A study on clauses of purpose in english and vietnamese=nghiên cứu các mệnh đề chỉ mục đích trong tiếng anh và tiếng việtệnh trong tiếng anh và tiếng việt

The sentence or a part of a sentence that contains a subject and a verb and constitutes a complete thought is called an independent clause... Complex sentence A complex sentence contain

Vinh University Foreign languages department

-  -

Graduation thesis

a study on clauses of purpose in English and Vietnamese

( Nghiên cứu các mệnh đề chỉ mục đích trong tiếng Anh và tiếng

Việt)

Supervisor : Dr Ngo Dinh Phuong Student : Nguyen Thi Bach Tuyet

Vinh, 2008

Table of contents

Page

Acknowledgements i

Table of contents ii

Abbreviations iv

Part I: Introduction 1

I Reason for choosing the study 1

II Aims of the study 1

III Scope of the study 2

IV Methods of the study 2

V Design of the study 2

Part II: Content 3

Chapter I: Theoretical background 3

1 Sentence 3

1.1 Definition of sentence 3

1.2 The classification of sentence 4

1.2.1 Classification of the sentence by structure 4

1.2.1.1 Simple sentence 4

1.2.1.2 Complex sentence 5

1.2.1.3 Compound sentence 6

1.2.1.4 Compound-complex sentence 8

1.2.2 Classification of the sentence by purpose 9

1.2.2.1 Declarative sentences 10

1.2.2.2 Interrogative sentences 10

1.2.2.3 Imperative sentences 11

1.2.2.4 Exclamatory sentences 11

2 Clause 12

2.1 Definition of clauses 12

2.2 The classification of clauses 13

2.2.1 Independent clause 14

2.2.2 Dependent clause 14

2.3 Structure of dependent clause 16

2.4 Function of dependent clauses 17

Chapter II: The study on clauses of purpose in English and Vietnamese 20

2 Clauses of purpose in english 20

Expressing of purpose by infinitive 20

The infinitive alone: to infinitive 20

In order or so as + infinitive with to 23

In order(not so as) used by emphasize that the subject really had this purpose in mind 25

Infinitive + noun + preposition 26

Infinitives of purpose after go and come 26

Expressing of purpose by so that/ for/ in case 27

Purpose clauses are expressed by so that + will/ would or can/ could + infinitive 27

Purpose clauses can also be formed by so that/ in order that +may/ might or shall/ should + infinitive 28

Negative purpose clauses are made by putting the auxiliary verb (usually will/ would or should) 29

In case clause 30

Clauses of purpose with for 34

Some nouns, verbs, phrases express purpose like: aim, goal, end, purpose, object, with a view to + V-ing, with the aim of + V-ing, for the sake of 34

Chapter III Applications to teaching and suggested exercises 38

A Applications to teaching 38

B Suggested exercises 39

Part III : Conclusion and reference 44

Abbreviations

E.g: For example i.e : That is to say etc : et cetera S-V-O: subject - verb – object

A.m : Ante-meridium P.m : Post-meridium

Part I

IntroductioN

I Reason for choosing the subject

English has become an international language, so the demand of learning is very great However, it is not easy to master unless you have real competances of grammar, vocabulary, syntax, etc Grammar is considered as an effective means to help you succeed in learning a language Adverbial clause of purpose is a type of adverbial clauses‟ system, not only does it exist in English but also in many other languages not exception in Vietnamese

Purpose clauses are used popularly in every aspect of language, example: literature, communication etc They have many functions which are correspondent with a lot of different contexts The author researches the ways of expressing purpose so that the learners can use in every contexts

Each country has its own cultural characteristics The culture may be shown by customs, habits, lifestyles, architectures and language well This study provides us with knowledge of Vietnamese and English culture through languages to transfer those clauses correctly from Vietnamese to English and vice versa

Finally, being a student of English the author finds it useful to understand more deeply about clause of purpose in English and Vietnamese That is the reason why the author decided to go into this subject

II Aims of the study

The study aims at widening knowledge of English grammar, researching the ways of expressing purpose clauses to help learners understand and use them correctly Through the comparison between purpose clauses English and Vietnamese, the learners can see the relevant differences between them

