syntax and semantic 语法和语义
“Tom, your friend, is sitting in your big sitting room, listening to some beautiful music after dinner.”
主语 ：Tom（名词）
谓语 ：is sitting（动词短语） 2
宾语 ：in your big sitting room（介词短语作地点状语） 1
定语 ：your friend（名词短语作定语）
状语 ：after dinner（时间状语） 2
补语 ：listening to some beautiful music（动名词短语作后置定语
He and I went shopping. They invited her and me to the party. Between you and me…
Sentence structure is the order of all the parts in a sentence: subject, predicate, objects, phrases, punctuation, etc.
Rules:
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/grammar/sentencestructure
A Clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb:
EXAMPLE: The roads are icy because it rained last night.
This sentence contains two clauses: (1) The roads are icy and (2) because it rained last night. Each sentence has a subject (the roads & it) and a verb (are & rained), but only the first clause is a complete sentence by itself.
Notice that the subordinate clause because it rained last night slightly changes the meaning of the first sentence by adding new and important information. That’s the main purpose of subordinate clauses—to improve an independent clause with essential details.
Every sentence requires at least a verb and a subject; a verb is an action, and a subject is the noun that does the action.
I am waiting.
In this example, am waiting is the verb. The main verb is wait, but when we conjugate it in the present continuous, we use the –ing form and add the auxiliary verb am. The subject is I, the person who waits.
The exception to this rule is imperative sentences (commands), which only need a verb. We can assume the subject is the person the speaker is talking to.
Stop!
This single word is a complete sentence. The verb is stop, and no subject is necessary because it’s a command.
Some sentences can add objects, which are nouns that also participate in the action. Let’s say you forgot your calculator and you ask your friend to borrow theirs.
My buddy lends me their calculator.
In this example, lends is the verb and my buddy is the subject because they’re the one lending. The word calculator is what’s called a direct object, the noun that receives the action. In this case, the direct object is the thing being lent—a calculator.
The indirect object is the noun that receives the direct object. In the example above, the indirect object is me, because that’s who receives the calculator. Indirect objects come between the verb and direct object.
Did you notice that the subject uses the pronoun I but the objects use the pronoun me? Subject and object pronouns are different, so make sure you’re using the right one.
Only a certain type of verb called transitive verbs can use direct and indirect objects. However, transitive verbs are quite common, so you’ll be using them a lot.
You can connect the independent clauses in two ways:
“We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, but they are still lying.”—Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn
“Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter.”—African proverb
“When a person can’t find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure.”—Viktor Frankl
“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”—Aristotle
“If you’re going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it, or else you’re going to be locked up.”—Hunter S. Thompson
“Don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.”—David Frost
I forgot to wear a hat today. Your pizza is doughy because you didn’t cook it long enough. Spiders and crabs are both members of the arthropod family.
An interrogative sentence is a sentence that asks a question, like:
How many pet iguanas do you have? May I sit here? Aren’t there enough umbrellas to go around?
One hallmark of interrogative sentences is that they usually begin with pronouns or auxiliary verbs(Interrogative sentences often start with interrogative pronouns and end with a question mark. Interrogative pronouns, typically “wh” words, include “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” “why,” “which,” “whose,” and “whom.”). When this kind of sentence does start with the subject, it’s usually in colloquial speech. For example:
He went there again? Rats can’t swim, right?
Much like an interrogative question ends with a question mark, an exclamatory sentence ends with an exclamation mark. These sentences communicate heightened emotion and are often used as greetings, warnings, or rallying cries. Examples include:
Hey! High voltage! Do not touch! This is Sparta!
The only difference between a declarative sentence and an exclamatory one is the punctuation at the end. But that punctuation makes a big difference in how the reader or listener interprets the sentence. Consider the difference between these:
It’s snowing. It’s snowing!
An imperative sentence is a sentence that gives the reader advice, instructions, a command or makes a request.
An imperative sentence can end in either a period or an exclamation point, depending on the urgency of the sentiment being expressed. Imperative sentences include:
Get off my lawn! After the timer dings, take the cookies out of the oven. Always pack an extra pair of socks.
