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Functional Grammar of Questions Involves Distinguishing Between Definite and Indefinite Questions

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Functional Grammar of Questions Involves Distinguishing Between Definite and Indefinite Questions Discourse and Function A Framework of Sentence Structure by Anthony C. Pick Copyright © Anthony C. Pick 1/418 2009 Dedication This book is dedicated to the memory of Irene Pick (1939-2007). Acknowledgements The author acknowledges with gratitude the help that he has received from Simon Pick and Matthew Pick, without which many errors and omissions would have occurred. Copyright © Anthony C. Pick 2/418 2009 Contents Discourse and Function: Introduction ......................................................................................................7 Background and Objectives..................................................................................................................7 Discourse Structure of a Sentence......................................................................................................10 Functional Structure of a Sentence.....................................................................................................13 Component Structure of a Sentence ...................................................................................................15 The Adverbial Component .................................................................................................................17 1. Subject and Topic ........................................................................................................................19 Summary ............................................................................................................................................19 Subject and Predicate .........................................................................................................................19 Exclamation........................................................................................................................................21 Possession Sentence ...........................................................................................................................21 Existence and Non-Existence .............................................................................................................22 Focus ..................................................................................................................................................25 Topic and Comment ...........................................................................................................................27 Topic and Enquiry ..............................................................................................................................31 Topic and Hypothesis.........................................................................................................................33 Conclusion..........................................................................................................................................34 2. Identity and Quantity ...................................................................................................................35 Summary ............................................................................................................................................35 Definite and Indefinite Noun..............................................................................................................36 Definite and Indefinite Article............................................................................................................37 Individual Noun..................................................................................................................................38 Definite Topic or Subject ...................................................................................................................38 Definite and Indefinite Object ............................................................................................................38 Restrictive Qualifier ...........................................................................................................................39 Pronoun ..............................................................................................................................................43 Definite and Indefinite Verbs .............................................................................................................44 Specific and General Concepts...........................................................................................................45 Generic and Nonspecific Concepts.....................................................................................................48 Specific and General Sentences..........................................................................................................52 General Pronoun.................................................................................................................................52 Quantity..............................................................................................................................................53 3. Sentences Containing an Indefinable Element.............................................................................57 Summary ............................................................................................................................................57 Indefinables ........................................................................................................................................58 Negatives............................................................................................................................................59 Selection and Comparison..................................................................................................................64 Questions............................................................................................................................................67 Hypotheses .........................................................................................................................................71 Conditions ..........................................................................................................................................73 Conclusion..........................................................................................................................................77 4. Grammar and Syntax ...................................................................................................................78 Summary ............................................................................................................................................78 Grammar and Syntax..........................................................................................................................79 Auxiliary Words.................................................................................................................................80 Articles ...............................................................................................................................................81 Links...................................................................................................................................................82 Relative Pronoun ................................................................................................................................84 Word Order.........................................................................................................................................86 5. Aspect, Tense, and Viewpoint .....................................................................................................95 Summary ............................................................................................................................................95 Aspect.................................................................................................................................................95 Tense ..................................................................................................................................................99 Conjunctions.....................................................................................................................................102 Gerund..............................................................................................................................................103 Aspect of Qualifiers..........................................................................................................................106 Perfective Participle..........................................................................................................................107 Imperfective Participle .....................................................................................................................109 Copyright © Anthony C. Pick 3/418 2009 Stative Participle...............................................................................................................................110 Possessive and Recipient Participles ................................................................................................111 Beneficiary Participle .......................................................................................................................112 Prospective Participle .......................................................................................................................112 General Participle .............................................................................................................................113
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