Groups of Pans of the Sentence
Having defined the sentence as a syntactic unit possessing independent explicit predication, we suggest that pans of the sentence should be singled out and studied with respect to their role in realizing predication. Three groups of parts of the sentence can be singled out: 1) parts of the sentence realizing predication, 2) parts of the sentence modifying the predication as a whole, 3) parts of the sentence modifying either the verbal or the nominal component of predication.
Predication finds its expression in the principal parts of the sentence: subject, predicate, and the principal part of a one-member sentence, e.g.:
I'm so glad (M. Spark) - subject.
I see a child (S. Barstow) - predicate.
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Look very carefully (C. McCullers) - principal part of a one-member sentence.
Predicative expansion is of two kinds, hi case it modifies the predication as a whole, we deal with situational modifiers (cumyawnbi), which usually place the predication in time or space, come in the initial position (before the subject), and are often set off
by a comma. Cf.:
That evening, Toby telephoned the director at home
(S. Sheldon).
In the distance, he could see the tall chimneys of the factory
(Longman Essential Activator).
When the predicative expansion modifies only part of the predication, forming a word combination with it, its components build up secondary parts of the sentence. Secondary parts of the sentence include objects, qualitative adverbials, obligatory circumstantial adverbials, and attributes. Objects, qualitative adverbials, and circumstantial adverbials modify the verbal component of predication. Cf.:
She could not see his face (W.S. Maugham) - object.
Heplayedvery badly (W.S. Maugham) - qualitative adverbial.
He's on his way from the airport (S. Sheldon) - circumstantial
adverbial.
Attributes modiiy either the nominal component of predication or a nominal element in the verbal component of predication. Cf.:
The lovely music began (D. Robins).
She plunged into the warm water (S. Sheldon).
'Sentence representatives' consist of a subject and an operator
standing for the predicate.
The majority of sentencoids, due to the absence of explicit predication, defy the structural analysis into parts of the sentence. The only exception is constituted by sentencoids with dependent explicit predication, e, g.: Why did you give it to Audrey? - Because she wanted it (A. Christie), where the sentencoid Because she wanted it consists of the subject she, the predicate wanted, and the object it.
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THE SUBJECT
Definition of the Subject
The traditional definition of the subject is logical. Thus, G. Curme writes, 'The subject is that which is spoken of.'
However, the subject is a unit of structural sentence analysis. Since the main structural characteristic of the sentence is predication, the subject should be defined with respect to its role in realizing predication. Viewed from this angle, the subject represents the nominal component of predication; in analytical English, it is practically the only indication of person.
Formal Features of the Subject
In inflected Old English, the subject had the form of the nominative case. In Modem English, it is only the personal pronouns /, he, she, we, and they that have a distinct form for the nominative case. (The personal pronouns you and it have the same form for the nominative and the objective cases.) When the subject is expressed by a noun, the morphological criterion fails because nowadays English nouns lack the nominative case. The existing common and genitive cases can both be used in the function of the subject Cf.:
TIte traveller made no reply (P.G, Wodehouse).
St. Paul's is one of the principal sights of London (O. Jespersen).
True, the common case is characterized by a much higher frequency of occurrence in the function of the subject than the genitive case. However, the common case is polyfunctional. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it can perform all the syntactic functions in the sentence. Cf:
She is a doctor (V. Evans) - subjective predicative.
Have you done all your homework! (Longman Essential Activator) - object.
She was all alone in a strange city (Longman Essential Activator) - adverbial.
The guests began to arrive around noon on the feast day (T. Chevalier) - attribute.
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Even Pieter the father was there... (T. Chevalier) -appositive.
On those Sundays I felt very confused (T. Chevalier) -situational modifier.
Does it mean, then, that the subject in Modern English is formally marked only when it is expressed by the personal pronouns 1, he, she, we, and they1? Certainly not. I.E. Khlebnikova is perfectly right in stressing that those categories the expression of which is made necessary by the needs of communication do not disappear from a language, and if this or that form falls into disuse, another takes its place. The same happened to the subject in English. With the disappearance of the nominative case in the system of the noun, word order has come to play an important role in singling out the subject. In declarative sentences, the subject normally precedes the predicate; in interrogative sentences, the subject generally occurs inside the predicate. Cf.:
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They are dancing (V. Evans).
Are they dancing! (V. Evans).
He gets up at 5 o'clock in the morning (V. Evans). — When does he get up?
The only exception is constituted by questions to the subject and its attribute, in which the subject, as in declarative sentences, precedes the predicate. Cf.:
Who left the door open? (M. Swan).
Which costs more? (M. Swan).
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