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Topic 4 (session A) - The grammar of simple sentences > Style, meaning & the structure of sentences > Task C
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Session Overview
What is/are grammar(s) (for)?
Style, meaning and the structure of sentences
SPOCA analysis and what it can show
Subject manipulation in text
SPOCA checksheet
SPOCA Self Test
Topic 4 'tool' Summary
 
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Style, meaning and the structure of sentences

Task C: Grammatical structure and grammatical function

The two sentences below use exactly the same words, but clearly mean different things. If you click on the sentences below you can see what we mean

John kisses Mary

Mary kisses John

Animaion of stick figure John leaning over and kissing stick figure Mary

Animation of stick figure Mary leanig over to kiss stick figure John

 

What is it about these two sentences which gives rise to the different meanings? After you have made up your mind, compare your answer with ours.

Our answer

These two sentences have the same grammatical structure. But they mean different things because the two words (or, more accurately, the two one-word phrases) 'John' and 'Mary' have different grammatical functions in the sentences, as we indicate below:

NP

VP

NP

Subject

Predicator

Object

John

kissed

Mary

Mary

kissed

John

Thus we can see that the position of the NP before or after the predicator changes its role (from subject to object and vice versa).

Chuckle Stop!

 

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