Objectives and competences
The objective of this course is to get a systematic overview of various aspects of English grammar that they had already dealt with in a non-systematic fashion at secondary-school level, to be able to identify verbal forms in sentences in predicators and outside them and to learn to understand the role of the verb in grammar in general and its relationship toward other elements of grammar.
Content (Syllabus outline)
• Grammatical functions and categories of the English verb.
• Structuring, use and meaning of finite verb forms
• Structuring, use and meaning of non-finite verb forms: infinitive, gerund and participle.
• Relative and absolute tenses: present, past, future and past perfect.
• Passive and active voice.
• Aspect.
• Conditionals: present and past.
• Mood: indicative, imperative, subjunctive.
• Direct and reported speech.
• Modal verbs, modal tenses and their meaning.
• Verb and syntactic patterns.
Learning and teaching methods
• lectures (method of explanation and clarification with final discussion)
• language practice (verifying theoretical issues on practical examples); individual solving of grammatical problems, pair-work, group-work.
Intended learning outcomes - knowledge and understanding
Knowledge and understanding:
On completion of this course the student will be able to
• distinguish between time and tense,
• make use of regular and irregular forms of verb, finite and non-finite forms, active and passive voice, conditional sentences, modal verbs and modal tenses as well as the subjunctive mood,
• paraphrase modal structures with non-modal ones,
• recognize the meaning and use of verb phrases in different sentence structures,
• define the morphological structure of the verb phrase,
• demonstrate understanding of the grammatical categories of the verb,
• know which form can be used in a certain context and why.
Intended learning outcomes - transferable/key skills and other attributes
Transferable/Key Skills and other attributes:
• Creating and transforming complex (verb) structures by means intiution and with the help of learned rules,
• Clarifying the relative relationship between relative and absolute tenses and between finite and non-finite verb forms. Eventually, by learning all this, the students’ English (structures) should become more native-like.
Readings
• Blaganje, D. & Konte, I. 2005: Modern English Grammar, DZS, Ljubljana.
• Brdar, M. & Kučanda, D. & Omazić, M. 2001: Grammatical Functions and Categories, The English Verb, Sveučilište Josipa Jurja Srossmayera, Osijek.
• Leech, G. N. 1987: Meaning and the English Verb, Longman, London.
• Palmer, F.R. 1990: Modality and the English Modals, Longman, second edition, London.
Prerequisits
Attendance of 80 % and participation in the course and the completion of individual homework assignments are prerequisites for taking the written and oral exam
Additional information on implementation and assessment • class attendance (lectures and language practice)
• active class participation (lectures and language practice)
• written exam
