Funções semânticas e sintáticas

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<p>Semantic and syntactic functions</p><p>Professor Mayra França Floret</p><p>false</p><p>Descrição</p><p>Um estudo das funções semânticas e sintáticas através da</p><p>dinamicidade ou estatividade dos verbos e das funções semânticas dos</p><p>sujeitos.</p><p>Propósito</p><p>O estudo da tipologia das frases, que inclui o verbo e seus elementos, é</p><p>importante para mostrar aos alunos que os verbos podem ter</p><p>características diferentes, que determinam se a frase é +/- dinâmica.</p><p>Além disso, o estudo das funções dos sujeitos reforça a importância da</p><p>relação entre o verbo e os elementos que o complementam.</p><p>Preparação</p><p>Antes de iniciar este estudo, certifique-se de ter em mãos um livro de</p><p>gramática e um dicionário para ajudá-lo a compreender alguns tópicos e</p><p>vocabulário.</p><p>Metas</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 1/45</p><p>Seção 1</p><p>Tipologia de frase</p><p>Identificar diferentes tipos de frases através da (não)dinamicidade do</p><p>verbo.</p><p>Seção 2</p><p>Funções semânticas dos sujeitos</p><p>Analisar as diferentes funções que os sujeitos podem ter de acordo</p><p>com a relação entre verbos e complementos.</p><p>Aquecimento</p><p>Durante sua vida de estudo, você provavelmente aprendeu sobre</p><p>verbos e assuntos. Mas você realmente sabe o que são verbo e</p><p>sujeito? Se você fizer isso, este estudo permitirá que você</p><p>pratique mais sobre esses tópicos. Caso contrário, será uma</p><p>oportunidade de aprender.</p><p>Este estudo está organizado em duas seções. Na primeira seção,</p><p>você aprenderá como identificar um verbo e um sujeito em uma</p><p>frase. A seguir, você verá que as sentenças podem ser divididas</p><p>em diferentes tipos de acordo com a relação entre verbos e</p><p>complementos.</p><p>Na segunda seção, você estudará mais especificamente o</p><p>assunto. Você verá que os assuntos podem ter sete funções</p><p>diferentes. Alguns recursos ajudarão você a entender as</p><p>diferenças entre eles. Durante as atividades você terá a</p><p>oportunidade de praticar todo esse conhecimento teórico em</p><p>textos reais retirados de contextos da vida real.</p><p>sala de reuniões</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 2/45</p><p>Espero que você goste do nosso estudo! Vamos!</p><p>1 - Sentence typology</p><p>By the end of this section, you will be able to identify di�erent types of</p><p>sentences through the (non)dynamicity of the verb.</p><p>Verbos</p><p>Quando estudamos qualquer tema relacionado a sentenças, o primeiro</p><p>passo é reconhecer o que é um verbo. Você consegue reconhecer</p><p>verbos quando lê uma frase? Você tem alguma dúvida relacionada a</p><p>isso?</p><p>Vamos começar com algumas definições gramaticais de verbos.</p><p>Segundo Celce-Murcia e Larsen-Freeman (1999, p.16), verbo é “uma</p><p>palavra que denota uma ação ou estado de ser” . Quando estudamos</p><p>aulas de palavras na escola, aprendemos que os verbos expressam</p><p>ações, eventos, acontecimentos e estados. No entanto, esta definição</p><p>não é prática.</p><p>The first problem is that actions, events, and happenings are different</p><p>from states. The first group includes doings and movements, while</p><p>states are related to things that are the way they are. Therefore, in</p><p>practical terms, this definition does not help students because it is not</p><p>accurate. Another problem is that teachers tend to emphasize that verbs</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 3/45</p><p>are actions. Imagine, however, the following: a student that comes</p><p>across these examples:</p><p>(1) Today, I am sad.</p><p>(2) John loves his dog.</p><p>(3) This food smells so good.</p><p>The verbs in examples (1), (2), and (3) are not related to actions,</p><p>movements, doings, etc. Therefore, if a student learns that verbs are</p><p>words that express something someone does, he/she would not</p><p>recognize the verbs in the sentences.</p><p>Another definition of a verb is that it “is a variable word that expresses</p><p>what is going on, that is, something that is represented in time”</p><p>(CUNHA; CINTRA, 2008, p. 393). It is a variable word because it changes</p><p>according to tense, aspect, number, person, etc. In this regard, we know</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 4/45</p><p>that verbs can change according to the notions that the speaker</p><p>expresses in the sentence. Let’s take example (1) again:</p><p>1. Today, I am sad.</p><p>This example is in the present time, related to the first person (singular)</p><p>– I. If you change these two notions, the verb changes:</p><p>4. Yesterday, I was sad.</p><p>5. Yesterday, they/we/you were sad.</p><p>�. Today, they/we/you are sad.</p><p>Therefore, understanding that the verb is the word that may change,</p><p>especially according to time, helps learners recognize what the verb of</p><p>the sentence is.</p><p>We can compare verbs to nouns, for example. Some nouns change in</p><p>number and gender, but not in time. For example:</p><p>(7) I have a dog.</p><p>(8) Last year, I had a dog. Now he</p><p>is living with my friend.</p><p>When we change time, the noun “dog” does not change. What changes is</p><p>the verb – have/had. We can change the noun to “dogs”. Therefore,</p><p>changes in time do not mean changes in nouns, but in verbs.</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 5/45</p><p>In this regard, if it is not so clear to you how to recognize a verb, try to</p><p>change the time of the sentence. You can write the same sentence in the</p><p>present, past, or future. Then, you will see that the verb is the word that</p><p>changes. You just have to be careful with some exceptions, which are</p><p>verbs that do not change, like “put” and “cut”, or verbs that have the</p><p>same structure in different times (see examples 9 and 10).</p><p>(9) Nowadays, I read magazines.</p><p>(10) Last year, I read 10 books.</p><p>However, in general, time helps you recognize the verb. Let’s go back to</p><p>example (2):</p><p>2. John loves his dog.</p><p>11. John loved his dog. Now he prefers his cat.</p><p>12. This dog is so cute! John will love it!</p><p>In these three sentences, when we change the idea of time – present,</p><p>past, and future – the verb is also modified.</p><p>Now that you know how to recognize a verb, let’s learn more about other</p><p>components of the sentence.</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 6/45</p><p>What is a subject?</p><p>After recognizing a verb, the following step is to find the subject. Again,</p><p>let’s read the grammatical definition for subject: “subject is the entity</p><p>about whom (what) a statement is done” (CUNHA; CINTRA, 2008,</p><p>p.136).</p><p>If a sentence is constructed by two essential elements – subject and</p><p>predicate – we can say that the predicate is what is said about the</p><p>subject. According to the meaning of the verb, a different type of subject</p><p>may be selected. We will see it in more detail in the next section.