A BOTTOM UP WAY OF ANALYZING A
SENTENCE
1. PURELY STRUCTURAL (Word and
Some phrases)
Recognize that a sentence is divided into:
Nouns/Pronouns
Verbs
Modifiers (of both nouns and verbs)
Modifiers of nouns can be :
Predeterminers
Determiners
Adjective phrases
Prepositional phrases
Modifiers of verbs and adjectives:
Adverbs
Prepositional phrases
This young worker from a rural area in
China became pregnant
Nouns: worker, area, China
Verbs: became
Modifiers: (of the noun worker)
This (A determiner, specifically a
demonstrative)
young (An adjective phrase, specifically an
adjective)
from a rural area in China (A prepositional
phrase, specifically a noun-modifying
adjectival prepositional phrase)
Modifiers: (of the noun area):
A (A determiner, specifically an article)
Rural (An adjective phrase, specifically an
adjective)
In China (A prepositional phrase,
specifically a noun modifying adjectival
prepositional phrase).
Modifiers: (of the proper noun China):
(no modifiers)
WHAT TO DO AT THIS STAGE: Label
each word. Use these possible labels:
Predeterminer (Predet)
Determiner (det)
Adjective (adj)
Adverb (adv)
Noun (n)
Auxiliary Verb (aux)
Verb (v)
Preposition (prep)
Pronoun (pro)
Put parentheses around adjective
phrases and prepositional phrases.
2. FORMING PHRASES
After you’ve got everything “sorted out”, it’s
time to make phrases. You’ve got four
types of phrases to make: adjective
phrases, noun phrases, verb phrases,
prepositional phrases. Recognize that there
is some “layering” here. Noun phrases, for
example, can stand alone – or as parts of
prepositional phrases. Adjective phrases
can fold into noun phrases. It is possible to
have a prepositional phrase with a noun
phrase that contains an adjective phrase!
WHAT TO DO: I think it’s easiest to start
with the verb phrase. Identify that. In this
case, it’s really simple: it’s the word
“became” – a linking verb.
Then go to adjective phrases. You started
these in stage 1 (see above). You’ve got
“young” “rural” and “pregnant” to work with
here. Each of these adjectives constitutes
what is called the “head adjective” of an
adjective phrase.
Then go to prepositional phrases: You’ve
got two to work with:
From a rural area in China
In China
Then go to noun phrases. The combination
of a single noun and its modifiers is a noun
phrase – so look carefully at those adjective
phrases and prepositional phrases:
This young worker from a rural area in
China.
A rural area in China
China
That means that before you start step 3
(Functional Analysis) you have the following
phrasal structures for our example
sentence:
Noun phrase (which includes an adjective
phrase and a prepositional phrase, which
includes a noun phrase with an adjective
phrase and another prepositional phrase
which includes a noun phrase)
(The young worker from a rural area in
China)
PLUS
Verb phrase
(became)
PLUS
Adjective phrase
Pregnant
3. FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS
Functional analysis answers this question:
What are these phrases – noun phrases,
verb phrases, and adjective phrases doing
in the sentence? What are their functions?
The noun phrase in this case is the
SUBJECT of the sentence: This young
worker from a rural area in China
The verb phrase in this case is a linking
verb phrase: became.
We can also look at FUNCTION of free—
standing adjective phrases:
The adjective phrase pregnant is functioning
as a subject complement in the sentence.
We now have a functional analysis for our
practice sentence:
SUBJECT + VERB PHRASE + SUBJECT COMPLEMENT
4. MEGA (CLAUSAL) ANALYSIS
We can now divide the clause into the big
“parts” – subject and predicate. The subject
is the subject. The predicate is basically
everything else.
The subject noun phrase This young worker
from a rural area in China is the SUBJECT
of the clause.
The verb phrase became coupled with the
adjective phrase pregnant is functioning as
a PREDICATE.
China suffered another unexpected setback on
Wednesday.
Buddhist monks interrupted a tour in western
China.
They waved a Tibetan flag.
The authorities were depriving them of their human
rights.