III Scope of the study

1 The ways of expressing purpose clauses

2 Purpose clauses in Vietnamese and English

3 Applications to teaching and suggested exercises

IV Method of the study

1 Explanation

2 Translation

3 Comparative

V Design of the study

This study consists of three parts:

Part I: Introduction

Part II: Content

Content consists of three chapters:

Chapter I: Theoretical background

1 Sentence

2 Clause

Chapter II: Clauses of purpose in English and Vietnamese Chapter III: Applications to teaching and suggested exercises Part III: Conclusion and reference

The predicate is the word or words that names the person, thing, a place that a sentence is about It is usually a noun or pronoun The predicate makes a statement about the subject It consists of a verb and its modifier or complements The verb is the most important part of the predicate It expresses action or a state of being A complement is a word

or words used to complete the meaning of the verb

A sentence is the basic unit of written English language communication We grant poets, playwrights, and fiction writers some

"literary license." These authors can experiment with the language or use the language in an unconventional manner Expository writing is conveyance of information, often necessary or even vital information, to readers who need that information If a reader misinterprets a sentence in a work of fiction, no harm results A misinterpretation of nonfiction writing

can cause harm Written instructions, policies, procedures, guidelines, research reports, personal communication, and news media information need to be written so that the reader understands exactly what the writer intended

Eg : “Tomorrow will be a short school day The school day will terminate at 11a.m The school administrators deliver a carelessly prepared message to the school bus drivers telling them to be at the school

at 1 p.m”

1.2 The classification of sentence

1.2.1 Classification of the sentence by structure

In English there are basically four kinds of sentences One traditional scheme for classifying English sentence is by the number and types of finite clauses

1.2.1.1 Simple sentence

The basic English language sentence is called a simple sentence It requires a subject and a verb We ordinarily include some additional words that explain the subject The sentence or a part of a sentence that contains a subject and a verb and constitutes a complete thought is called an independent clause

mandatory, but sentences written in this format are usually easy to understand

1.2.1.2 Complex sentence

A complex sentence contains an independent clause and a subordinate clause The independent clause can function as a complete sentence The subordinate clause also contains a subject and a verb (in finite clause) or a form of the verb without subject (in non-finite caluse) but cannot function

as an independent sentence The dependent clause is introduced with a

subordinator, such as who, because, as, even though, if, so that, etc

The dependent clause can come at the beginning in the position or end of a complex sentence When the dependent clause comes

middle-at the beginning, a comma (,) is placed before the independent clause

In a complex sentence of two related ideas, one idea is generally more important than the other one The more important idea is placed in the independent clause; the less important idea is placed in the dependent clause

Eg : We surveyed the damage as the wind subsided

We surveyed the damage This is an independent clause and a complete sentence The words convey a complete thought The words as the wind subsided form a subordinate clause The words do not convey an intelligent thought that can stand alone as a sentence If we modify as the wind subsided so that it becomes The wind subsided, we realize that it contains both a subject and a verb The words as the wind subsided

A complex sentence is formed with:

Independent clause + dependent clause Dependent clause, + independent clause

Figure 1.1

constitute an adverbial expression that describes a condition that existed

when we surveyed the damage

In addition, the dependent clause may be in the middle position

Ex: - The girl who is sitting over there is my daughter

- The car he bought yesterday is a secondhand one

Dependent clause

1.2.1.3 Compound sentence

A compound sentence contains two independent clauses Two

independent clauses may be joined by a comma and a conjunction, such as

and, or, nor, for, so, yet, or by a semicolon, or by a colon Each clause in a

compound sentence must have a subject and a verb, is of equal importance,

and can stand alone Punctuate the sentence by putting a comma (,) before

the coordinating conjunction

a By a coordinating conjunction:

Eg :

- George has applied for a scholarship, and Diane has requested

financial aid (additional idea related to first idea)

- Students may live in the dormitories, or they may live in off-campus

- Ron completed his homework early, so he decided to go to the party

(result of first clause)

- Foreign students must take English classes, for they must be able to

communicate easily in speaking and writing (reason for first clause)

- I have taken two finals, yet I must take two more this week

(contrast to first clause)

- Many students do not like to study for tests, nor do they like to write term

papers (negative choice in the both clauses)

above examples, we have a following structure:

