20. Types of syntagmatic groupings of words.

Words in an utterance form various syntagmatic connections with one another. There exist syntagmatic groupings of notional words alone, syntagmatic groupings of notional words with functional words, and syntagmatic groupings of functional words alone.

Different combinations of notional words (notional phrases) have a clearly pronounced self-dependent nominative destination, they denote complex phenomena and their properties in their inter-connections, including dynamic interconnections (semi-predicative combinations). Cf.: a sudden trembling; a soul in pain; hurrying along the stream; etc.

Combinations of a notional word with a functional word are equivalent to separate words by their nominative function. Since a functional word expresses some abstract relation, such combinations, as a rule, are quite obviously non-self-dependent; they are, as it were, stamped as artificially isolated from the context. Cf.: in a low voice; with difficulty; must finish; etc.

These combinations are known as "formative" ones. Their contextual dependence ("synsemantism") is quite natural; functionally they may be compared to separate notional words used in various marked grammatical forms (such as, for instance, indirect cases of nouns). Cf.: Mr. Snow's — of Mr. Snow; him — to him. Expanding the cited formative phrases with the corresponding notional words one can obtain notional phrases of contextually self-dependent value ("autosemantic" on their level of functioning). Cf.: Mr. Snow's considerations — the considerations of Mr. Snow; gave it him — gave it to him.

Among the notional word-classes only the noun has a full nominative force, for it directly names a substance. Similarly, we may assert that among various phrase-types it is the noun-phrase that has a full phrasal nominative force .

As for syntagmatic groupings of functional words, they are essentially analogous to separate functional words and are used as connectors and specifiers of notional elements of various status. Cf.: from out of; up to; so that; such as; must be able; don't let's.

Functional phrases of such and like character constitute limited groups supplementing the corresponding subsets of regular one-item functional words, as different from notional phrases which, as free combinations, form essentially open subsets of various semantic destinations.

21. Phrase.

The term "phrase" was introduced in the second half of the 18th century

to denote a word-combination in English.

It should be noted that there is some confusion that arises between the various meanings given to the term "phrase" by different grammarians.

Further the phrase will be termed as "every combination of two or more words which is a grammatical unit but not an analytical form of some word". Thus different tense forms of the verb are not phrases, e.g. was working, has been working, etc. A phrase is a group of related words which does not contain a subject and predicate.

Different classifications of phrases have been suggested by different linguists.

Phrases may be classified into several types according to their composition with regard to parts of speech, e.g. noun+noun (a silver watch, Tom's book), adjective+ noun (a round. table), verb+ noun (get a job), verb + adverb:( sing well), adverb+ adjective (very old). adverb + adverb (pretty heavily), noun+preposition+ noun (a murmur in the room), adjective + preposition+ noun (grateful to father), verb+ preposition + noun (look at the newcomer), noun + verb (the train stopped), etc.

The question whether the phrase type "noun + verb" exists in English or not has given rise to conflicting statements. One view is that such a phrase type does exist. The other view is that no such phrase type exists as the combination "noun + verb" constitutes a sentence rather than a phrase.