</p><p>To identify the subject of a sentence, it is necessary to find the verb. If it</p><p>is not clear to you what a verb is, you should reread the previous item. If</p><p>you have no problems identifying verbs, let’s continue.</p><p>Take a look at the following examples and the steps to identify the</p><p>subjects:</p><p>(13) The baby slept.</p><p>1st step: find the verb – slept.</p><p>2nd step: ask the verb – who/what does/performs it?</p><p>Who slept? The baby</p><p>Therefore, the subject is “the baby”.</p><p>(14) Students enjoy Mathematics.</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 7/45</p><p>1st step: find the verb – enjoy</p><p>2nd step: ask the verb – who/what does/performs it?</p><p>Who enjoys? Students.</p><p>Therefore, the subject is “students”.</p><p>(15) Paty and Mary are going to kill the</p><p>man.</p><p>1st step: find the verb – (are going to) kill.</p><p>2nd step: ask the verb – who/what does/performs it?</p><p>Who is going to kill? Paty and Mary.</p><p>Therefore, the subject is “Paty and Mary”.</p><p>A common mistake students make is to consider the subject as the first</p><p>element</p><p>in a sentence. In general, if we deal with an SVO language – a</p><p>language in which the standard order is SUBJECT VERB OBJECT – the</p><p>most frequent position of the subject in a sentence is actually in the</p><p>beginning. However, even in SVO languages, there are other ordering</p><p>possibilities. Let’s take a look at an example (16):</p><p>1�. Actually, students enjoy it.</p><p>In this sentence, the subject is in the middle of the sentence and the verb</p><p>is almost at the end. Therefore, you should not consider the position to</p><p>determine which element is the subject, but the steps to find the subject</p><p>as in examples (13), (14), and (15).</p><p>In sum, we saw that recognizing the verb is essential to identify the</p><p>subject. Many learners have difficulty in recognizing the subject, and that</p><p>is because they are probably having problems distinguishing verbs. If</p><p>you can recognize verbs, it is easier to identify subjects.</p><p>Recommendation</p><p>To conclude this part, I advise you to take notes or highlight the</p><p>examples (13), (14), and (15). They are going to help you with the</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 8/45</p><p>following items and exercises. Remember: the best way to find a subject</p><p>is by “talking” to the verb.</p><p>In the following item, we are going to explore an issue that also</p><p>reinforces the importance of the verb in a sentence.</p><p>Dynamicity and stativity</p><p>According to Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman (1999), simple</p><p>sentences contain, at least, a subject and a verb. The verb is the central</p><p>part of the sentence.</p><p>Morilas (1998) points out that in the verb there are cohesive elements</p><p>that are necessary for the organization and understanding of the</p><p>sentence. In this regard, verbs may establish dynamic or static relations</p><p>with the other elements that are part of the sentence. Sentences are</p><p>then divided into two major types:</p><p></p><p>Dynamic sentences</p><p></p><p>Stative sentences</p><p>In the following sub-section, you are going to learn about dynamic</p><p>sentences.</p><p>Dynamic sentences</p><p>Concerning the relationship between verbs and participants in different</p><p>contexts, verbs that are [+dynamic] construct sentences that are deeper</p><p>divided into three groups: active, processive, and active-processive.</p><p>However, before exploring these three types of dynamic sentences, let’s</p><p>take a look at something Chafe (1970) said about them.</p><p>According to the author, dynamic – or nonstate –</p><p>sentences answer questions like “what happened?” or</p><p>“what is happening?”.</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 9/45</p><p>Therefore, if we come back to the definition of a verb in the first item of</p><p>this study, dynamic sentences would be the ones related to actions,</p><p>movements, doings, events, happenings, etc.</p><p>Active sentences</p><p>Active sentences are composed of action verbs. Consequently, they</p><p>require an agent subject, in other words, a subject that does something.</p><p>Chafe (1970) shows that a way to distinguish this type of sentence from</p><p>processive sentences is that it is a sentence that answers a question like</p><p>“what did the SUBJECT do?”. Let’s see it in more practical terms.</p><p>(17) Peter ran.</p><p>What did Peter (subject) do? He ran.</p><p>(18) The dog barked.</p><p>What did the dog (subject) do? It barked.</p><p>In examples (17) and (18), we see that verbs express something that is</p><p>done, that is why we can ask “what did the SUBJECT do?”. This will</p><p>become clearer when we explore processive sentences shortly.</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 10/45</p><p>Processive sentences</p><p>Processive sentences, as the name suggests, are composed of process</p><p>verbs. According to Chafe (1970), in processes, the subject is said “to</p><p>have changed its state or condition”. Therefore, processes involve</p><p>relations between subjects and states, which means that the subject is</p><p>the patient of the verb. In this case, the sentence is an answer to a</p><p>question like “what happened to the SUBJECT?” (cf. CHAFE, 1970,</p><p>p.100).</p><p>(19) Peter died.</p><p>What happened to Peter (subject)? He died.</p><p>(20) The pencil broke.</p><p>What happened to the pencil (subject)? It broke.</p><p>Examples (19) and (20) show that it is not the subject that does</p><p>something, as in active sentences. Actually, something happens to the</p><p>subject, which means that it receives or suffers the effects of what is</p><p>expressed by the verb.</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 11/45</p><p>Active-processive sentences</p><p>The third type of sentence that is constructed by [+dynamic] verbs is the</p><p>active-processive sentence. This type mixes features of active and</p><p>processive sentences. The verb in these sentences is both an action and</p><p>a process. It simultaneously changes the condition of a noun - the</p><p>patient - and expresses something that the subject - the agent - does.</p><p>In other words, there is an agent that does something</p><p>to (or with) a patient (CHAFE, 1970, p.100).</p><p>To check if a sentence is active-processive, we can ask the previous</p><p>questions: “what did SUBJECT do?” and “what happened to the NOUN?”.</p><p>(21) Mariah broke the pencil.</p><p>What did Mariah (subject) do? She broke the pencil. What</p><p>happened to the pencil (noun)? It broke.</p><p>(22) John killed Peter.</p><p>What did John (subject) do? He killed Peter. What happened to</p><p>Peter (noun)? He died.</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 12/45</p><p>Stative sentences</p><p>Sentences that are constructed by [-dynamic] verbs, or state verbs, do</p><p>not imply actions or events. In this type of sentence, the subject is said</p><p>to be in a state or condition, which is specified by the state verb (CHAFE,</p><p>1970, p.98).