A compound sentence is formed with:

Independent clause + coordinating conjunction + independent clause Semicolon

Colon

Figure 1.2

The independent clauses of a compound sentence can also be joined

by a sentence connector such as furthermore, however, otherwise and

therefore Sentence connectors are used frequently in formal writing to

connect long clauses Punctuate the sentence by placing a semicolon (;) after the first clause and a comma (,) after the sentence connectors We can see the following structure:

A compound sentence is also formed with:

Independent clause; + sentence connector + independent clause

Figure 1.3 The sentence connector used to link the ideas of the two independent clauses in a compound sentence shows a logical relationship between the ideas expressed in the second clause In the following compound sentence, for example, the first clause expresses an idea about bicycles as a form of

transportation The sentence connector furthermore tells the reader that an

additional idea about transportation will be given in the second clause

Eg : Some people are using bicycles for transportation;

furthermore, other are joining carpools or taking public vehicles to get to

Eg : If students wish to park in campus parking lots, they

must pay for a permit, or the campus police will tag

in contrast

Otherwise Consequently, therefore, thus accordingly

Additional idea

Contrast idea

Reason Choice of two possibilities result

negative choice

The readers can write as many independent clauses and subordinate clauses into a single sentence as your imagination will support However, reader comprehension declines as complexity increases

Sentences can be classified by the number and kind of clauses They contain:

Kinds of

sentence Number and kind of clauses

Examples(subjects underlined once, verbs twice)

clause(subject or verb or both may be compound)

Hawks hunt mice Hawks and owls hunt mice Owls catch mice and eat them Compound Two or more independent

clauses

Football is a good game,but I prefer soccer

Complex One independent clause and

one or more subordinate clauses

The train whistles as it neared the tunnel

independent clause subordinate clause

Compound-complex

Two or more independent clauses and one or more subordinate clauses

Paul ate a sandwich when he got home,

independent clause subordinate clause

but he still felt hungry

independent clause

Figure 1.5

In addition, sentences may be classified according to the purpose of the

sentence

1.2.2 Classification of the sentence by purpose

A declarative sentence is used to make a statement

An interrogative sentence is used to pose a question

An imperative sentence is used to give a command or to implore or entreat

An exclamatory sentence is used to express astonishment or extreme emotion

Most of the sentences we speak or write are declarative sentences

1.2.2.1 Declarative sentences

always present and followed by the verb phrase A declarative sentence is the most common type, commonly makes a statement Discourse function

of declarative is to convey information

Eg : - It's lunch time

- We are going to the game on Friday

- My car is out of gasoline

- We frequently ask questions, perhaps not as frequently

as we should

1.2.2.2 Interrogative sentences

information and is the sentence marked by one or more of these criteria: The initial position of an interrogative or WH_element(

WH_question)

Eg : - What time does the movie start?

- What do you think?

- What are they serving in the cafeteria today?

The replacing of operator is in front of subject

(Yes/No question)

Eg : - Is there a reason why these dirty clothes are in the middle of

the floor?

- Do you study English?

The rising of question intonation

Eg : - You are a student?

People who have authority use imperative sentences Sometimes, people who don't have authority use imperative sentences The results may differ

1.2.2.3 Imperative sentences

request somebody to do something An imperative sentence is the sentence which normally have no overt grammatical subject and whose verb is in imperative mood

Eg : - Wash the car!

- Clean up your room!

- Martin, report to the counselor!

- Please donate to the community charity fund!

We say that sentences must have a subject and a verb Note that some

of the above sentences do not seem to have a subject The subject is implied, and the implied subject is “you” “You wash the car” “You clean

up your room” “You” is a second person pronoun It isn't possible to make

a command statement in first person or third person

1.2.2.4 Exclamatory sentences

Spoken exclamations are often a single word or an incomplete sentence Grammarians indicate that formal exclamatory sentences begin with the word “what” or with the word “how” Most of the exclamations we encounter are informal

Exclamatory sentences are the sentences which have initial phrase

introduced by WHAT or HOW without inversion of subject and operator

An exclamatory sentence is generally a more emphatic form of statement

Discourse function of exclamation is to express the speaker‟s feeling

Eg : - What a beautiful night!

