalents in Vietnamese……….13
CHAPTER 3: WORD ORDER IN THE ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE
SIMPLE SENTENCE I Position of five sentence elements in English simple sentence … …14
II Position of five sentence elements in Vietnamese simple sentence 18
III Comparison between word order in the English and Vietnamese simple sentence ……… 20
CHAPTER 4: INVERSION IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE SIMPLE SENTENCE I Inversion in English simple sentence……….28
4 Complements before verb and subject……….33
5 Adverbials before verb and subject……….33
II Inversion in Vietnamese simple sentence……….34
III Concrete cases of English simple sentence versus Vietnamese equivalents……… 37
IV English inversion versus Vietnamese equivalents……… 42
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