With an imperative sentence, the subject is generally omitted because the reader understands they’re the one being addressed.
Conditional sentences are sentences that discuss factors and their consequences in an if-then structure. Their structure is:
Conditional clause (typically known as the if-clause) + consequence of that clause.
A basic example of a conditional sentence is:
When you eat ice cream too fast, you get brain freeze.
The structure is straightforward: If + [present simple], … [present simple].
For example, “If you heat ice, it melts.”
If you mix blue and yellow, you get green. If it’s a weekday, I go to work. If you don’t eat, you get hungry.
Remember, the zero conditional is all about facts and general truths. It’s not about specific situations or possibilities. It’s about what’s always true.
特殊形式： If following a specific methodology, be explicit about what it is and how it works to all involved 原型1：条件句的现在分词省略结构
完整形式：If you are following a specific methodology, you must be explicit… 省略逻辑：主从句主语一致时，可省略主语 you 和助动词 are，保留现在分词 following 作条件状语36。 适用场景：强调“正在遵循方法论”的持续状态，常见于学术写作或操作指南中
原型2：一般现在时省略结构
完整形式：If you follow a specific methodology, you must be explicit… 省略逻辑：省略主语 you，直接保留动词原形 follow；但此结构在语法上需依赖上下文明确主语，否则易造成歧义36。 适用场景：描述普遍性或常规操作，例如指导性文件或一般性建议
It’s used to talk about real and possible situations in the future. The structure is If + [present simple], … will + [infinitive].
For example, “If it rains, I will stay at home.”
This is a real possibility: It might rain, and if it does, I will stay at home.
Here are a few more examples:
If you study hard, you will pass the exam. If I see her, I will say hello. If they don’t hurry, they will miss the train.
If you name it, we will do it=>U name it, we do it
Remember, the first conditional is all about real possibilities in the future. It’s not about general truths or hypothetical situations. It’s about what might happen.
It’s used to talk about unreal or improbable situations in the present or future. The structure is If + [past simple], … would + [infinitive].
“If I won the lottery, I would buy a house.” This is an unreal situation. I probably won’t win the lottery, but if I did, I would buy a house.
Here are a few more examples:
If I were you, I would take the job. If it snowed in the Sahara, it would be a miracle. If they knew the truth, they would be shocked.
To summarize, the second conditional is all about unreal or improbable situations. It’s not about what will happen but what could happen in an alternate reality.
It’s used to talk about unreal situations in the past. The structure is If + [past perfect], … would have + [past participle].
For example, “If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam.”
In this sentence, the condition is “If I had studied harder,” and the result is “I would have passed the exam.”
This is an unreal situation—I didn’t study hard, and I didn’t pass the exam. But if I had studied harder (in the past), I would have passed the exam (in the past).
Here are a few more examples:
If she had seen the sign, she wouldn’t have parked there. If we had left earlier, we would have caught the train. If he hadn’t forgotten his wallet, he would have paid the bill.
Remember, the third conditional is all about unreal situations in the past. It’s not about what did happen but what could have happened in a different past.
Conditional sentences aren’t always cut and dry. There are exceptions and special cases to consider. Sometimes, the standard structure of conditional sentences might not apply. This is often due to the context or the specific meaning we want to convey.
give somebody something” (双宾语结构)
“give something to somebody” (与格结构)
虽然两者基本可以互换，但在日常使用中，母语者会根据一些细微的规则来选择：
更顺口：She gave to her sister all the books that our mother had left us in her will.
不太顺口：She gave all the books that our mother had left us in her will to her sister.
2. 强调重点：通常句末是信息的焦点。如果想强调“给谁”，就用“give something to somebody”结构。
3. 代词用法：当直接宾语是代词（it, them）时，必须使用“give it/them to somebody”结构。
正确：Please give it to me.
错误：Please give me it.