</p><p>Stative sentences can answer questions related to the state or condition</p><p>of the subject. Examples (23) and (24) illustrate this type of sentence.</p><p>23. The pencil was broken.</p><p>What was the condition/state of the pencil (subject)? It was</p><p>broken.</p><p>24. Peter is dead.</p><p>What is the condition/state of Peter (subject)? He is dead.</p><p>As you saw in this section, verbs may establish different types of</p><p>relations with their complements, including the subject. Now, let’s</p><p>practice to check if you understood the concepts of verb, subject, and</p><p>dynamicity or stativity of sentences. Then, in section 2, we are going to</p><p>explore the concept of the subject in more detail.</p><p>Demonstration</p><p>Verbs and subjects are part of any text, irrespective of the textual genre.</p><p>That is why learning how to identify verbs and subjects is essential for</p><p>you to understand what you read. In addition, identifying sentence</p><p>typology makes it easier to recognize the relations established between</p><p>verbs and participants. Let’s read the excerpt below:</p><p>Nupur Sharma controversy:</p><p>Prayagraj demolition breaks a</p><p>family's dream</p><p>What is home?</p><p>For Somaiya Fatima, 19, it's a pale</p><p>yellow house, tucked in the winding</p><p>lanes of Prayagraj (formerly</p><p>Allahabad), a city in the northern</p><p>Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, where</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 13/45</p><p>she lived with her four siblings and</p><p>parents. There were memories</p><p>everywhere in the two-storey</p><p>structure, she says: of eating</p><p>lychees and pottering about with her</p><p>sisters on the sun-soaked balcony;</p><p>stealing books from her father's</p><p>library; and then locking herself into</p><p>the bathroom to cry when she was</p><p>scolded for it.</p><p>(Retrieved from BBC News website. Accessed 11</p><p>July 2022.)</p><p>It is interesting to observe that verbs can be used in several contexts,</p><p>including some contexts that are different from what we expect. That is</p><p>what happens with the verb “break” in the title of the text. In this</p><p>sentence, the subject does not break an object or something that can be</p><p>broken. Actually,</p><p>what is broken is a dream, something that is not</p><p>concrete, but an abstract idea.</p><p>Moreover, the verbs in the second paragraph describe memories mainly</p><p>related to actions that the speaker used to do. Therefore, she uses verbs</p><p>of action, which construct dynamic sentences.</p><p>Sentence typology</p><p>In this video, you will learn how to identify the different types of</p><p>sentences!</p><p>Hands on</p><p></p><p></p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 14/45</p><p>Question 1</p><p>Read the sentence below:</p><p>“South Carolina ousts Republican who voted to impeach</p><p>Trump”(Retrieved from TOM Rice: South Carolina ousts Republican</p><p>who voted to impeach Trump. BBC News. Accessed 11 July 2022)</p><p>Which option below is a verb of the sentence?</p><p>Parabéns! A alternativa B está correta.</p><p>The option that expresses the notion of time, in this case, present</p><p>time, is option B. If you add any expression related to a different</p><p>time – for example “yesterday”, to express past time – you will see</p><p>that the word changes to “ousted”.</p><p>Question 2</p><p>Read the sentence below:</p><p>“Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are on their 'last chance' with</p><p>Royal Family”</p><p>(Retrieved from POCHIN, C. Harry and Meghan on 'last chance' with</p><p>Royal Family and could be 'cut off', says expert. Accessed 11 July</p><p>2022)</p><p>Which option below is the subject of the sentence?</p><p>A South Carolina</p><p>B ousts</p><p>C Republican</p><p>D who</p><p>E to</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 15/45</p><p>Parabéns! A alternativa C está correta.</p><p>The verb in this sentence is “are”. If you “ask” the verb: “who is on</p><p>last chance?”, the verb shows you that it is Prince Harry and Meghan</p><p>Markle. Another tip to discover the subject in this sentence is that</p><p>the verb is in the plural, so the only option would be the letter (C).</p><p>Question 3</p><p>Read the excerpt below:</p><p>“If I was a sculptor, but then again, no</p><p>Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show”</p><p>(Retrieved from Your song by Elton John, 1967)</p><p>Concerning the different types of sentences, the ones highlighted</p><p>above are respectively:</p><p>A Prince Harry</p><p>B Meghan Markle</p><p>C Prince Harry and Meghan Markle</p><p>D are</p><p>E Royal Family</p><p>A stative and stative.</p><p>B active and stative.</p><p>C processive and stative.</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 16/45</p><p>Parabéns! A alternativa D está correta.</p><p>The first sentence “If I was a sculptor” is constructed by a</p><p>nondynamic verb, a state verb – verb to be. It indicates a possible</p><p>state or condition of the speaker. On the other hand, the verb in the</p><p>second sentence – to make – indicates an action made by the</p><p>subject. In other words, someone does something, in this case, a</p><p>man makes potions.</p><p>Question 4</p><p>Read the sentence below:</p><p>“The ground under Bryony Nierop-Reading's bungalow fell into the</p><p>sea in 2013”</p><p>(Retrieved from FISHER, J. Climate change: Rising sea levels</p><p>threaten 200,000 England properties. BBC News. Accessed 11 July</p><p>2022)</p><p>Concerning the different types of sentences, this sentence is:</p><p>D stative and active.</p><p>E stative and active-processive.</p><p>A Processive</p><p>B Stative</p><p>C Active</p><p>D Active-processive</p><p>E Nondynamic</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 17/45</p><p>Parabéns! A alternativa A está correta.</p><p>The subject “The ground under Bryony Nierop-Reading's bungalow”</p><p>changes its state or condition – it was in the right place and then</p><p>fell, which means that it was destroyed. The subject in this case</p><p>does not do anything but suffers the effect of what is expressed by</p><p>the verb. If you ask “what happened to SUBJECT?”, the answer is “it</p><p>fell into the sea”. Therefore, the right answer is letter (A).</p><p>Question 5</p><p>Read the excerpt below:</p><p>“In the UK, 42% of parents said they've smacked their child over the</p><p>course of the previous year.”</p><p>(Retrieved from RUGERI, A. From the impact of giving a child a time</p><p>out, to the latest research on punishment-free parenting, Amanda</p><p>Ruggeri investigates the fascinating science of discipline. BBC</p><p>News. Accessed 11 July 2022)</p><p>Concerning the relations between verbs and participants, the</p><p>previous sentence is a(n):</p><p>Parabéns! A alternativa D está correta.</p><p>This sentence mixes features of active and processive sentences.</p><p>There is a subject that does something – they have smacked – and</p><p>A Nondynamic sentence.</p><p>B Active sentence.</p><p>C Processive sentence.</p><p>D Active-processive sentence.