Topic 4 (session A) - The grammar of simple sentences > Style, meaning & the structure of sentences > Task B

Style, meaning and the structure of sentences

Task B - A summary of what we have learned so far in this section

Task A shows that we have common intuitions about the normal grammatical structure of sentences. The fact that we share intuitions about the grammar of sentences is because we have internalised the rules of English grammar. Native speakers do this when they are very young, and operate so fast with language that they are not usually consciously aware of what they know about language. We are in the business of making this implicit knowledge explicit, so that we can describe more accurately how texts have the meanings and effects that they do.

This is effectively what we have done in task A, when we have compared the structures Hughes produces with rough equivalents that we think of as more normal. So far we have only looked at a tiny part of what is involved in the grammar of simple sentences, and we clearly need to know more if we are to describe meaning and effect accurately. The rest of this topic is devoted to filling in a bit more explicit knowledge about the grammar of simple sentences and clauses.

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