“独立主格” 指由 名词/代词（需与主句主语不同） + 非谓语成分（分词/不定式/形容词/介词短语等） 构成的复合结构，在句中作状语修饰整个主句，但与主句主语无语法关联（故称”独立”） | 类型 | 示例 | |———-|——————————————————| | 现在分词 | Weather permitting, we’ll hike.（天气允许的话）2 | | 过去分词 | The task finished, he relaxed.（任务完成后）4 | | 不定式 | The plan to be discussed, everyone prepared.（计划待讨论）5 | | 形容词/副词 | He stood silent, his eyes wide.（他沉默站着，双眼圆睁）5 | | 介词短语 | Book in hand, she entered the room.（手拿书本）3 |
句首：常用逗号与主句隔开 The meeting over, staff returned to work.（会议结束后）
句尾：强调结果或伴随状态 He rushed out, face pale with anger.（他冲了出去，脸色铁青）
❌ He missed the deadline, the reason being is that he underestimated the complexity. 部分语法学者认为 ”being is” 构成冗余（双重系动词） ✅ He missed the deadline, the reason being is that he underestimated the complexity.
同一主语下多个动作/状态 He opened the door and walked in
have confidence to do sth / in sb
as spoken 是 ”as it is spoken” 的省略形式，属于状语从句的省略结构
Friction is normal as is conflict, don’t avoid it altogether
完整形式应为 as conflict is normal 因主句与从句表语相同（normal），故省略表语形成 as is conflict
倒装结构 as is conflict 强化”冲突”与”摩擦”的并列关系
Courage is vital, as is perseverance in adversity`（勇气至关重要，逆境中的坚持亦然） Success requires effort as does opportunity
after/although/as/as if/as long as/as much as/as soon as/as though/because/before/by the time/even if/even though/if/in case/in order that/in the event that/lest/now that/once/only/only if/provided that/since/so/supposing/than/that/though/till/unless/until/when/whenever/where/whereas/wherever/whether or not/while
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/subordinating-conjunctions/
定义：整个谓语动词移至主语之前。 常见触发词： 方位副词（here, there, out, in, up, down等） 地点介词短语（如 “At the top of the hill…“） 例句： “Here comes the bus.” （正常语序：The bus comes here.）
定义：仅助动词/情态动词提前，主语与实义动词顺序不变。 常见触发词： 否定词（never, seldom, hardly等） “Only + 状语” 结构 “So…that…” 结构中 “so” 前置 例句： “Never have I seen such a spectacular view.” （正常语序：I have never seen…）
条件状语从句前置（Only when…）引发主句倒装（should you go…） Only when you are sure your existing toolset will not suffice should you go out into the marketplace You should go out into the marketplace only when you are sure your existing toolset will not suffice.
metaphor,analogy,allusion Maybe a good analogy here is bar codes and serial numbers. Take an iPod in a store. On the packaging will be a bar code. This tells the store what the product is, so when it is scanned, the system knows exactly what the product is and what it costs. It might even be able to know what color it is or where it was kept in the store. All iPod of this same type has the exact same barcode on them. The iPod will also have a serial number on it which is absolutely unique to any other iPod (or any other device) in the world. The serial number doesn’t know the price. It could, but for the store, this wouldn’t be a very efficient way to store and use that data. Much easier to use the barcode, so that for example, if the price changed, you could just change the price for that bar code and not every individual serial number in your system. This is much like ID’s and Classes. Information that is reusable should be kept in a class and information that is totally unique should be kept in an ID.
Closed Question / Open Question / Tag Question / Choice Question / Declarative statements with rising intonation Answering Tag Questions https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-questions-tag-answering.htm If you were wrong, admit it. You won’t lose dignity but will gain respect.
To whom could we direct our questions?
Johnny, please arrange for a 13 seater minibus on Monday, 27th may at 8pm. Pick up will be at 19, china street. Contact person I will let u know on Monday. It will be a one way trip from china street to 121, katong shopping centre. Let me know the details once u have them. Dear , The driver’s name is **. His h/p: ***. Minibus vehicle no. **. I will update for any changes. Feel free to call me on my hp:* for any queries.
what can (not) do you for? http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/22405/distinction-what-can-i-do-you-for-vs-what-can-i-do-for-you