- How happy we were when the dawn came and our

flag was still there!

- What did you do to your hair!

(exclamation formed as a question)

- I just won 500 dollars!

(exclamation formed as a declarative sentence)

How do you know if a sentence is a question? Well, according to

commedians Bud Abbot and Lou Costello, it depends on the punctuation

mark For example: "Who's on first."

2 Clause

2.1 Definition of clauses

Clauses are the principal structure of which sentences are composed

A sentence may consist of one or more than one clause According to

Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, a clause is” a group of words that

includes a subject and a verb forming a sentence or a part of sentence”

Eg : - Tom runs

- John loves Mary

In grammar, a clause is a word or group of words ordinarily

consisting of a subject and a predicate, although in some languages and

some types of clauses, the subject may not appear explicitly (This is

especially common in null subject languages.) The most basic kind of

sentence consists of a single clause; more complicated sentences may

contain multiple clauses Indeed, it is possible for one clause to contain another

Clauses are often contrasted with phrases Traditionally, a clause was

said to have both a finite verb and its subject, whereas a phrase either contained a finite verb but not its subject (in which case it is a verb phrase)

or did not contain a finite verb:

Eg: "I didn't know that the dog ran through the yard"

In the above sentence, "that the dog ran through the yard" is a clause,

as is the sentence as a whole, while "the yard", "through the yard", "ran through the yard", and "the dog" are all phrases

Modern linguists do not draw quite the same distinction, however, the main difference being that modern linguists accept the idea of a non-finite clause, a clause that is organized around a non-finite verb

2.2 The classification of clauses

Clauses are generally classified as either dependent or independent

An independent clause can stand alone as a complete simple sentence, whereas a dependent clause must be connected to or part of another clause The dependent clause is then described as subordinate to a main clause, or (if it is part of a larger clause) as embedded in a matrix clause

Examples in English include the following:

- "I went to the store" (independent)

- "because I went to the store" (dependent)

- "after I went to the store " (dependent)

-“to go to the store" (dependent; non-finite), as in "He wanted me to

go to the store."

- "that I went to" (dependent), as in "That's the store that I went to."

2.2.1 Independent clause

An independent clause is a group of words that has a subject and

verb It is used as a part of a sentence but is grammatically independent and could stand alone

The following sentences show good examples of independent clauses:

-You will need certain qualification if you choose a career in

An independent clause is formed with:

Subject + verb + complement

Figure 1.6

2.2.2 Dependent clause

A dependent finite clause is introduced with a subordinator such as

when, when, while, if, or before It is followed by a subject, verb and complement It cannot stand alone because the subordinator signals the need for an independent clause to complete the meaning of the sentence

Eg : - When he comes, I will hug him

incomplement sentence) In order to form a grammatically complete sentence, each of the above clauses, must be joined to an independent)

A dependent finite clause is formed with:

Subordinator + subject + verb + complement

Figure 1.7

A dependent finite clause is a clause whose V element is a

non-finite verb phrase,can be constructed without a subject The four classes of non-finite clause verb phrase serve to distinguish four classes of non-finite clause:

Infinitive with “to”:

Eg: - To find a good job is very difficult

Dependent non-finite infinitive clause

Infinitive without “to”:

Eg: - He makes me clean the floor

Dependent non-finite infinitive clause

- I want to sit down

Dependent non-finite infinitive clause

Ing-clause:

Eg: - Protecting forest is our duty

Dependent non-finite ing-clause

- I enjoy listening to classical music

Dependent non-finite ing-clause

Ed-clause (can‟t be subject, object, only can be adverbial clause)

Eg: - Punished by the teacher, she was bored

Dependent non-finite adverbial clause of reason

Verbless clause is usually subjectless and the verb ommitted is often

the verb “to be”

Eg: - When at school, I was good at maths

Dependent non-finite adverbial verbless clause of time

Dependent non-finite adverbial verbless clause of time

2.3 Structure of dependent clause

The other major way to classify dependent clauses is by their structure, though even this classification scheme does make some difference to the clause‟s function in a sentence This scheme is more complex, as there are many different ways that a dependent clause can be structured In English common structures include:

