Savoring Syntax

Decoding Sentences in the English Language

recent posts

about

My name is Martin Senger, and I was born in Erie, PA, USA. I have been teaching English-as-a-Second-Language for over thirty years, and I have been an ESL professor for over thirty years. I have my BA in Russian Language from Edinboro University (PA, USA) and my MATESOL from the New School of New York City. I began teaching ESL as a humanitarian aid project in the former Yugoslavia after their destructive war. I worked with several other international aid organizations to provide English lessons for those emigrating out of the war zone or those looking to increase their abilities to work in an international job field with English. I am originally from Erie. In fact, my family has been in the city for almost 200 years! I am married, with four children.

Sentence of the Day, Tuesday, November 11, 2025

In honor of Veterans’ Day.

 

ANALYSIS

Sentence: I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours, to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom.

NOTES

Source: Abraham Lincoln, 1864

CEFR Level: C2

Organization: 3 commas: 1) separating the verb phrases of assuage and leave; 2) separating the noun phrases of memory and pride; and 3) separating the adverbial phrase Why?

Syntax: 4 constituents: subject + predicator (in present simple) + object + adverbial Why?

Speech: 10 nouns, 9 verbs, 3 adjectives, 3 adverbs, 2 pronouns, 8 determiners, 3 prepositions, and 5 conjunctions

Phrase: 4 noun phrases, 2 verb phrases and 1 adverbial

Clause: 1 independent + 1 embedded dependent noun clause

Sentence Type: a complex sentence

 

 

Posted in

Leave a Reply

Discover more from Savoring Syntax

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading