Bill points out rightly that the form/function distinction that we've
discussed with respect to words and their parts of speech also applies
at the level of sentence.  Linguistically, just as we define a part of
speech by its morphosyntactic behavior supplemented by meaning when
needed, we also define the sentence types by their structural
characteristics.  Picking up on Bill's reference to the use of
interrogative structure to express requests, there is a reasonable
argument that this subset of interrogatives actually do form a sentence
type, one that Georgia Green, back in the 60s, aptly called
"whimperative."  What makes these distinct from yes/no questions is that
they must take second person singular subjects, they begin with modals,
and they can include "please" in several different syntactic positions.
And, of course, their function is to request that something be done.
Depending on the relative positions of the speaker and hearer this may
or may not constitute a command.  

 

And just as we can use nouns to modify, we can use statements to query,
to request, and to order.

 

Declarative as question:

 

A:  The kids are supposed to be outside playing.

B:  And it's raining.

 

B can say this with or without rising interpretation and be understood
to be asking if it's raining, not asserting it.

 

Declarative as request:

 

A (on the phone to B):  Are you fixing pancakes for breakfast?

B:  We're out of flour, but the grocery store's on your way over.

 

Declarative as order:

 

Hey, you left the door open!

 

(or is that one exclamatory?)

 

Herb

From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Spruiell, William C
Sent: 2008-02-14 16:51
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Exclamatory sentences

 

I've encountered the same thing. "Exclamatory" usually means a specific
construction, but texts don't distinguish well between the construction
itself and its use (and of course, modern American English-speakers
don't use the exclamatory much anyway). We'd be a lot better off, I
think, if K-12 textbooks simply acknowledge that the form of a sentence
and how we use it don't always match up in the same way - we don't need
to hit students with the fancy terms from pragmatics (locutionary vs.
illocutionary force), but we do need deal with the fact that the two
lists below are separate:

 

                Form                     vs.          Uses

 

                Declarative                         statement

                Interrogative                     question

                Imperative                          command

                                                                Request

                Exclamatory                       express surprise

 

English-speakers usually phrase commands and requests as interrogatives
("Could you pass me the salt") not imperatives, and quite a number of
questions are expressed as declaratives ("I wonder what time it is.").
Warriner's original grammar book can hardly be faulted for not making
the distinction clear (almost no texts did at the time), but it's a
shame that the current publishers (and other textbook authors) don't.

 

Bill Spruiell

Dept. of English

Central Michigan University.

 

From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Scott Woods
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 1:18 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Exclamatory sentences

 

The grammar text I am using with my class (Warriner's 2nd Course)
defines exclamatory sentences as showing strong feeling or excitement
and ending with an exclamation point.  As examples, it gives 

What a sight the sunset is! (This seems to me to be an exclamatory
sentence.)

They're off!  (This seems to me to be an exclamation of a declarative
sentence.)

Sarah won the videotape player! (Ditto.)

 

This definition and example set seems to be both confusing and useless.
I have found similar definitions elsewhere. This definition seems
pervasive in K-12 education.  Isn't an exclamatory sentence defined by
its structure?  Aren't sentences such as 

<How nice you look today!>, <What an ugly puppy that is!>, and <How
seldom you come to visit!> exclamatory sentences?  Isn't their sentence
structure what defines them as exclamatory sentences and not their
purpose, the level of excitement or feeling expressed, or the use of an
exclamation point?  Am I wrong on this?  Can't we make declarative
sentences into exclamations (or questions, for that matter) without
changing their nature as declarative sentences?  Does anyone have any
knowledge about how this turns up on the kinds of standardized tests
students take to test their grammar knowledge? Are there any suggestions
on how to deal with this and similar situations?  (I told my students
that I disagreed with the definition given thenI showed them the
structural differences between sentence types and how to restructure
them to change the type.)

 

Scott Woods

  

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