1. Syntax and Teaching Grammar
Lesson Four
Dr. Rosario María Burneo

2. Unit 10: Syntactic linkage
Syntactic linkage refers to the devices used by
speakers to signal which words can be linked to form a
phrase: and, which phrases can be linked to form
coherent clauses
Two linguistic phenomena: Agreement
Government

3. Agreement
It is a form of cross-reference between
different constituents of a sentence or
phrase.
The agreement based on overt grammatical
numbers formal agreement,
She works
in contrast, notional agreement is based on
meaning:
This class is large
The class are discussing about new rules

4. Common type of Agreement
Grammatical person:
I am versus He is
Grammatical number
One car versus Two cars
I am versus We are
Grammatical gender
Jenny loves her cat vs. Jimmy loves his cat.
Grammatical case
I told him versus He told me.

5. 1. Subjects and verbs must agree in number.
The dog growls when he is angry.
The dogs growl when they are angry.
2. When sentences start with “there” or “here,”
the subject will always be placed after the verb:
There is a problem with the balance sheet.
Here are the papers you requested.
3. Make sure you accurately identify the subject
before deciding on the proper verb form to use.
Does Lefty usually eat grass?
Where are the pieces of this puzzle?

6. 4. When gerunds are used as the subject of a sentence they
take the singular verb form; but when they are linked by and
they take the plural form.
Standing in the water was a bad idea
Swimming in the ocean and playing drums are my hobbies.
5.Indefinite pronouns typically take singular verbs.
Everybody wants to be loved.
Except for the pronouns (few, many, several, both, all, some)
that always take the plural form.
Few were left alive after the flood.

7. Government
Government in English grammar can be
found in “case”
Case refers to the grammatical
relationship of nouns or pronouns with
other words in a clause or sentence.

8. Pronouns show three case
distinctions
Nominative (subjective)
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Genitive (possessive)
my, your, his, her,our, their
Accusative (objective)
me, you, him, her,us, them

9. God Bless you
Thank you