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oatmeal1642's avatar

Which of the 10 sentence patterns is this?

Asked by oatmeal1642 (180points) October 15th, 2012

“Standard Written English is constantly violated in music.”

I wrote this sentence for a grammar assignment with a single comma between ‘constantly’ and ‘violated’. We are suppose to write ungrammatical sentences and explain why it’s ungrammatical. In my explanation, I am explaining that required slots in a sentence pattern must never be separated. However, I am confused as to which sentence pattern this sentence belongs to. I can’t seem to fit it with any of the 10 sentence patterns. My brain must not be working. Anyone know?

Thanks for the help!

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15 Answers

JLeslie's avatar

I’m rusty, but I’ll say:

Noun, bverb, adverb time, with a preposition on the end. I don’t know exactly how that is supposed to be written. Hopefully, one of our language experts will come to the Q.

gailcalled's avatar

Where is a description of the ten sentence patterns? This is new terminology to me. As is “the required slots in a sentence pattern”. What’s a slot?

I need to start with the sense of your sentence, which ( I know) is off-topic. Do you mean that lyrics often are not written in standard written English?

IN reference to the comma, it is used to clarify meaning. Your use of it obfuscates; there is no logical or linguistic reason for a pause there. (Did that comma just disappear?)

Jeruba's avatar

Ten sentence patterns? I’ve never heard of that, not as a native speaker of American English, not as a high school student studying grammar, not as an English major in college, and not as an editor for more than thirty years.

Response moderated (Off-Topic)
JLeslie's avatar

I had never heard of it until about a year ago myself. Someone mentioned it and I googled it back then. I just remember it is basically the same as just stating noun-verb-adverb etc, but they also deliniate if it is an action verb, linking verb, verb of being etc.

I don’t see the real value in teaching this as ten sentence patterns, but I don’t know the theory behind teaching it that way.

oatmeal1642's avatar

The 10 sentence patterns are explained in ‘Understanding English Grammar’ by Kollin and Funk. These are them:

The Be Patterns
I NP be ADV/TP
(subject) (predicating verb) (adverbial of time or place)
The students are upstairs

II NP be ADJ
(subj) (pred vb) (subject complement)
The students are diligent

III NP, be NP,
(subj) (pred vb) (subj comp)
The students are scholars
The Linking Verb Patterns

IV NP linking verb ADJ
(subj) (pred vb) (subj comp)
Ihe students seem diligent

V NP, Ink verb NP,
(subj) (pred vb) (subj comp)
The students became scholars

The Intransitive Verb Pattern

VI NP intransitive verb
(subj) (pred vb)
The students rested

The Transitive Verb Patterns

VII NP, transitive verb n p 2
(subj) (pred vb) (direct object)
The students organized a dance marathon

VIII NP1 trans verb NP; NP,
(subj) (pred vb) (indirect object) (dir obj)
The students gave the professor their
homework

IX NP, trans verb n p 2 ADJ
(subj) (pred vb) (dir obj) (obj comp)
The students consider the teacher intelligent

X NP, trans verb NP, NP,
(subj) (pred vb) (dir obj) (obj comp)
The students consider ihe course a challenge

However, my particular sentence seems to be NP be ADV, which doesn’t seem to fit any of these?

JLeslie's avatar

It’s number one in your examples there, that is what I said in my answer anyway at the top. But, I could be wrong, English is not close to being my best subject. Don’t trust my answer. @Jeruba is one of our experts.

gailcalled's avatar

All of the ten sentences use the active voice.

The OP’s example uses the passive voice; it thus does not match the first example.

JLeslie's avatar

The example given for number one doesn’t even seem correct to me. The students are upstairs, where is the adverb?

gailcalled's avatar

Upstairs
adverb:
on or to an upper floor of a building: I tiptoed upstairs.

JLeslie's avatar

Here is more info on the 10 sentence patterns, maybe it will help. Another link.

Strauss's avatar

I believe that in the sentence The students are upstairs, the word upstairs is an adverb, more precisely, an adverb of place.

Novice2013's avatar

the graciously give their fellow actors a hearty round of applause

Response moderated
simnia's avatar

(Edited response, since Fluther removed my angled bracket notation:)
“Standard Written English is constantly violated in music.” is passive voice, equivalent to:
“Standard Written English is constantly violated in music by UNSTATED-SUBJECT.” or simpler:
“English is violated by UNSTATED-SUBJECT.”
“UNSTATED-SUBJECT violates English” is the active voice equivalent.
This is now in the pattern:
NP1 TRANSITIVE-VERB NP2
which is sentence pattern #7.

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