</p><p>E Stative sentence.</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 18/45</p><p>something or someone who suffers this action – their child.</p><p>Therefore, it is an active-processive sentence, letter (D).</p><p>Question 6</p><p>Choose the option below that shows a stative sentence (BBC NEWS,</p><p>2022):</p><p>Parabéns! A alternativa E está correta.</p><p>In stative sentences, where the verb is nondynamic, the subject is</p><p>said to be in a state or condition. A way to discover if a sentence is</p><p>stative is to ask “what is the state or condition of the subject?”. In</p><p>letter (E), the answer is that the subject – his daughter Arul – is “a</p><p>healthy, fit 11-year-old and an ardent vegan advocate herself”.</p><p>A</p><p>The couple decided to raise their child as a vegan,</p><p>too.</p><p>B</p><p>Vegan influencers tout the benefits of age-old</p><p>ingredients such as lentils, chickpeas and mung</p><p>beans.</p><p>C</p><p>A growing child needs specific nutrients for each</p><p>developmental stage.</p><p>D</p><p>Italian media reported that the one-year-old weighed</p><p>as much as a three-month-old.</p><p>E</p><p>Today his daughter Arul is a healthy, fit 11-year-old</p><p>and an ardent vegan advocate herself.</p><p>_black</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 19/45</p><p>Theory in practice</p><p>As you already know, verbs and subjects are present when we speak</p><p>and read. Verbs are the central elements of sentences, and subjects</p><p>are always required, especially when we talk about sentences in</p><p>English.</p><p>However, depending on the textual genre, a specific type of verb may</p><p>be more frequent than others. The genre recipe is an example of a</p><p>genre that requires more frequently a specific type of sentence,</p><p>although it is possible to find any of the four types: active, processive,</p><p>active-processive, or stative.</p><p>Read the instructions for a chocolate cake recipe below:</p><p>Instructions</p><p>Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).</p><p>Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.</p><p>Step 2: Make a cake: Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking</p><p>soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil, and</p><p>vanilla; mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Stir in boiling</p><p>water by hand. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.</p><p>Step 3: Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted</p><p>into the centers comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 10</p><p>minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.</p><p>Step 4: While cakes cool, make frosting: Cream butter with an</p><p>electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in confectioners' sugar</p><p>and cocoa alternately with milk and vanilla. Beat to a smooth</p><p>spreading consistency.</p><p>Step 5: Split the layers of the cooled cake horizontally, cover the</p><p>top of each layer with frosting, then stack them onto a serving</p><p>plate.</p><p>Step 6: Frost the outside of the cake with the remaining</p><p>frosting.</p><p>(Retrieved from All Recipes website. Accessed 15 June 2022)</p><p>According to what you read and what you already know about the</p><p>genre recipe, what type of sentence is more frequent in this genre?</p><p>Why do you think it happens?</p><p>Working it out</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 20/45</p><p>You are very close to reaching your goals.</p><p>Let’s practice!</p><p>Question 1</p><p>Read the following facts about</p><p>Malala Yousafzai’s life to answer</p><p>questions 1 and 2 below:</p><p>1. Using the pseudonym Gul Makai, Malala Yousafzai was only</p><p>11 when she started blogging about what life was like under</p><p>the Taliban for the BBC.</p><p>2. On October 9, 2012, Malala boarded a bus to advocate for</p><p>Pakistani girls' education when the Taliban shot her in the</p><p>head and neck. She was 15. She was not expected to survive</p><p>her injuries.</p><p>3. It was almost two years to the day when Malala was shot that</p><p>she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She was 17 and the</p><p>youngest recipient to receive it. She shared the distinguished</p><p>award with Kailash Satyarthi, another children's rights activist.</p><p>4. Malala had plans to be a doctor but has now taken an interest</p><p>in politics.</p><p>5. Because of the violent assassination attempt on Malala,</p><p>Pakistan announced the creation of the very first Right to</p><p>Education Bill.</p><p>�. To date, Malala has received over 40 awards and honors for</p><p>her bravery and activism, including an honorary doctorate from</p><p>the University of King's College in 2014 and a Grammy Award</p><p>for Best Children's Album (for the audiobook I Am Malala: How</p><p>One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World) in</p><p>2015</p><p>(Retrieved from 9 FACTS you may not know about Malala Yousafzai.</p><p>Biography [biography.com] Accessed 15 June 2022)</p><p>An example of an active-processive sentence in the text is:</p><p>A “Malala Yousafzai was only 11”</p><p>B “Taliban shot her in the head and neck”</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 21/45</p><p>Parabéns! A alternativa B está correta.</p><p>Active-processive sentences involve an agent subject that does</p><p>something, acting, and something or someone who suffers this</p><p>action. If you ask: “What did Taliban (subject) do?”, you will get the</p><p>answer: “it shot her”. If you ask: “what happened to her/Malala?” the</p><p>answer is: “she has been shot”. In this type of sentence, someone</p><p>does something, while someone/something suffers the effects of</p><p>the action expressed by the verb. Therefore, the right answer is (B).</p><p>Question 2</p><p>The subject of a sentence may be an agent. A subject is an agent</p><p>when it does something, when it controls the action. Choose the</p><p>option in which the subject is an agent:</p><p>C “Malala had plans”</p><p>D</p><p>“Pakistan announced the creation of the very first</p><p>Right to Education Bill”</p><p>E</p><p>“including an honorary doctorate from the University</p><p>of King's College in 2014”</p><p>A</p><p>“She started blogging about what life was like under</p><p>the Taliban for the BBC”</p><p>B “She was 15”</p><p>C “Malala was shot”</p><p>D “She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.”</p><p>E “Malala has received over 40 awards and honors”</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 22/45</p><p>Parabéns! A alternativa A está correta.</p><p>All the sentences in question 2 have the same reference for the</p><p>subject: Malala. In all the sentences, the subject is Malala or she,</p><p>which refers to Malala. The only option in which Malala does</p><p>something is in letter (A) – she started blogging. In the other</p><p>options, she is not doing anything or controlling any action. She is in</p><p>the position of receiving or suffering effects – (C), (D), and (E).</p><p>Letter (B) shows a stative sentence where a piece of information is</p><p>attributed to the subject – her age. Therefore, the right option is the</p><p>letter (A).