Many dependent clauses, such as “because they agreed” or “before they come” consist of a preposition like subordinating conjunction, plus

what would otherwise be an independent clause These clauses act much like prepositional phrase, and are either adjective clauses or adverbial clauses, with many being able to function in either capacity

Relative clauses, such as “which I couldn’t see”, generally consist of

a relative pronoun, plus a clause in which the relative pronoun plays a part Relative clauses usually function as adjective clauses, but occasionally they function as adverbial clauses; in either case, they modify their relative pronoun‟s antecedent, and follow the phrase or clause that they modify

Fused relative clauses, such as “what he did” (in the sense of “the thing he did”), are like ordinary relative clauses except that they act as

noun clauses, they incorporate their subjects into their relative pronouns

Declarative content clauses, such as “that they came”, usually consist

of the conjunction that plus what would otherwise be an independent clause or of an independent clause alone (with an implicit preceding

“that”) For this reason, they are often called “that” clauses

Declarative content clauses refer to states of affair; it is often implied

that the state of affair in the case, as in “it is fortunate that they came”, but

this implication is easily removed by the context, as in “it is doubtful that they came”

Interrogative content clauses, such as “whether they came” and

“where he went” (as in “I don’t know where he went”) are much like

declarative ones, except that they are introduced by interrogative words Rather than referring to a state of affair, such as one of the participants(as

in “I wonder who came”) or even the truth of the state(as in “I wonder whether he came”)

Small clauses, such as “leave”( as in “I saw him leave”) and “to leave”(as in “I wanted him to leave”), are minimal predicate structures,

consisting only of an object and an additional structure( usually an infinitive), with the later being predicated to the former by a controlling verb or preposition

(Langacker, RW (2000) Grammar an conceptualization.)

2.4 Functions of dependent clauses

One major way to classify dependent clauses is by function; that is, by the roles they play in the clauses they are subordinate to Since the same dependent clause might have different roles in different sentences, this classification must be applied on a per-sentence basis

Dependent clauses may function as subject, object, complement, or adverbial in the superordinate clause:

Subject:

Eg: - That he passed the exam make me surprised

- To learn well this subject is not easy

- Listening to music is my favourite

Direct object:

- I know that she is pretty

- I decided to take part in English club

- I enjoy listening to music

Direct object:

- I know that she is pretty

- He gives whom he met yersterday a book

Subject complement:

- The point is that we’re leaving

- My question is where you live

- My great favourite is watching TV

Object complement:

- I imagined him overcome with grief

- They‟ll elect everyone who has ability

Adjunct:

- When we meet, I shall explain everything

- When I was a child I like sweet

Disjunct:

- To be honest, I don‟t like you

Conjunct:

- What is more, he has lost the friends he had

- To conclude, I love you

In addition, they may function within these elements, as postmodifier, prepositional complement

Postmodifier in noun phrase:

- A friend who remains loyal is a real one

- The problem to be solved is money

Prepositional complement:

- It depends on what we decide

- I‟m interested in what he says

Adjectival complement:

- Ready to act promptly

Under this classification scheme, there are three main types of dependent clauses: noun clauses, adjective clauses, and adverb clauses, so called for their syntactic and semantic resemblance to noun phrases, adjective phrases, and adverbials, respectively The exact uses of each vary somewhat from language to language, but a noun clause typically acts as the subject of a verb or as the object of a verb or preposition, as in these English examples:

- "What you say is not as important as how you say it."

- "I imagine that they're having a good time."

- "I keep thinking about what happened yesterday."

(Incidentally, note that the word that is actually optional in the second

sentence, highlighting a complication in the entire dependent/independent

contrast: "They're having a good time" is a complete sentence, and therefore an independent clause, but in "I imagine they're having a good time", it acts as a dependent clause.)

An adjective clause modifies a noun phrase In English, adjective clauses typically come at the end of their noun phrases:

- "The woman I spoke to said otherwise."

- "We have to consider the possibility that he's lying to us."

An adverb clause typically modifies its entire main clause In English,

it usually precedes or follows its main clause:

- When she gets here, all will be explained

- He was annoyed by the whole thing, which was unfortunate,

but unavoidable."

- I always try to help him in order that he will love me