Grammar and Cars
2023-04-21
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1Imagine you are in a car. Perhaps another person is driving. What kinds of sentences are you likely to hear or use?
2In today's Everyday Grammar, we will show you how cars can teach you about English grammar.
3You will learn about common sentence structures that are used while driving.
4We will also make some car comparisons to help you remember grammar points.
5Let's start with a few important ideas about sentences.
6A car is a vehicle for getting people or goods across an area.
7We can think of a sentence as a vehicle for getting information across to other people.
8Just as there are different kinds of cars - vans, trucks, sports cars, and so on - there are also different kinds of sentences.
9Some sentences might be used for special purposes - just as a car might be used for a special purpose.
10We will now consider two sentence types that are commonly used while driving in cars: imperative sentences and exclamatory sentences.
11A quick reminder about sentences. Complete sentences involve a subject and a predicate.
12But some kinds of sentences only suggest the subject.
13One example is the imperative sentence, commonly used to give driving instructions or directions.
14The imperative sentence generally only consists of a predicate.
15The predicate often has the base form of the verb as well as additional information.
16Let's imagine that you are riding in a car.
17You are in the passenger seat, and someone else is driving.
18Person 1: Which way should I turn?
19Person 2: Turn left at the stop sign.
20Here, we have the imperative "turn left at the stop sign."
21The sentence involves the base form of the verb "turn" along with the direction "left."
22We also have the phrase "at the stop sign."
23We use imperatives to give all kinds of instructions when riding in a car.
24For example, you might say "start the car," "park the car," "speed up," "slow down," "put on the parking brake," and so on.
25Now, let's turn our attention to a second kind of sentence you are likely to hear or use when driving: exclamatory sentences.
26Grammar books describe exclamatory sentences in terms of emotion and in terms of word order.
27Let's explore both of these in turn.
28The first way we describe exclamatory sentences is in terms of emotion.
29In other words, exclamatory sentences can be any kind of sentence that is spoken with more emotion.
30And when we are driving, that emotion is often - but not always - negative.
31For example:
32"I can't believe he cut me off!"
33The second kind of exclamatory sentence involves a change of word order. We often use "what" or "how" in these kinds of statements.
34We also often leave out the verb.
35Imagine you are on a peaceful drive on a beautiful fall day.
36The trees are red, orange, and yellow. You might say,
37"What a lovely day! "
38Now imagine you are stuck in heavy traffic.
39A person speeds up and cuts in front of you. You might say in a negative tone:
40"What a piece of work!"
41Or something like this:
42"What the -----!"
43This kind of exclamatory sentence is not polite, and we do not suggest using it.
44But you might hear it or something like it in a film or in real life.
45We have explored two kinds of sentences: imperative sentences and exclamatory sentences.
46You might compare imperative sentences to race cars.
47Race cars are about speed and quickness.
48So they might not have some parts that weigh them down.
49Similarly, imperatives are about speed and quickness in communication.
50Imperatives are reduced to simple elements - the predicate with the base form of the verb.
51We also explored two kinds of exclamatory statements.
52Exclamatory sentences suggest colorful emotions.
53 We might compare exclamatory statements to colorful cars - bright yellow, deep orange, brilliant red.
54Of course, none of these comparisons are perfect.
55But they can give you a general way to remember ideas about different kinds of sentences.
56I'm John Russell.
1Imagine you are in a car. Perhaps another person is driving. What kinds of sentences are you likely to hear or use? 2In today's Everyday Grammar, we will show you how cars can teach you about English grammar. You will learn about common sentence structures that are used while driving. We will also make some car comparisons to help you remember grammar points. 3Let's start with a few important ideas about sentences. 4Ideas 5A car is a vehicle for getting people or goods across an area. 6We can think of a sentence as a vehicle for getting information across to other people. 7Just as there are different kinds of cars - vans, trucks, sports cars, and so on - there are also different kinds of sentences. 8Some sentences might be used for special purposes - just as a car might be used for a special purpose. 9We will now consider two sentence types that are commonly used while driving in cars: imperative sentences and exclamatory sentences. 10Imperatives 11A quick reminder about sentences. Complete sentences involve a subject and a predicate. 12But some kinds of sentences only suggest the subject. 13One example is the imperative sentence, commonly used to give driving instructions or directions. 14The imperative sentence generally only consists of a predicate. The predicate often has the base form of the verb as well as additional information. 15Let's imagine that you are riding in a car. You are in the passenger seat, and someone else is driving. 16Person 1: Which way should I turn? 17Person 2: Turn left at the stop sign. 18Here, we have the imperative "turn left at the stop sign." The sentence involves the base form of the verb "turn" along with the direction "left." We also have the phrase "at the stop sign." 19We use imperatives to give all kinds of instructions when riding in a car. For example, you might say "start the car," "park the car," "speed up," "slow down," "put on the parking brake," and so on. 20Exclamatory sentences 21Now, let's turn our attention to a second kind of sentence you are likely to hear or use when driving: exclamatory sentences. 22Grammar books describe exclamatory sentences in terms of emotion and in terms of word order. Let's explore both of these in turn. 23The first way we describe exclamatory sentences is in terms of emotion. In other words, exclamatory sentences can be any kind of sentence that is spoken with more emotion. And when we are driving, that emotion is often - but not always - negative. 24For example: 25"I can't believe he cut me off!" 26The second kind of exclamatory sentence involves a change of word order. We often use "what" or "how" in these kinds of statements. We also often leave out the verb. 27Imagine you are on a peaceful drive on a beautiful fall day. The trees are red, orange, and yellow. You might say, 28"What a lovely day! " 29Now imagine you are stuck in heavy traffic. A person speeds up and cuts in front of you. You might say in a negative tone: 30"What a piece of work!" 31Or something like this: 32"What the -----!" 33This kind of exclamatory sentence is not polite, and we do not suggest using it. But you might hear it or something like it in a film or in real life. 34Putting it together 35We have explored two kinds of sentences: imperative sentences and exclamatory sentences. 36You might compare imperative sentences to race cars. Race cars are about speed and quickness. So they might not have some parts that weigh them down. 37Similarly, imperatives are about speed and quickness in communication. Imperatives are reduced to simple elements - the predicate with the base form of the verb. 38We also explored two kinds of exclamatory statements. Exclamatory sentences suggest colorful emotions. We might compare exclamatory statements to colorful cars - bright yellow, deep orange, brilliant red. 39Of course, none of these comparisons are perfect. But they can give you a general way to remember ideas about different kinds of sentences. 40I'm John Russell. 41John Russell wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 42________________________________________________________________ 43Words in This Story 44imperative - n. the form that a verb or sentence has when it is expressing a command 45exclamatory - adj. describes a word, phrase, or sound that expresses a strong emotion 46predicate - n. the part of a sentence that expresses what is said about the subject 47phrase - n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence 48negative - adj. harmful or bad : not wanted