</p><p>2 - Semantic functions of subjects</p><p>By the end of this section, you will be able to analyze di�erent functions</p><p>that subjects may have according to the relationship between verbs and</p><p>complements.</p><p>Semantic features</p><p>In the previous section, you learned how to identify verbs and subjects,</p><p>and also to recognize the different types of sentences according to the</p><p>features of dynamicity and stativity in the relationship between verbs</p><p>and their complements.</p><p>Now, in section 2, you are going to see that the subject of a sentence</p><p>may function in different ways according to the verb of the sentence.</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 23/45</p><p>Before exploring these functions, let’s learn about some semantic</p><p>features that define each of these functions.</p><p>This feature is related to intentionality, purpose, when you do</p><p>something with the intention of doing it.</p><p>(25) Peter kissed Mary.</p><p>In example (25), the kiss was not an accident. Peter had the</p><p>intention to kiss Mary, which means that this subject has the</p><p>feature [+volition].</p><p>If any participant presents this feature, it means that this</p><p>participant is the cause of something that happens, with or</p><p>without its effort for the action to happen.</p><p>(26) The rain postponed the party.</p><p>In (26), the subject “the rain” causes the action of postponing the</p><p>party, even without its effort or volition.</p><p>When the participant presents the feature [+animacy], it means</p><p>that it has life, in other words, that it is a living being.</p><p>(27) My dog sleeps in my bedroom.</p><p>In the example above, the subject “my dog” is an animal, which</p><p>means that it is an animate being.</p><p>When this feature is present, it means that the participant has the</p><p>power of choosing if he/she wants to start – or not - the verbal</p><p>action.</p><p>Volition </p><p>Cause </p><p>Animacy </p><p>Manipulation </p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 24/45</p><p>(28) Bob bought a book.</p><p>In (28), Bob decided to buy the book, but he could have chosen</p><p>not to buy the book. In this case, the subject has the choice to do</p><p>or not to do something.</p><p>It is related to the doing of something. In other words, it refers to</p><p>a participant that practices, that does an action.</p><p>(29) Suzan walks in the forest.</p><p>Example (29) presents a subject – Suzan – that does the action</p><p>of walking, which means that this subject is [+activity].</p><p>It means that the participant does not do anything but suffers or</p><p>receives the effects of an action.</p><p>(30) Mary was kissed by Peter.</p><p>The subject Mary in example (30) receives a kiss from Peter,</p><p>which means that she could even refuse this kiss. Therefore, this</p><p>type of participant has the feature of [+passiveness].</p><p>In the following sub-section, you will learn that subjects are not all equal.</p><p>They can perform different functions according to the context of the</p><p>sentence. The verb determines its complements, but also the contexts</p><p>make you choose a specific type of subject. The features you have just</p><p>learned will help you understand the roles of the subject in the sentence</p><p>as well.</p><p>Roles played by subjects</p><p>The semantic nature of the subject is related to the verb concerning its</p><p>dynamic or non-dynamic feature. As the head of a sentence, the verb</p><p>determines the elements that are part of the sentence (MORILAS, 1998).</p><p>Activity </p><p>Passiveness </p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 25/45</p><p>According to Morilas (1998), the subject plays a central role in</p><p>determining if the verb is +/- dynamic. Moreover, each type of verb</p><p>(action, process, action-process, or state) can occur with a different</p><p>semantic type of subject, but also two types of verbs can occur with the</p><p>same type of subject (MORILAS, 1998, p.60).</p><p>There are seven semantic functions that the subject may perform: agent,</p><p>patient, experiencer, instrumental, causative, objective, and locative.</p><p>Let’s discuss them in more detail!</p><p>Agent</p><p>The agent is the subject that causes and controls the verbal action. This</p><p>semantic function is associated with verbs that express actions or</p><p>action processes (see above). This type of verb presents features like</p><p>[+cause], [+volition], [+animacy], [+activity], [+control] and [-passiveness]</p><p>(MORILAS, 1998; CUMPRI; BIASIOLI, 2010).</p><p>(31) John ate a delicious</p><p>hamburger.</p><p>(32) In the morning she irons the</p><p>clothes.</p><p>The subjects in bold are participants that cause and control the actions</p><p>of eating and ironing. They do something. It will become clearer when we</p><p>compare them to patient subjects, right below.</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 26/45</p><p>Patient</p><p>When the subject has the function of a patient, it receives or suffers an</p><p>action, experiences something, or is in a specific state or condition</p><p>(CHAFE, 1970). It is the subject of a process or state verb. Its features</p><p>are [-cause], [-volition], [-manipulation], [-activity] and [+passiveness]</p><p>(MORILAS, 1998).</p><p>(33) The hamburger was eaten.</p><p>(34) The clothes are ironed.</p><p>Examples (33) and (34) are similar to the examples before. However, in</p><p>these cases, the subject is not the one who does something, but</p><p>someone does the action on the subject. In other words, it is not the</p><p>hamburger or the clothes that do the actions of eating and ironing, but</p><p>someone eats or irons them. Therefore, they suffer the effects of the</p><p>actions expressed by the verbs.</p><p>Experiencer</p><p>As the name suggests, an experiencer is someone that experiments a</p><p>psychological or physical process. This subject also suffers the effects</p><p>of an event. It may be the subject of process or state verbs. The features</p><p>of this semantic type are [-volition], [-manipulation], [+animacy] and</p><p>[+passiveness] (MORILAS, 1998; CUMPRI; BIASIOLI, 2010).</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 27/45</p><p>(35) The man died.</p><p>(36) I fear spiders.</p><p>Although the subjects are not acting, they experiment the effects of</p><p>dying or fearing. That is why they are called experiencers.</p><p>Instrumental</p><p>There is an instrumental subject when the process expressed by the verb</p><p>occurs through material means. In this case, it is mediated by an agent.</p><p>When this agent is erased from the sentence, it is the instrument that</p><p>plays the role of a subject. It can be the subject of an action-process</p><p>verb. Its features are [-volition], [-animacy], [-manipulation], and [-activity]</p><p>(MORILAS, 1998; CUMPRI; BIASIOLI, 2010).</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 28/45</p><p>(37) The pen signed the</p><p>document.</p><p>(38) Alcohol cleans hands.