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Zkyevolved Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Help with this analysis of this prepositional group.
Hello, I need some help with this phrase.
He is extremely helpless at maths.
I've disected as follows:
[He] [is [extremely helpless [at maths.]]]
He = Nominal Group, functions as Subject.
is extremely helpless at maths = predicate
extremely helpless at maths = Adjectival Group / Subject Complement (complementing He). Extremely is the Adverb functioning as a modifier, modifying helpless. Helpless is the head of the group, and it's an adjective.
at maths = prepositional group , but what is its function? This is where i'm stumped.
Any help will be greatly appreciated... Thanks
He is extremely helpless at maths.
I've disected as follows:
[He] [is [extremely helpless [at maths.]]]
He = Nominal Group, functions as Subject.
is extremely helpless at maths = predicate
extremely helpless at maths = Adjectival Group / Subject Complement (complementing He). Extremely is the Adverb functioning as a modifier, modifying helpless. Helpless is the head of the group, and it's an adjective.
at maths = prepositional group , but what is its function? This is where i'm stumped.
Any help will be greatly appreciated... Thanks
Top answer
Dear friend, the sentence in question basically consists of two parts, namely, Subject (He) and Predicate, also referred to as a long verb phrase (is extremely helpless at maths). The latter, in turn, is further analysable into unitary and multiple constituents; they are as follows: Verb (copula is - unitary consittuent) and Adjective Phrase (extremely hopeless at maths - multiple constituent). Furthermore, the adverb (extremely), not being a clause element, operates grammatically as part of an Adjective Phrase (modifier of 'hopeless').
- Dear friend, the sentence in question basically consists of two parts, namely, Subject (He) and Predicate, also referred to as a long verb phrase (is extremely helpless at maths).
- The latter, in turn, is further analysable into unitary and multiple constituents; they are as follows: Verb (copula is - unitary consittuent) and Adjective Phrase (extremely hopeless at maths - multiple constituent).
- Furthermore, the adverb (extremely), not being a clause element, operates grammatically as part of an Adjective Phrase (modifier of 'hopeless').
- Finally, 'at maths', a prepositional phrase, does not have any separate function on the level of the clause since it is itself part of a clause element, so it only operates in relation to the head word (hopeless) as its complement (sometimes called 'complementation').
- By the by, this prepositional phrase has a Noun Phrase 'maths' as its own complement - the complement of a preposition.
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1 Answers
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Dear friend, the sentence in question basically consists of two parts, namely, Subject (He) and Predicate, also referred to as a long verb phrase (is extremely helpless at maths). The latter, in turn, is further analysable into unitary and multiple constituents; they are as follows: Verb (copula is - unitary consittuent) and Adjective Phrase (extremely hopeless at maths - multiple constitu
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