There are many examples of verb-particle relations in contemporary English. In recent years there has teen an increasing interest in the study of verb-particle sequences. Especially during the last decade or two, remarkable progress has been made in a...
There are many examples of verb-particle relations in contemporary English. In recent years there has teen an increasing interest in the study of verb-particle sequences. Especially during the last decade or two, remarkable progress has been made in applying techniques of modern linguistic methodology to scientific investigation which focuses on the dynamic aspects of linguistic behavior.
Previous work has contributed greatly to a fuller understanding of the problems involved in this knotty area of English syntax, and valuable analysis and suggestions have been made toward a satisfactory solution. It may be said, however, that we need a more comprehensive and suitable study on verb-particle relations, particularily for the benefit of Korean students of English, with some explanation based on a constrative analysis between Korean and English.
The verb-particle sequence is a unique linguistic unit which is used extensively in all forms of communication. The term "particle" has been differently defined by different scholars. I would like to use the word "particles" in a broad sense, for the following reasons: The term particle can easily serve as a cover term for (a) prepositional use, (b) adverbial use, and (c) overlapping or neutral use.
A verb-particle sequence is, then, a unit consisting of a verb with an added particle or particles, with or without object, which may show, as a whole, a unique meaning which is other than the combined meaning of the parts together.
There is a structural marker to distinguish one type of verb-particle sequence from another. The marker in the construction consists of "stress and juncture signal" in the verb phrase. This is well demonstrated in the following examples:
The horse pu´lled down | the hill. (1)
The horse pu´lled | down the hill. (2)
In (1) and (2) we note two possible sequences. When two strong stress fall on both pull and down in setence (1) with the possibility of a slight break, we have an indication of verb + adverb sequence, whereas when a strong stress falls on pull and a weaker stress on down in sentence (2), with the possibility of a break between the two, it shows a verb + preposition sequence.
There are three types of particles in sequences: (1) post-verbal particle, (2) pre-nominal particle and (3) overlapping particle.
There is a basic difference between the sequence of verb-particles where the verb has an object and where it has none. According to the examples which I have collected, I have found at least three types, which will be described below :
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Under Type Two, we find two alternative forms of certain particle sequences. This transformational phenomenon may be referred to as separable and inseparable. An examples which shows this transformational operation is as fellows :
We look up the words. ↔ We look the words up.
There are some sequences which allow no transformation of this kind : the noun object never comes before the verbal particle.
Korean students have great difficulty in learning to use the English verb-particle sequence. Though, unfortunately, no thorough contrastive analysis of Korean and English has been made in regard to the sequence, we know, after a lengthy investigation of the Korean language, that no similar structure exists in Korean. Hence the problem that arises for Korean students learning English. For instance,
They set out the next day. (3)
A Korean equivalent of "set out" or "leave" is "choolbal, " but there are no two-word equivalents. Thus the Korean student will have little difficulty in substituting "choolbal" for a single English word ("leave") but he will be quite confused when he discovers or has to produce the two-word alternative ("set out").
One of the most difficult tasks for non-native speakers in learning English is the verb-particle sequence in contemporary English. They discover the fact that there are certain combinations of verb and particle which bear little or no relatonship to the individual words of which they are composed. The also find out that the sequences do not follow logic in either construction or meaning
The verb-particle sequence occurs in sufficient numbers and with such consistency of structural patterns as to permit us to formulate rules for its use in English verb phrases. Grammarians, it is true, are not in complete agreement upon the description of these sequences. Many call them verb adverb and verb-pre-position combinations. But for Korean students of English, some classification of these sequences such as we have made, along with certain guides to problems of stress, intonation and word order, is a definite aid in mastering English.