</p><p>The subjects “the pen” and “alcohol” are materials that someone uses to</p><p>sign documents or clean hands. Therefore, we can infer the existence of</p><p>an agent that is not written in the sentence.</p><p>Causative</p><p>Also related to action-process verbs, this type of subject is the causer of</p><p>an action or process. It is similar to the instrumental subject but, in this</p><p>case, it is not necessary to have an agent to manipulate the action. This</p><p>subject causes the action or process in the verb to happen. In general, it</p><p>is related to weather phenomena (MORILAS, 1998; CUMPRI; BIASIOLI,</p><p>2010). Its main features are [+cause] and [-animacy].</p><p>(39) The sun boiled the water.</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 29/45</p><p>(40) The noise annoyed the</p><p>child.</p><p>The subjects in examples (39) and (40) cause the actions of boiling and</p><p>annoying, but do not necessarily involve an inferred agent.</p><p>Objective</p><p>It is an object or a reference about what a statement is made. It is</p><p>something neutral and not affected by the verb. It only occurs with state</p><p>verbs (MORILAS, 1998; CUMPRI; BIASIOLI, 2010).</p><p>(41) The �avor of this cake is</p><p>chocolate.</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 30/45</p><p>(42) This hypothesis reconciles</p><p>science and religion.</p><p>Locative</p><p>When the subject is locative, it also occurs with state verbs. It is a place</p><p>that is the reference for a stative sentence (MORILAS, 1998; CUMPRI;</p><p>BIASIOLI, 2010).</p><p>(43) Rio de Janeiro houses 7</p><p>million people.</p><p>(44) Brazil is a big country.</p><p>Demonstration</p><p>As you saw before, in every sentence, there is a subject (there are some</p><p>exceptions). Consequently, learning about the roles played by this</p><p>participant is fundamental to understand the relations in the sentences.</p><p>Let’s read the following text:</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 31/45</p><p>Afghan earthquake: At least 1,000</p><p>people killed and 1,500 injured</p><p>A powerful earthquake has killed at</p><p>least 1,000 people and injured 1,500</p><p>in eastern Afghanistan, an official of</p><p>the ruling Taliban told the BBC.</p><p>The Taliban appealed for</p><p>international help for the rescue</p><p>effort as pictures showed landslides</p><p>and ruined mud-built homes in the</p><p>province of Paktika.</p><p>The quake struck shortly after 01:30</p><p>(21:00 GMT Tuesday) as people</p><p>slept.</p><p>Hundreds of houses were destroyed</p><p>by the magnitude 6.1 event, which</p><p>occurred at a depth of 51km (32</p><p>miles).</p><p>It is the deadliest earthquake to</p><p>strike Afghanistan in two decades</p><p>and a major challenge for the</p><p>Taliban, the Islamist movement</p><p>which regained power last year after</p><p>the Western-backed government</p><p>collapsed.</p><p>The earthquake struck about 44km</p><p>from the city of Khost and tremors</p><p>were felt as far away as Pakistan</p><p>and India. Witnesses reported</p><p>feeling the quake in both</p><p>Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, and</p><p>Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.</p><p>Taliban officials asked the UN to</p><p>"support them in terms of assessing</p><p>the needs and responding to those</p><p>affected", Sam Mort from Unicef's</p><p>Kabul unit told the BBC.</p><p>The UK's special representative to</p><p>Afghanistan, Nigel Casey, said the</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 32/45</p><p>UK was in touch with the UN and</p><p>was "ready to contribute to the</p><p>international response".</p><p>Earthquakes tend to cause</p><p>significant damage in Afghanistan,</p><p>where dwellings in many rural areas</p><p>are unstable or poorly built.</p><p>Speaking to Reuters news agency,</p><p>locals described horrific scenes of</p><p>death and destruction in the</p><p>aftermath of the late-night</p><p>earthquake.</p><p>(Retrieved from: SANDS, L.; CURSINO, M. Afghan</p><p>earthquake: At least 1,000 people killed and 1,500</p><p>injured. BBC News. Accessed 11 July 2022)</p><p>As you can see in the excerpt above, in a simple short text we find</p><p>different types of subjects. They can be people, natural phenomena,</p><p>objects, things, groups, etc. It makes clear that the nature of the subject</p><p>may be diverse. It is not the word itself that determines which role is</p><p>played by the subject. Actually, it is the semantic relation between verb</p><p>and subject that determines if it is an agent, a patient, an experiencer, an</p><p>instrumental, a causative, an objective, or a locative subject. You must</p><p>observe the meaning of the relationship between the participants of the</p><p>sentence.</p><p>Roles subjects play</p><p>How many roles can a subject play? And what are they? Watch this video</p><p>to find out!</p><p></p><p></p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 33/45</p><p>Hands on</p><p>Question 1</p><p>Read the excerpt below (BBC NEWS, 2022):</p><p>“In 2020, an estimated 30.8 million adults in the United States</p><p>smoked cigarettes.”</p><p>The subject in this sentence is:</p><p>Parabéns! A alternativa E está correta.</p><p>The first step to find a subject is to find the verb of the sentence. In</p><p>this case, the verb is “smoked”. If you ask the verb “who smoked?”,</p><p>the answer is “an estimated 30.8 million adults in the United States”.</p><p>Then, the right option is the letter (E).</p><p>Question 2</p><p>Read the excerpt below, which is part of the same text of question 1:</p><p>“But the measure is likely to face opposition by the tobacco</p><p>industry.”</p><p>What is the role played by the subject “the measure”?</p><p>A 2020</p><p>B cigarettes</p><p>C the United States</p><p>D 30.8 million adults</p><p>E an estimated 30.8 million adults in the United States</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio#</p><p>34/45</p><p>Parabéns! A alternativa D está correta.</p><p>The subject “the measure” is a reference to what the author makes a</p><p>statement. It is neutral and the sentence is constructed by a state</p><p>verb. Therefore, the most appropriate option, in this case, is an</p><p>objective subject, which is the letter (D).</p><p>Question 3</p><p>Read the sentence bellow (BBC NEWS, 2022):</p><p>“They have been ordered to cover their faces in public.”</p><p>What is the role played by the subject “they”?</p><p>A Agent</p><p>B Patient</p><p>C Experiencer</p><p>D Objective</p><p>E Locative</p><p>A Agent</p><p>B Patient</p><p>C Experiencer</p><p>D Objective</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 35/45</p><p>Parabéns! A alternativa B está correta.</p><p>The subject “they” in this sentence receives an order, therefore, it</p><p>receives or suffers the effects of an action done by another agent. In</p><p>this case, the subject is in the position of a patient, that is why the</p><p>right answer is the letter (B).</p><p>Question 4</p><p>Read the excerpt below:</p><p>“United States, officially United States of America, abbreviated U.S.</p><p>or U.S.A., byname America, country in North America, a federal</p><p>republic of 50 states. Besides the 48 conterminous states that</p><p>occupy the middle latitudes of the continent, the United States</p><p>includes the state of Alaska, at the northwestern extreme of North</p><p>America, and the island state of Hawaii, in the mid-Pacific Ocean.</p><p>The conterminous states are bounded on the north by Canada, on</p><p>the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Gulf of Mexico</p><p>and Mexico, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. The United</p><p>States is the fourth largest country in the world in area (after Russia,</p><p>Canada, and China).</p><p>(Retrieved from: ROBINSON, E. E. et al. United States. Encyclopedia</p><p>Britannica. Acessed 25 July 2022)</p><p>The subjects in bold in the excerpt above are all related to the same</p><p>reference. Concerning this reference, they are _____________</p><p>subjects.</p><p>The option that fills in the blank above is:</p><p>E Locative</p><p>A agent</p><p>B patient</p><p>C experiencer</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 36/45</p><p>Parabéns! A alternativa E está correta.</p><p>The subjects in bold from the excerpt are related to The United</p><p>States of America. As you know, it is a country, therefore, a place.</p><p>When subjects are places in stative sentences, we call them locative</p><p>subjects. Then, the right option is the letter (E).</p><p>Question 5</p><p>Read the excerpt below:</p><p>Robots: friend or foe?</p><p>What is the future of artificial intelligence (AI)? Will it be possible for</p><p>robots to be autonomous? If so, when will that happen and will it be</p><p>a good thing? We asked four experts what they think. A: I would say</p><p>that we are quite a long way off developing the computing power or</p><p>the algorithms for fully autonomous AI, though I do think it will</p><p>happen within the next thirty or forty years. We will probably remain</p><p>in control of technology and it will help us solve many of the world’s</p><p>problems. However, no one knows what will happen if machines</p><p>become more intelligent than humans. They may help us, ignore us</p><p>or destroy us. I tend to believe AI will have a positive influence on</p><p>our future lives, but whether that is true will be partly up to us.</p><p>Retrieved from: ROBOTS: friend or foe? British Council. Accessed 11</p><p>July 2022.</p><p>In the text above, the verbs in bold require ______________ subjects.</p><p>The option that fills in the blank above is:</p><p>D objective</p><p>E locative</p><p>A agent</p><p>B patient</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 37/45</p><p>Parabéns! A alternativa C está correta.</p><p>Verbs like “think”, “know” and “believe” are related to psychological</p><p>processes experienced by the subject. They are not actions, they do</p><p>not involve movements or doings, but they are related to</p><p>experiences that we humans have. Therefore, we call this type of</p><p>subject experiencer, option (C).</p><p>Question 6</p><p>Read the following excerpt:</p><p>What do you know about spiders?</p><p>Spiders can be found on every continent of the planet except</p><p>Antarctica. They are both hunters and hunted. They capture their</p><p>prey in a variety of ways, either by spinning a web and waiting for</p><p>their unsuspecting prey to fall into the trap, or jumping out of a</p><p>hiding place onto a passing meal. Except for the plant-eating</p><p>Bagheera kiplingi, these eight-legged invertebrates are serial</p><p>carnivores: most love to snack on insects while others are tempted</p><p>by lizards, birds, frogs, fish and the occasional snake. There are</p><p>spiders that eat other spiders, and some female widow spiders eat</p><p>their mates, even while they are mating. In turn, spiders are preyed</p><p>on by lizards, birds, snakes and scorpions as well as some insects</p><p>such as the mantis and a type of wasp that buries the arachnid</p><p>alive! Spiders are also eaten by humans; they are a delicacy in some</p><p>cultures of the South Pacific and a popular street food in South East</p><p>Asia.</p><p>Spider venom is present in most species and serves the purpose of</p><p>stunning or killing their prey rather than attacking humans. In fact,</p><p>only 25 of the known spider species produce venom which can</p><p>actually harm humans, and although spider bites can be painful,</p><p>they are rarely deadly. Australia’s notorious Sydney funnel-web</p><p>spider has not produced any fatalities since anti-venom was</p><p>C experiencer</p><p>D objective</p><p>E locative</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 38/45</p><p>developed in 1981. However, take care not to rub hairy spiders like</p><p>tarantulas up the wrong way. When they feel in danger, they defend</p><p>themselves by ejecting a cloud of urticating hairs. These irritating</p><p>hairs then embed themselves in the skin or eyes of the attacker.</p><p>Retrieved from: WHAT do you know about spiders? British Council.</p><p>Accessed 11 July 2022.</p><p>Choose the option that illustrates a sentence with an agent subject.</p><p>Parabéns! A alternativa B está correta.</p><p>An agent subject is a subject that causes and controls the verbal</p><p>action. It involves the intention of doing something, movements,</p><p>doings, etc. The option that illustrates it is (B) with the verb</p><p>“capture”. Capturing is an action that requires an agent. On the other</p><p>hand, the other options do not include these notions. Therefore, the</p><p>right option is (B).</p><p>Theory in practice</p><p>A “When they feel in danger.”</p><p>B “They capture their prey in a variety of ways.”</p><p>C</p><p>“These eight-legged invertebrates are serial</p><p>carnivores.”</p><p>D</p><p>“Although spider bites can be painful, they are rarely</p><p>deadly.”</p><p>E</p><p>“Spiders are preyed on by lizards, birds, snakes and</p><p>scorpions as well as some insects.”</p><p>_black</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 39/45</p><p>As we saw in the study above, subjects are part of any sentence in</p><p>English. The texts we read are constructed by sentences, which are</p><p>constructed by the relation between verbs and their complements.</p><p>One of these complements is the subject, which can play different</p><p>roles. Some textual genres require more frequently specific types of</p><p>subjects concerning their features. Let’s read the following text. It is</p><p>an excerpt of a cell phone user guide.</p><p>Using the Hard Reset (Factory Reset)</p><p>If your phone does not restore to its original condition, use a Hard</p><p>Reset (Factory Reset) to initialize it.</p><p>1. Turn the power off.</p><p>2. Press and hold the Power/Lock Key + Volume Down Key on the</p><p>back of the phone.</p><p>3. Release the Power/Lock Key only when the boot logo is</p><p>displayed, then immediately press and hold the Power/Lock Key</p><p>again.4 Release all Keys when the Factory hard reset screen is</p><p>displayed.</p><p>4. Press the Volume Keys to select Yes, and then press the</p><p>Power/Lock Key to perform a Hard Reset.</p><p>5. Press the Volume Keys to highlight Yes once more, then press</p><p>the Power/Lock</p><p>Key to confirm.</p><p>Retrieved from LG User Guide LG G4. Accessed 11 July 2022.</p><p>As you can see, this excerpt shows instructions to use the hard reset</p><p>function of the cell phone. When we read instructions, it seems that</p><p>the writer is talking to us. Therefore, we are the subjects of the</p><p>instructions. For example, instructions 1 and 2 could be rewritten like:</p><p>“1 (YOU) Turn the power off. / 2 (YOU) Press and hold the</p><p>Power/Lock Key + Volume Down Key on the back of the phone.”.</p><p>Concerning the verbs used in the excerpt above, and in instructions</p><p>in general, what is the most frequent type of subject? Why do you</p><p>think it happens in this textual genre?</p><p>You are very close to reaching your goals.</p><p>Let’s practice!</p><p>Working it out</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 40/45</p><p>Question 1</p><p>Read the following excerpt to answer questions 1 and 2:</p><p>It weighed about 10,000 tons, entered the atmosphere at a speed of</p><p>64,000km/h and exploded over a city with a blast of 500 kilotons.</p><p>But on 15 February 2013, we were lucky. The meteorite that</p><p>showered pieces of rock over Chelyabinsk, Russia, was relatively</p><p>small, at only about 17 metres wide. Although many people were</p><p>injured by falling glass, the damage was nothing compared to what</p><p>had happened in Siberia nearly one hundred years ago. Another</p><p>relatively small object (approximately 50 metres in diameter)</p><p>exploded in mid-air over a forest region, flattening about 80 million</p><p>trees. If it had exploded over a city such as Moscow or London,</p><p>millions of people would have been killed.</p><p>By a strange coincidence, the same day that the meteorite terrified</p><p>the people of Chelyabinsk, another 50m-wide asteroid passed</p><p>relatively close to Earth. Scientists were expecting that visit and</p><p>know that the asteroid will return to fly close by us in 2046, but the</p><p>Russian meteorite earlier in the day had been too small for anyone</p><p>to spot.</p><p>(Retrieved from THE END of life in Earth? British Council. Accessed</p><p>28 June 2022)</p><p>Choose the sentence in which the subject has the feature [+cause]:</p><p>A “But on 15 February 2013, we were lucky.”</p><p>B</p><p>“The meteorite that showered pieces of rock over</p><p>Chelyabinsk, Russia, was relatively small.”</p><p>C</p><p>“Although many people were injured by falling</p><p>glass.”</p><p>D “Millions of people would have been killed.”</p><p>E</p><p>“The same day that the meteorite terrified the people</p><p>of Chelyabinsk.”</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 41/45</p><p>Parabéns! A alternativa E está correta.</p><p>When the subject presents the feature [+cause], it means that it</p><p>causes something to happen, even without any personal effort or</p><p>volition to cause the situation. The only option that presents a</p><p>[+cause] subject is the letter (E), where the subject “the meteorite” is</p><p>the cause that made people terrified.</p><p>Question 2</p><p>Read the following sentence:</p><p>“Scientists were expecting that visit and know that the asteroid will</p><p>return to fly close by us in 2046.”</p><p>In this sentence, “scientists” is the subject of the verbs “were</p><p>expecting” and “know”. The role played by this subject is:</p><p>Parabéns! A alternativa C está correta.</p><p>The subject in this sentence experiences the psychological process</p><p>of expecting and knowing. It presents the features [-volition], [-</p><p>manipulation], [+animacy] and [+passiveness]. Therefore, the right</p><p>option is the letter (C).</p><p>A Agent</p><p>B Patient</p><p>C Experiencer</p><p>D Instrumental</p><p>E Locative</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 42/45</p><p>Final issues</p><p>We are at the end of our study. As you have learned, the relationship</p><p>between verbs and subjects is very important. Every sentence has a verb</p><p>and a subject, but these verbs and subjects are not all equal. They have</p><p>particularities that change the interpretation of sentences.</p><p>In the first moment, in section 1, you learned how to identify the verb and</p><p>the subject of a sentence. Then, you saw that these verbs in relation to</p><p>their complements may construct different sentences, dynamic or</p><p>stative. The dynamic sentences are deeper divided into three groups:</p><p>active, processive, and active-processive.</p><p>In section 2, some features were presented, which helped you identify</p><p>the different functions that verbs can have. Finally, you learned the seven</p><p>functions or roles played by the subject: agent, patient, experiencer,</p><p>instrumental, causative, objective, and locative.</p><p>During the exercises in sections 1 and 2, you saw that this knowledge is</p><p>not out of context. Verbs, subjects, types of sentences, and subjects are</p><p>present in the texts we read. In some textual genres, specific types of</p><p>subject and verbs are more frequent because of the features of each</p><p>genre. Therefore, this knowledge helps you in your reading</p><p>comprehension.</p><p>Podcast</p><p>Let’s recap!</p><p></p><p>Go Further</p><p>The texts you read during this study can be easily found online. If you</p><p>want to practice reading, just pay a visit to the websites below and enjoy</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 43/45</p><p>your readings.</p><p>British Council (britishcouncil.org)</p><p>BBC News (bbc.com)</p><p>If you are interested in learning more about semantic and syntactic</p><p>functions, give the Grammar of Spoken and Written English a read. It is a</p><p>comprehensive corpus-based reference grammar. As well as describing</p><p>the structural characteristics of grammatical constructions in English, it</p><p>also describes the patterns of language use.</p><p>References</p><p>CELCE-MÚRCIA, M.; LARSEN-FREEMAN, D. O livro de gramática : e o</p><p>curso para professores de ESL/EFL. Boston: Heinle e Heinle, 1999.</p><p>CHAFE, W. Significado e estrutura da linguagem . Chicago: The</p><p>University of Chicago Press, 1970.</p><p>CUMPRI, ML; BIASIOLI, BL Revisões sobre o conceito frasal: algumas</p><p>bases sintático-semânticas. Via Litterae , Anápolis, v.2, n.1, 2010, p.102-</p><p>116.</p><p>CUNHA, C.; CINTRA, L. Nova gramática do português contemporâneo .</p><p>Rio de Janeiro: Léxico, 5. ed, 2008.</p><p>MORILAS, LR Um estudo funcional dos verbos em português :</p><p>dinamicidade e estatividade conceituais. Dissertação de mestrado em</p><p>Letras, UNESP, 1998.</p><p>Material para download</p><p>Clique no botão abaixo para fazer o download do</p><p>conteúdo completo em formato PDF.</p><p>Baixar material</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 44/45</p><p>javascript:CriaPDF()</p><p>O que você achou do conteúdo?</p><p>Relatar problema</p><p>05/06/2024, 18:54 Funções semânticas e sintáticas</p><p>https://stecine.azureedge.net/repositorio/00212hu/04589/index.html?brand=estacio# 45/45</p>